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Policy gaps to address climate risks
in only a few countries (BiH, Serbia and Croatia).
Measures favouring adaptation towards an increased
risk of losses from forest fires are being implemented,
including governance actions (regulations) as well
as infrastructural measures. Significant financial
instruments, such as the Croatian “Green Tax”
managed by the state forests management company,
are in place to support the fire prevention community
and its measures.
financing of disaster loss reconstruction and
recovery, and risk transfer. All countries also actively
cooperate on the transboundary management of
floods on the Sava River Basin (BiH, Croatia and
Serbia) and the Drin River Basin (Albania, Kosovo,
1
Montenegro and FYRMacedonia), with programmes
aimed at developing adaptation measures and risk
management mechanisms.
Flood protection measures are generally regulated
through water sector legislation at the state level
in all countries, or at the subnational level in BiH.
• Inadequate national/regional policy coverage
for adaptation and prevention of economic
losses related to wildfires
• Limited budget for early warning and
rehabilitation measures
• Possible lack of institutional coordination to
protect forests from fires
Risk of significant economic and livelihood
losses at the individual, local and national levels
due to flooding.
Some internationally-funded initiatives address the
risk of disasters (including flooding) in terms of
socioeconomic and financial losses in the Western
Balkans. Examples include the joint World Bank/
UNISDR South-Eastern Europe Disaster Risk
Mitigation and Adaptation Programme, which
supports the development of national disaster
risk management and adaptation strategies, risk
This policy gap analysis aims to assess the effectiveness
of the mix of climate adaptation instruments and
policies that are in place to address key climate risks
in the West Balkan region.
Ultimately, the success of existing policies is
determined by the extent to which they address
the most pressing climate change-related risks,
and whether they generate positive effects for the
socioeconomic system and local communities.
Policies that cause inter-sectoral conflicts or that do
not consider long-term vulnerability and/or adaptive
capacity to climate change are intrinsically ineffective.
When current information on the implementation
and effects of policies is not available, the policies are
evaluated on the basis of their potential.
Economic and livelihood losses
Risk of significant economic losses to assets and
disruptions to livelihoods at the individual, local
and national levels and/or high rehabilitation
costs related to wildfires.
Measures for protecting forests from wildfires are
usually included in national legislation related to
forest management and (agricultural) land resources
of most countries in the Western Balkans, although
climate change and adaptation issues are not
mentioned specifically.
In terms of national policies, measures to protect or
restore forests fromwildfires are considered a priority
Key Policy gaps:
Massive flood in Obrenovac, Serbia