THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY IN LIGHT OF GREEN AGENDA PRIORITIES FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON MONTENEGRO - RECOVERY AND EUROPEAN FUTURE.

The Environmental policy of the European Union has largely contributed to the diffusion and strengthening of International environmental law, and has yielded a relatively wide harmonization of high standards in this area among the Member States, as well as among countries that strive to become fully-fledged members of the EU. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is an example to that end. As a growth strategy, it aims at stimulating growth in the region and helping the transformation from the traditional economic model to a sustainable economy, in line with the European Green Deal priorities. Therefore, this paper will look at to what extent has the regional environmental governance network, precisely the cooperation with the European Environmental Agency (EEA), fostered alignment with the EU Environmental policy by Montenegro as the EU candidate country. The cooperation between Montenegro and the European Environmental Agency dates back to more than a decade ago, and it has been formalised by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on October 23, 2020, which represented a step towards full membership of the country in the EEA. Cooperation with the EEA also increases the possibility of access to European funds, which will be used to invest in green technologies and renewable energy sources. The adoption, implementation and enforcement of the EU acquis on Environment, is at the same time, a condition that the Western Balkan countries must meet in order to satisfy criteria set by the accession negotiations. In addition, the Western Balkan countries as signatories to the Paris Agreement have pledged to restructure their economies in order to achieve the goals set in the agreement. This is particularly relevant having in mind the EU aspirations to become the first climate-neutral society by 2050. To this end, and having special sensitivity towards the challenges the region of Western Balkans is facing, the Union has committed generous resources to the Western Balkans green transition. Hence, the assistance provided by the EU will depend on the quality of the preparatory work done. Therefore, the practical aspect of this paper will be to draw attention to the importance of the EU support in this area, but also to highlight the genuine responsibility and effort expected from Montenegro as a case study, to develop high quality and sustainable projects leading to restructuring its economy into a green one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]