At the same time, the region has unique habitats, home to remarkable biodiversity, which need to be protected and conserved. To improve the situation, sustainable and reliable ways of managing water supply, wastewater and waste disposal are crucial and have a strong impact on environmental protection, citizens’ health, and tourism in the region. Given the EU perspective of the region, EU targets, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030, must frame the systemic modernisation of the region and its future growth. [1]

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also identified the Western Balkans as one of the most vulnerable areas in Europe. The region will face rises in temperature larger than the European average, and changes in precipitation patterns, leading to increased flood risk, extended periods of drought, soil erosion and forest fires. Climate change will most probably increase negative impacts, resulting in significant habitat, human and economic losses. The floods in 2014 demonstrated that the region is not prepared nor adequately equipped to deal with the increasing dangers posed by climate-related impacts. Although improvements in flood prevention and protection systems have been made since 2014, more recent flood events in 2019 and 2020 showed that more needs to be done to adequately address floods and related disasters. [2]

The Climate Challenge for The West Balkans:

The dominance of rain-fed agriculture in the Western Balkans makes the agriculture sector especially vulnerable to changing rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures. The climate extremes of a 4°C warmer world in the Western Balkans would pose major risks not only to agriculture but also to energy and population security [3]. They include:

• The Western Balkans emerges as one of the planet’s Warming HotSpots, with more frequent heat waves, escalating to as much as 80% of summer months in a 4°C warmer world.

• The mean average summer temperature in the Western Balkans could climb to 7.5°C above pre-industrial times. As the climate warms the area’s Small Glaciers will be gone within decades.

• Rainfall is projected to decline 20–30% in the Western Balkans at 4°C warming.

• The increasing occurrence (by 20%) of Drought Days will be a major threat to agriculture.

• Water Availability in summer is expected to decrease throughout the century. Annual river discharge could be reduced by more than 45% by 2100 in a 4°C world.

• Winter and Spring Flood Risk is expected to increase, particularly along the Danube, Sava and Tisza rivers.

• Crop Yields in FYR Macedonia alone could drop by 50% by 2050 as the temperature climbs.

• Hydropower which plays an important role in the region’s electricity supply, will be at risk. In Albania for example the annual average output from large hydropower plants could be reduced by 15% and 20% for smaller plants.

• Health Risks will grow as the climate warms with the growing threat of dengue fever. Heat-related mortality would increase by 20% to 1,000 per million people

The international community and the EU have set the stage for action for the countries of the Western Balkans region. The Global 2030 Development Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement with its NDCs, along with the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and the ongoing EU accession process, are tremendous opportunities for Serbia as well as other countries of the region. It can help them to create innovative and resilient sector-specific policies and actions that will provide stable and sustainable societies capable of adapting to global societal and climate challenges. Moreover, by adhering to the SDGs and EU standards, it is becoming clear that economic development and prosperity can only be achieved if they go hand in hand with the protection of the environment from pollution and coping with changing climate conditions. Only such an integrated approach can prevent social insecurities arising out of food and water shortages, migrations and displacements due to extreme weather events, disease outbreaks due to global temperature increase etc. Eventually, our economies can only be sustainable if they aim to become carbon neutral. [4]

Secure and resilient societies are those that timely invest in disaster risk reduction and preparedness. By bringing national disaster prevention and recovery policies to the level of local self-governments and creating enabling policy and regulatory frameworks for local actions, much of the losses and damages can be avoided or at least alleviated. This is why effective coordination mechanisms and stakeholder involvement in the management of natural and man-made disasters are of crucial importance alongside ongoing climate emergencies. [4]

The EU responding:

As neighbours and aspiring EU members, addressing climate challenges in the Western Balkans is a priority for the EU [5]. The EU is behind numerous initiatives in the region that aim to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This includes, for example, funding for large-scale sustainable energy and transport projects channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) – an EU-led donor investment platform that pools funds from various sources, including the EU budget. The rehabilitation of the Tirana – Durrës railway line in Albania, a modernised tram fleet in Sarajevo, upgraded district heating systems in Pristina, the Bogdanic wind park in North Macedonia, the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor crisscrossing the region…are just some of the many projects that have made a positive difference to people’s lives, businesses and the environment across the region. The prospect of EU membership also provides an incentive for Western Balkan partners to bring legislation and practices into line with EU norms. The EU is very active in supporting the regulatory and policy reforms needed in the region.

