| CSF
As part of the advocacy activities supporting the Civil Society Forum (CSF) objectives, on 20th July 2023, representatives of IPECC and the Open Society Foundation – Macedonia, had a meeting with the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Kaja Shukova. IPECC leads the Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Climate and Green Agenda, within the CSF of the Berlin Process.
During the meeting was discussed about the ways that the Ministry can support the process of implementing the activities of the TWG for Climate and Green Agenda, thus support the realization of the final recommendations that will be presented to the leaders of the EU members’ states and of the Western Balkans at this year’s Berlin Process Summit that will be held in October in Tirana.
The minister emphasized that the cooperation with civil society organizations is necessary, and had expressed her support for all processes that contribute to bringing North Macedonia closer to the European family and extend the regional cooperation in the sector of environment and climate change.
Also, topics covered by the TWG for Climate and Green Agenda were discussed. Therefore, it was concluded that the Green Infrastructure Investments, and the support provided by the EU and other donors, are important for achieving Chapter 27 requirements, whereby regional cooperation can bring many benefits. Increase of investments in the sector is more than needed, which should be complemented with improvement of the capacities of the central and local authorities. At the same time, investments in improving biodiversity and protection of natural resources should be equally represented by the Green Investments.
The minister also stated that the final recommendations regarding the three key topics of the TWG, should primarily be applicable and sustainable, and should cover all sectors of the society, including the local governments as one of the key authorities for the implementation of the legislation and policies in environmental.
The main topic of the TWG covers the Green Infrastructure investments, with additional focus on Good Governance in Environment and Biodiversity and Protection of natural resources.
The Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSFWB), mandated by the Government of Albania as the current holder of the Presidency of the Berlin Process, and in collaboration with the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and with the Cooperation and Development Institute (CDI), is organizing this year’s Civil Society & Think Tank Forum (CSF). The CSF, organized as part of the Berlin Process Summit to be held in October 2023 in Tirana, aims to foster regional cooperation, strengthen EU-related reforms and support the accession process of the Western Balkan countries.