Balkan leaders call for fair energy transition and stronger protection of nature at COP31

Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina highlighted the need for stronger environmental protection, a fair energy transition and greater responsibility towards future generations as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

Addressing leaders at the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference in the Turkish city of Antalya, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic outlined four key priorities for his country's green transition, reaffirming its ambition to become the European Union's 28th member state by 2028.

Milatovic said the country must turn its environmental commitments into concrete action.

"Today, we are called upon to prove that this promise can guide our decisions as well as our development," he said.

He said protecting nature was central both to Montenegro's resilience and its European future.

The first priority, he noted, is strengthening nature protection through the establishment of the European Network of Protected Areas, known as Natura 2000.

The second priority, he said, is a just energy transition, with the government seeking to reduce the energy sector's dependence on coal by accelerating investment in solar and wind power alongside the sustainable use of hydropower.

He said the objective was a transition that was "economically realistic and socially fair."

The third priority focuses on climate resilience, with floods, wildfires, droughts and coastal risks identified as growing threats to lives, infrastructure and livelihoods, he underscored.

Montenegro has also committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and 60% by 2035.

The fourth priority, described as "Ecological State 2.0," involves 20 proposals aimed at making environmental protection part of everyday life.

The proposals include free access to national parks, stronger protection of coasts and rivers and sustainable tourism. They also aim to strengthen forest fire prevention, hold polluters accountable and introduce preventive protection for future Natura 2000 sites.