Montenegro
Energy Community Secretariat takes part in Green Agenda Ministerial in Žabljak
The Energy Community Secretariat took part in the Third Ministerial Meeting on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans in Žabljak, Montenegro, held under Montenegro’s Chairmanship of the Berlin Process. The meeting saw the endorsement of the 2026 Green Agenda for the Western Balkans Ministerial Declaration. Bringing together representatives of the Western Balkans, the European Commission and regional and international partners, the meeting took stock of progress under the Green Agenda and set priorities for the next phase of implementing the regions' commitments towards climate neutrality by 2050.
Representing the Secretariat, Adam Cwetsch, Head of the Decarbonisation and Governance Unit, outlined how the Energy Community framework can help advance the implementation of the Green Agenda and support the region’s closer integration with the European Union. The Western Balkans already have a strong institutional and policy architecture for the energy transition through their legally binding commitments to the Energy Community Treaty, he emphasised. With legal and policy frameworks falling into place, the challenge now is accelerating reforms, mobilising financing and translating policy commitments into infrastructure and market developments.
Cwetsch highlighted the central role of National Energy and Climate Plans in guiding this process. In this regard, The Secretariat recently published a first-of-its kind assessment of adopted NECPs 2025–2030 and progress towards the 2030 energy and climate targets. It underlines the need for the region to increasingly shift the focus from planning and establishing governance structures towards implementation and investment.
The Secretariat also stressed the importance of treating renewable energy deployment, market integration, carbon pricing, infrastructure, and electrification as part of one integrated agenda for decarbonisation and EU integration. This approach will also be important in preparing the next generation of NECPs.
Back-to-back with the Ministerial, the Secretariat is taking part in a dedicated session on monitoring, reporting, verification, and accreditation (MRVA). Effective implementation of Energy Community obligations in this area is essential for further progress on carbon pricing and closer alignment with the EU ETS framework.