Energy Transition and Decarbonisation in the Western Balkans
“Energy Transition and Decarbonisation in the Western Balkans” is a regional project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Balkan Green Foundation in cooperation with Germanwatch, Belgrade Open School and Eko-Svest.
The project aims to support the Western Balkan countries, in particular Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia, in accelerating their energy transition and decarbonisation. This includes building strong civil society networks in the region that can themselves - in close coordination with academia and the private sector - work together for national and regional reforms.
The project brings together national and local stakeholders from the region to:
- Establish domestic and cross-border civil society dialogue for a socially just energy transition in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia, that provides the political impetus.
- Ensure that Climate policy proposals by civil society have supported the further development of national and regional energy and climate policy.
Some of the main activities include capacity development for local CSOs in the climate sector; study tours for decision-makers and journalists; monitoring of the local politics in the energy sector; providing recommendations for the national and regional energy transition; and fostering dialogue between all the relevant stakeholders through forums and cross-border discussion events.
Kosovo Green Action
"Kosovo Green Action" project is financially supported by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development through the provision of a Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) Grant and is implemented by Balkan Green Foundation (BGF) in cooperation with Lëvizja FOL (FOL) and Open Data Kosovo (ODK).
The project engages diverse stakeholders in collaborative social accountability on climate and energy-related priorities outlined in the EU-endorsed Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. The project aligns with Green Agenda’s key pillars through activities that improve stakeholders' access to information, good governance, accountability and transparency of government institutions and empowerment of youth, while boosting key climate actions.
Overall objectives
- Development of government capacities to improve data-driven policymaking in line with the Green Agenda.
- Foster collaboration and dialogue between public institutions, CSOs, media and citizens on key Green Agenda issues.
- Engage stakeholders through various mechanisms including an interactive and data-driven digital platform on climate/energy-related issues which facilitates access to information and stakeholder interaction with government entities on climate and energy commitments.
Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) - Phase 2
Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE) Phase 2, is a continuation of the ‘WB6 Lab project’, which intends to open new spaces of reconciliation for the youth of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) through social entrepreneurship. The project is implemented by Balkan Green Foundation in cooperation with the Consortium consisting of GROUPE SOS Pulse, RYCO, SEEYN, and the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO), and supported by the Agence Française de Développement, Erasmus + Programme and Regional Youth Cooperation Office.
The project focuses on the implementation of a regional program of support for social entrepreneurship ideas for young people. The program is composed of an ideation phase and an incubation phase, aiming to enable project leaders to develop innovative solutions to the challenges faced by their communities. This way, it empowers young people to become actors of change within their community(ies) by developing solutions with high social and environmental impact, and confronting them at the regional scale. The program is implemented three times in three cycles called “RISE Journeys”.
Over the RISE project, partners will work together towards the capacity building of 6 local incubators (VET providers). Partners will co-construct several innovative pedagogical tools and materials on social entrepreneurship and on interculturality. Capacity-building activities will be organized to improve the knowledge, technical and pedagogical skills of VET trainers and coaches and enable them to enroll high quality and innovative social entrepreneurship support programs fostering reconciliation and the building of a common future in the region. This, in return, will contribute to a better alignment between VET structures and the emerging social entrepreneurship market in the country. Further by implementing the project throughout all of the Western Balkans, by fostering mobility and by sharing and showcasing the results of the project, the project intends to foster cooperation within the region and strengthen the regional ecosystem.
Balkan Green Ideas
Balkan Green Ideas (BGI), a project initially supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and now by ERASMUS+ as well, stimulates and encourages ambitious entrepreneurs within the Western Balkans in generating green business ideas that utilize local resources and revitalize disappearing traditional production chains and community-based markets.
BGI aims to contribute substantially to building a peaceful, competitive, and prosperous region of the Western Balkans, by constantly pursuing regional environmental sustainability, align with the new WB Green Agenda, and provide a support program for sustainable green enterprises that will contribute towards a green Balkans and economically sustainable small rural and urban areas in our region.
The objective is to promote the principles and values of sustainable and green policy among young people in matters related to the economic, social, and political development of Western Balkan societies, as well as to connect young green activists and help them to identify potentials within their communities to create green and sustainable youth initiatives and businesses in the Western Balkans and Greece and ultimately contribute to strengthening their role in the vision for sustainable development within the region.
BALKAN ENERGY PROSPECT
Balkan Energy Prospect is among the tools created by Balkan Green Foundation, with the idea to represent an open, powerful, and informative platform for discovering and analyzing the key insights accentuating the capacities of each Western Balkans country in terms of their respective energy sectors.
Ultimately, this platform is drafted with the idea to offer a brief yet comprehensive reflection of the developments in the energy sector in each of the 6 countries of the Western Balkans, respectively Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The platform provides a visual representation of data, denoting that an efficient electricity access and connection of strategies within WB region will drive the cooperation process and contribute regionally towards the advancement of their energy systems, guided by the shared commitments, obligations, and targets of the Energy Community Treaty.
With the establishment of cooperation and an integrated energy infrastructure amongst each other, countries will increase cross-border cooperation and develop regional projects and lower their carbon economy.
As such, this platform provides valuable information about six WB countries in terms of their energy technologies, potential synergies for a future integrated energy market, and capacities for energy diversification within the WB region.
Environmental Capacity Building on Data use in Kosovo
‘Environmental Capacity Building on Data use in Kosovo’ project is implemented through the support of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA).
The project responds to the request on the establishment of local presence in pursuit of environmental capacity building in Kosovo and advancement of the EU accession process in the environmental area.
Through this project, Balkan Green Foundation, as a Local Partner Administrator, will be a connecting link between the Swedish team and partners of the project in Kosovo in delivering this aim and contributing to environmental policy being implemented and developed effectively, with high quality, as well as addressing issues regarding climate and air, biodiversity, polluted areas, recycling and waste, environmental supervision, as well as environmental research.
Road Map of Social Enterprises
The Road Map of Social Enterprises project is supported by Erasmus Plus Programme and responds to the needs of the partners and their communities in the field of social entrepreneurship by using digital tools at youth work to address youth unemployment and empower young people. 8 partners from 8 countries will work for 24 months on the digital tool for knowledge exchange and networking in social entrepreneurship.
The main objective of the project is to contribute to the creation of a supportive social entrepreneurial environment in participating countries; to develop a durable, tool, a MAP, website and application for networking, and knowledge exchange about social entrepreneurship with concrete examples of social enterprises and tools supporting cross-sectorial cooperation; to support cooperation between Programme and Partner countries and development of new project initiatives addressing youth unemployment and developing the entrepreneurial mindset of young people.
Furthermore, the foreseen activities are dedicated to the growth of capacities of the youth organizations (training and online learning), mapping social entrepreneurial practices and development of the digital tool, a MAP, and contributing to creating a supportive social entrepreneurial environment in participating countries by making social enterprises visible and accessible (international and national multiplier events).