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The Western Balkans is a designation used (most
commonly by the European Union) for a region which
includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
1
The region, considered mountainous in its own
right,
2
includes the Dinaric Arc mountain range,
which stretches across Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.
1
Mountains and the complex terrain of the region
have contributed to shaping this region, forging
strong local identities and, with external influences,
producing a complex matrix of several languages,
religions, and world views. The region retains some
of Europe’s richest areas with regards to natural
habitats, biological diversity, karst phenomena and
lakes and rivers.
With the exception of Albania, all the countries
of the Western Balkans were formerly part of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which
dissolved in 1991. While the rest of emerging Europe
transitioned peacefully out of communism and
into democracy, many Western Balkans countries
spent the 1990s engulfed in conflict following
this disintegration, which caused widespread
devastation, delayed the countries’ economic
transformation and has resulted in markedly lower
living standards compared with the EU countries.
Yet in the 2000s, these countries all made impressive
gains in rebuilding their war-torn economies and
transitioning to market economies.
Introduction
Today, the countries of the Western Balkans are at a
turning point in the development of their economies,
societies and environment. A number of social,
economic and other drivers will shape the region’s
future. Integration with the European Union and EU
accession are the principal objectives for countries
in the region (Croatia having joined in 2013), in
the hope that they will bring security, stability and
prosperity to the peoples of the region. Closer
integration with the EU will strongly influence
environmental and climate policies, laws and actions
in the coming decades.
The region as a whole faces similar environmental
problems, which need to be tackled both within
the countries themselves and across borders.
There are legacy issues related to war, former
industrial and mining sites, illegal dumping of
waste, and the extraction of minerals. Improving
air quality, the protection and use of water bodies,
the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable
management of land, forest and water resources are
all pressing priorities of the region. The shift from
the industrial past to advanced, post-industrial
economies is bringing about a shift in consumerism
and challenging ecological sustainability. Climate
change will bring additional challenges and pose
additional risks to ecosystems and society. As a
whole, the region is expected to become drier,
with more heat extremes. This will coincide with
extreme weather events such as heavy precipitation,
resulting in flooding.
Velebit, Croatia
Kamberovica, Bosnia and Herzegovina