Speech by RCC Secretary General at the Third Annual Ministerial Meeting on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans

18 September 2026 | SPEECH

RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic opened the Third Annual Ministerial Meeting on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB), organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro, under Montenegro’s Chairmanship of the 2026 Berlin Process, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), within the framework of the Regional Climate Partnership between Germany and the Western Balkans Six, and with the support of the European Commission. The Ministerial conference took place in Zzabljak on 18-19 September 2026.RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović warned that the effects of climate change were already imposing a heavy cost on the region and called for the newly agreed commitments to be followed by concrete implementation. among other things he said: “Last year alone, 225,000 hectares burned across the Western Balkans in more than 430 large wildfires. The cost of the transition arrived before the transition did. That is why we must hurry up and stay open-minded about solutions. We now have concrete regional work on climate adaptation, biodiversity, plastics and forest restoration. But none of it yet has a budget, or a responsible name behind it. Making that happen is the test for our joint work ahead,” said Kapetanović.

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