Climate change and its impacts are felt across boundaries affecting water management and supply decisions – whether related to droughts, floods or other challenges. Cooperation and action across sectors will be key to overcome these challenges and to make our societies more resilient. Nature plays a major role in achieving sustainable development goals and reducing disaster risks. [2]

[1]  https://www.wbif.eu/sectors/environment

[2]  https://www.iucn.org/news/eastern-europe-and-central-asia/202008/water-our-ally-adapting-climate-change-western-balkans

[3]  https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/494741468189532505/pdf/98220-WP-P148173-PUBLIC-Box393168B-pdf.pdf

[4] https://www.belgradeforum.org/climate-change-as-a-human-security-issue-in-the-western-balkans/

[5] https://webalkans.eu/en/themes/environment/climate-action/

The Drina River Basin is ecologically rich and has major untapped economic potential from hydropower, fisheries, and tourism. But its floods and droughts also pose a major risk to the three countries it spans. For instance, a series of deluges in 2014 swept away an estimated 15% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s GDP. The frequency and scope of extreme wet and dry episodes in the basin have increased in recent years, and climate change is likely to further accentuate these peaks and troughs. Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia have acknowledged that the Basin’s people and economy need effective, long-term, and transboundary cooperation to effectively manage the drought and flood risks. However, there is limited cross-border capacity to manage natural disaster risks and coordinate climate change adaptation.[2]

This important area has come under threat of many unregulated dumps of untreated or inadequately treated waste, and wastewater is discharged into the river and its tributaries. Towns downstream do not have regulated dumping sites and approximately 30% of all flooding waste ends up in the riverbed. According to a study of the Lim River, every year more than 100,000 m3 of organic and PVC waste ends up in the river without any treatment. The disposal of waste from communities, livestock, hospitals and industry – as well as hazardous waste from town dumps – presents everyday risks for all of the river’s ecosystems. [1]

Drina River is the most important cross-border watershed between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia. It directly influences the Sava River through waters from the Tuzla Canton watersheds and causes cross-border floods by taking huge waters into the Sava River downstream to Serbia. More specifically for this Action, the Tuzla Canton watersheds including rivers Sapna, Janja, Turija and Drinjača, which directly run into Drina River, and rivers Tinja and Brka, which run into Sava River, need flood protection facilities to protect areas from water in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The Modrac dam on the Spreča River in Tuzla Canton is critical for the protection of the Bosna River downstream area and for regulation of the Bosna River fluxes that influence heavily the Sava River downstream in Serbia. Moreover, a significant number of industrial facilities dealing with polluting and dangerous materials in the Tuzla Canton area present – in case of repeated floods – an environmental threat to both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. [3]

According to the World Bank, BiH has been at risk of water hazards and natural disasters for years and seasonal flooding and periods of drought affected agriculture and human health. The projected climate change impacts make the country increasingly vulnerable to more intense rainfalls and floods directly affecting the Drina and the Sava. The latter is the largest tributary of the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe, the World Bank explained. [4]

The World Bank was uniquely positioned as a moderator among countries to build trust and promote transboundary communication and cooperation. This convening power was key to achieving the joint implementation of the Drina River Basin Management Project by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Another cornerstone of the project was leveraging knowledge for integrated water resources management. In the past, the three countries exchanged almost no hydro-meteorological information. The project funded new data collection equipment and established protocols and institutional channels for sharing this essential input for modelling and forecasting, planning, disaster response, and management. [2]

Bosnia and Herzegovina obtained a EUR 37 million loan for flood protection projects in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity and the Brčko District. The World Bank estimated that about 300,000 people in BiH will be safer from floods from the support it approved. The loan will help geographically expand the first phase of the Sava and Drina Rivers Corridors Integrated Development Program in BiH to include the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity and Brčko District, the World Bank said. Financing for the Republic of Srpska, the other entity in BiH, was approved in August 2020. [4] 

Transboundary cooperation on integrated water resource management is a lengthy process requiring continuous external support over years or decades. The project has opened the gates to this continued collaboration. [2]

[1] The Drina River’s floating problem | ICPDR – International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River 

[2] Flood Protection and Climate Adaptation for the Drina River Basin (worldbank.org) 

[3] untitled (europa.eu) 

[4] BiH gets EUR 37 million loan for flood protection projects (balkangreenenergynews.com)