Kosovo Green Action

active

Prospective

Kosovo endorsed the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans at the Sofia Summit in November 2020. The Green Agenda foresees joint actions towards achieving sustainable socio-economic development and green recovery of the entire region in the post-pandemic period aligned with the EU Green Deal. The implementation plan for the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is based on five pillars: (i) climate action, including decarbonization, energy and mobility; (ii) circular economy, addressing in particular waste, recycling, sustainable production and efficient use of resources; (iii) biodiversity; (iv) fighting air, water and soil pollution; and (v) sustainable food systems and rural areas. Through the Sofia Declaration, the Government of Kosovo (Gok) also committed to monitor, promote and enforce compliance with environmental obligations and ensure effective mechanisms for public participation, access to information, access to justice in environmental matters and environmental reporting. While Kosovo has made some progress in the energy sector, notably with the increased investments in renewables (achieving its target share of energy from renewable sources, which rose to 25.7percent in gross final energy consumption in 2020), limited progress has been made in the areas of transport, environment, and climate change. The unreliable and health-hazardous energy supply, which mainly relies on coal, remains a concern. The bulk of power supply (880 MW) is produced by two highly polluting and aging lignite power plants, which, in addition to causing serious health and environmental adverse impacts, hinder country’s ability to abide to the Green Agenda and achieve its international obligations as a member of the Energy Community Treaty.Moving toward more efficient and cleaner supply of energy, in conformity with EU environmental standards, is imperative for Kosovo. Administrative capacities of domestic institutions need to be reinforced in all sectors. Strategies, action plans, and policies in these sectors need to be more consistent among themselves and in line with the principles and objectives of the Green Agenda.The project aims to support this mission by helping the Kosovo government and other key stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of the Green Agenda through activities that improve access to information, accountability, transparency, and good governance, empower youth, as well as boost climate actions. More specifically, it aims to i) develop government capacities to improve data-driven policy-making in line with the Green Agenda; ii) foster collaboration and dialogue between public institutions, Civil Society Organzization (CSOs), media, and citizens on key Green Agenda issues; and iii) engage stakeholders through various mechanisms, including an interactive and data-driven digital platform on climate/energy related issues, for information, action, and interaction with government entities on climate and energy commitments (including social accountability).The proposed project is consistent with the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Kosovo for the period of 2017-2021 (next CPF is in draft stage). It contributes to the CPF Focus Area 3 – Promoting Reliable Energy and Stewardship of the Environment – which includes three objectives: (i) Creating the foundations for reliable, cleaner, and more efficient energy supply; (ii) Enhancing energy efficiency and renewable energy; and (iii) Improving management of natural resources and addressing environmental contamination. As part of these objectives, the CPF recognizes the World Bank’s pivotal role in supporting GoK to bolster its institutional and technical capacity to improve environmental management and advance the energy transition.

FY17 - Public Administration

World Bank Group

Project

Water Supply and Storage, Power Generation (CCGT), Biomass, Government