WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy

Under the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB), the Climate Action pillar supports the WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy 2026–2030, developed as the regional response primarily to Action 4 (Climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction) of the Revised Action Plan (2025–2030), and supported by Action 3 (Climate change mitigation and clean energy transition). The WB6 is one of the most vulnerable regions in Europe to extreme heat and drought: global temperatures have exceeded the 1.5°C Paris Agreement threshold, Europe’s average temperature has already risen by more than 2°C, and South East Europe faces one of the highest rates of climate-related mortality even under a 1.5°C scenario. The region is already experiencing severe droughts, extreme precipitation, wildfires, floods and landslides, with climate risks interacting with geopolitical uncertainties, energy market volatility and distinctive demographic dynamics, including rural depopulation.

The transboundary nature of climate hazards, the small size of the WB6, and shared watersheds and ecosystems necessitate a regional approach, so the Strategy operationalises the WB6 Climate Adaptation Roadmap through measures, actions, implementation arrangements, partners, indicators and timelines. It follows the key objectives of the EU Adaptation Strategy: adaptation needs to become smarter, more systemic and faster. The Strategy aligns the WB6 and EU adaptation frameworks in line with the European Climate Law by enabling stronger science-policy links, improved monitoring and knowledge systems, stronger early warning and preparedness capacities, improved regulation and planning, stronger integration of climate and disaster risk management, more effective action on water and drought management, operationalisation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across sectors and scales, and more strategic adaptation finance.

Strategic framework and objectives

Long-term vision: the WB6 are resilient to climate change by mid-century, with functional, robust adaptation mechanisms in place, grounded in science, policy, and appropriate financing. The main objective is to strengthen the capacities of the WB6 to address challenges in adaptation planning and implementation by increasing the preparedness of people and economic sectors, ensuring sustainability of adaptation measures, and reducing residual risks to a minimum. This is pursued through three specific objectives: Specific Objective 1 strengthens capacities to increase preparedness for climate change through improved access to data, information and knowledge in the WB6; Specific Objective 2 strengthens capacities for systemic adaptation and integrated disaster risk and climate risk reduction in the WB6; and Specific Objective 3 strengthens scientific and financial support for adaptation implementation in the WB6. Together, these specific objectives translate the vision and main objective into the measures set out below.

Regional priorities

Regional takeaway: The Strategy structures its priorities into four tiers: two core targets expected to deliver the highest cross-sectoral impact; three secondary targets requiring regional added value; four cross-cutting enablers; and three specific cross-sectoral actions, with the earliest regulatory work starting in 2026 and enabling instruments running through 2030.

Source: Regional Cooperation Council, WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy 2026–2030 (Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation Council, 2026).

Measures under Specific Objective 1

Regional takeaway: Five measures (SO1.1–SO1.5) close data, monitoring and knowledge gaps for climate monitoring and early warning, running from 2026 to 2030 with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other partners.

Source: Regional Cooperation Council, WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy 2026–2030 (Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation Council, 2026).

Measures under Specific Objective 2

Regional takeaway: Eight measures (SO2.1–SO2.8) mainstream adaptation into regulation, planning and socio-economic policy, from the 2026–2028 climate-proofing and NbS frameworks through to 2028–2030 local-level and socio-economic enablers.

Source: Regional Cooperation Council, WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy 2026–2030 (Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation Council, 2026).

Measures under Specific Objective 3

Regional takeaway: Two measures (SO3.1–SO3.2) strengthen the science-policy interface and mobilise adaptation finance, running from 2026 with EC, EEA, EnC, IUCN and the European Investment Bank (EIB) as core partners.

Source: Regional Cooperation Council, WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy 2026–2030 (Sarajevo: Regional Cooperation Council, 2026).

Governance and implementation

Implementation is coordinated through the RCC Secretariat under the GAWB's established governance framework, with the Regional Working Group on the GAWB (RWG GAWB) serving as the principal regional intergovernmental coordination platform. The RCC Secretariat facilitates regional cooperation, monitors progress, reports, and engages with partners.    
Each WB6 designates a focal point to the Task Force on Climate Adaptation, established under RWG GAWB, which is responsible for coordinating domestic inputs to regional activities, monitoring progress against the Strategy’s indicators, coordinating between regional and domestic-level adaptation plans, and developing bankable regional project proposals.

A second new regional platform, the Early Warning System Task Force (EWS-TF), is established under RWG GAWB, bringing together forecasting experts from hydrometeorological services, civil protection agencies and relevant European agencies, coordinated with the South-East European Multi-Hazard Early Warning Advisory System (SEE-MHEWS-A).

Progress is monitored through the established Green Agenda monitoring and reporting mechanisms, including the annual Green Agenda Implementation Report (GARI) and the regional GAWB Observatory platform. If implemented effectively, the Strategy will help the WB6 move from fragmented adaptation efforts towards a more coherent regional adaptation framework built on science, policy coherence, preparedness, and sustained investment in climate resilience.

Future outlook

The Strategy establishes the main enabling mechanisms for the current period, including improved monitoring, climate and disaster risk management, climate-proofing of investments and strategic planning, NbS, water-drought management, worker protection, scientific advisory support and adaptation finance. Nine further areas may require consideration beyond the current Strategy period:

1. Economy and financial sector resilience, including climate risk disclosure, improved government aid and insurance systems, and trade-related measures.
2. Food system resilience, including diversification of production, pest and disease monitoring, livestock vaccination and expanded risk insurance.
3. Urban resilience, including urban green and hybrid solutions and targeted grey infrastructure for urban heat island effects.
4. Health and worker protection, including outdoor work restrictions, occupational safety regulations, adjusted work schedules, and training of health professionals in disaster management.
5. Emergency preparedness and response, including improved emergency plans, bypass routes, and education of communities.
6. Integration of mobility-related dynamics in monitoring frameworks and cross-sectoral policy coherence.
7. Energy system resilience aligned with the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation and broader EU approaches.
8. Climate-resilient supply chains, including assessment of vulnerabilities in regional food and resource supply systems.
9. Freshwater ecosystem conservation and restoration under integrated water-drought management.