Launch of the "Science for Policy Report on the Status of Climate and Environment in the Western Balkans"
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is collaborating with DG Research & Innovation, DG Education and Culture, Western Balkans partners and EU Member States on the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.
As a part of the Western Balkans Agenda and in coordination with policy DGs, JRC collaborates with the Western Balkans partners also on the approximation of EU legislation in the fields of environment and climate which are essential building blocks for a sustainable development.
The European Commission political guidelines for 2019-2024 consider the accession process as a unique opportunity to promote EU core values and reaffirm the importance of continuing the reform process of this region while the EU Green Deal (COM(2019)640) sets out several concrete actions in the field of climate, depollution, energy, biodiversity, circular economy, among others. The Guidelines for the implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (SWD(2020) 223), accompanying the Economic and Investment Plan for the WB (COM(2020) 641), define priority areas for interventions and identify initiatives to fulfil the principles of the EU Green Deal in this region. More recently the European Commission has launched the EU Action Plan: “Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil” COM(2021) 400 which aims to protect ecosystems and human health.
To support these priorities, the JRC analyses the available information on climate and environment in the Western Balkans with the aim of identifying critical issues and knowledge gaps. Moreover, foresight analysis by means of modelling tools is carried out to anticipate the implications of future policy options with a view to inform the policy cycle. In this regard, an important indicator for the management of air quality is the impact of pollution on health and the associated external costs.
The JRC participates in programs to monitor the quality of water bodies in the Western Balkans from the chemical and ecological point of view to assess their status with respect to the standards set in the EU Water Framework Directive. In addition, the JRC contributes through the “watch list” to constantly update the information on important pollutants like pesticides, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, among others. Healthy soils are at the basis of our economy and are key components of the climatic system. The JRC contributes to the New Soil Strategy and carries out a holistic investigation of the soil health in the Western Balkans by analysing a complete set of parameters: level of nutrients, content of organic carbon, erosion, pollution, soil sealing, salinisation, desertification and pressures on soil biodiversity.
The report on environment and climate in the Western Balkans, that will be presented by Commissioner Gabriel during the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platforms, summarises for the first time the status of air, climate, water and soil in the context of the EU acquis in order to benchmark the progress in the accession process and support the implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans with particular reference to depollution and decarbonisation priorities. The report is an opportunity for the Horizon Europe associated partners to take stock of the situation in the Western Balkans and stimulate the research on innovation and digitalisation in topics connected to the environmental protection and the green economy (e.g. decarbonisation, smart mobility, energy efficiency of buildings, circular economy, farm to fork strategy).
The event is open to the public with prior registration.
- Western Balkans
- General
- Conference WBs
- Other
Entry created by Admin WBC-RTI.info on June 15, 2022
Modified on July 5, 2022
