Vienna - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised the first meeting of the RWG GAWB held in Vienna on 15 and 16 November 2023. 

Opening the meeting Ivana Markovic Boskovic, RCC Senior Expert on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans underlined that discussions of this meeting will focus on climate adaptation, implementation of the Joint Statement on Prevention of Plastic Pollution, including Marine Litter, monitoring and reporting under the GAWB Action Plan (AP) and priorities for 2024.

RWG GAWB members agreed that the RCC will proceed by providing a comprehensive framework document including methodology for the development of the Western Balkan RAS. This process will involve active participation from all relevant stakeholders involved.

The following day RCC organised the joint meeting of the RWG GAWB and the Working Group on Industrial Development (WGID) with focus on the activities related to CRM Regional Industrial Area’s Green and Circular Economy value chains and the activities of the GAWB’s Circular Economy Operational Plan.

Participants were presented with the mapping process of green and circular economy (CE) stakeholders, key challenges and conclusions from the stakeholders’ survey, key recommendations from the survey that feed upon the upcoming activities (including the WB6 Green and CE Platform, planned for early 2024) and key recommendations on engaging stakeholders through a regional network/forum that brings together CE platforms and initiatives in the WB region.

Marija Askovic Matic, Project Coordinator, WB6CIF highlighted its willingness to be one of the partners on establishing a platform and contribute with inputs from the private sector given the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the region are members of WB6CIF.  The Green and CE Stakeholders Platform was considered important and necessary, as a tool to support the implementation of CE Roadmaps, CRM and GAWB Action Plans; for knowledge sharing and exchange of views and best practices, to engage all stakeholders (private sector, CSOs, etc.) and the model presented (Centre for Circular Economy under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia) was considered as a good example. 

In the meeting other participants were RWG GAWB members, Standing Working Group on Regional Rural Development (SWG RRD), Trasport Community Secretariat (TCPS), Energy Community Secretariat (EnCS), and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Commission.

Agenda

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Established in April 2023 through the transformation of the former RWG on Environment, the RWG GAWB provides the operational framework necessary to effectively fulfil its mandate under the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans Action Plan. It serves as the core intergovernmental coordination platform, composed of senior representatives from the WB6 ministries responsible for climate and environment. It represents the backbone of the GAWB implementation process, ensuring technical coordination, facilitating regional dialogue, and monitoring progress against the commitments of the Sofia Declaration.