Western Balkan ministers adopt Green Agenda 2026 declaration

Ministers from six Western Balkan economies have adopted a Ministerial Declaration on the Green Agenda for 2026 during a meeting in Žabljak, Montenegro. The declaration establishes regional priorities for the next phase of the green transition, focusing on climate and water resilience, nature and biodiversity protection, the development of a circular economy, and pollution reduction.

A key target within the agreement is to reduce the availability and consumption of five specific groups of single-use plastics—including bags, beverage packaging, cups, food containers, and cutlery—by 80 percent compared to 2023 levels by the year 2028. The countries also committed to establishing functional extended producer responsibility systems for plastic packaging.

Montenegrin Minister of Ecology Damjan Ćulafić noted that while Montenegro is working toward fully defending its constitutional status as an ecological state, the Green Agenda represents a political commitment to faster and better-coordinated regional progress. North Macedonia's Minister Muhamet Hodža emphasized that success should be measured by concrete benefits for citizens rather than just the number of adopted documents.