About this initiative

 

Addressing the issues of sustainable urban develop-ment and protection of environment successfully, presupposes development and implementation of integrated and long-term policies at both national and local levels, which in turn have effects on a wider regional level.
With that in mind, the overall goal of this project is to create conditions to ultimately establish Balkan Green Lobby Group, using the promotion of the urban sustainable development concept and protection of environment in the Region as an approach and a springboard issue.

With aim to continue what has already been successfully started in Macedonia, but also to spread the concept wider in the Balkan Region, three organisations from Macedonia ( 4x4x4 Balkan Bridges - Skopje, Macedonian Green Centre, Coalition for Sustainable Development – CSD ), one from Albania ( 4x4x4 Balkan Bridges Tirana ) and one from Montenegro(Green Home Podgorica) initiated wider action to establish and facilitate the first open Regional Parliamentary Lobby Group. By assisting a proactive collaboration of members of the Parliaments in the Region the idea is to stimulate changes in the approach and cooperation of the governments in promoting protection of environment and implementing the sustainable development concept the Balkan Region countries.

Addressing the issues of sustainable development and environment protection successfully requires develop-ment and implementation of integrated and long-term policies at both national and local level, which in turn have effects on a wider, regional level. The institutional framework for sustainable environmental management, which consists of norms, laws and regulations and the institutions in charge of implementing them, determines the mechanisms through which the diverse actors administer progre-ssive environmental improvements and assure the sustainable use of natural resources. However, by their nature, decisions related to sustainable development of society are highly complex, involving multiple stakeholders within governmental authorities, among the business and CSO communities, and in the wider public.

The argument of existence of national legal and administrative frameworks for protection of the environment in Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro is not disputable - more or less, they are in line with the EU framework. However, having the laws and having them implemented in practice are two different things.