The EU4Green Regional Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture and Forestry brought together policymakers, researchers, forestry and agriculture experts to explore practical adaptation solutions, strengthen regional cooperation, and shift from reactive disaster response to preventive action.
The Conference highlighted the importance of regional collaboration and shared expertise in supporting the Western Balkans (WB) on their path toward European Union integration. Austrian Government has long-standing cooperation with the Western Balkans region, underlining its continued commitment to supporting sustainable development and environmental governance. Climate change was identified as an increasingly important and cross-cutting topic, requiring stronger coordination across sectors and countries.
Representatives from the Austrian Environmental Agency presented the EU4Green initiative and stressed the importance of strengthening expert cooperation and establishing expert groups that can contribute to reporting, policy development, and implementation processes at both national and regional levels. Particular attention was given to the growing integration of agriculture and forestry into climate-related discussions and strategic planning. Both sectors are closely connected through land-use management and climate resilience, creating opportunities for more coordinated and integrated approaches.
The event was facilitated by the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG RRD), contributing to stronger regional dialogue and knowledge exchange across the Western Balkans.
Key topics included soil health, agroforestry, water management, and climate-resilient forestry practices, all contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future for the WB6 region. Through interactive plenaries, guided discussions and thematic breakout sessions, participants work toward a shared understanding of climate risks, promote preventive adaptation investments, and identify common regional priorities such as soil health monitoring, drought preparedness, fire management, and stronger knowledge-sharing networks.
Plenary Session 1: Climate Change Risks and projections in Agriculture and Forestry
Western Balkan countries are working toward EU climate and energy goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving adaptation measures. However, limited regional cooperation and institutional capacity remain major challenges. The INFORM Risk Index classifies the region as facing moderate to high disaster risk due to climate change, economic vulnerability, and growing exposure to extreme weather.
Presentation Ivan Blinkov, SWG National Expert
Plenary Session 2: Soil Health & Agroforestry as Adaptation Pathways and options in Forestry. The plenary session emphasized the importance of soil health and agroforestry in strengthening climate resilience, sustainable land management, and long-term agricultural and forestry productivity in the Western Balkans. Healthy soils are recognized as essential for food security, biodiversity, water retention, carbon storage, and sustainable farming systems, while soil degradation and climate pressures remain major regional challenges. Agroforestry as an effective adaptation pathway for addressing droughts, wildfires, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. By integrating trees into agricultural landscapes, agroforestry enhances ecosystem resilience, reduces pressure on forests, improves biodiversity, and supports restoration of degraded land
Presentation Dragana VIdojevic, SWG National Expert
Presentation Nikolco Velkovski, SWG National Expert
Stephan Graeber, Environment Agency Austria, Forest Expert, Land Use & Biosafety
Austria’s forests cover 48% of the country and are ecologically and economically important, with around 300,000 people employed in the forestry and wood sector. However, climate change is creating major challenges, including higher temperatures, droughts, storms, forest fires, bark beetle outbreaks, and late spring frost damage. In 2025, Austrian forests were reported to emit more CO₂ than they absorb. To adapt, Austria promotes the conversion of vulnerable spruce monocultures into more resilient mixed forests through natural regeneration, assisted migration, and the use of suitable tree species. Additional measures include improving forest fire preparedness and regulating game populations to support regeneration.
Adaptation is guided by EU climate and forest policies as well as Austria’s national Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and the Austrian Forest Fund. Monitoring systems, research, and digital tools such as bark beetle dashboards and dynamic forest classification
Plenary Session 3: Economic Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation. The session focused on the economic implications of climate change adaptation in the agriculture and forestry sectors, the growing pressures caused by extreme weather events and the urgent need for long-term resilience measures.
Presentation Aleksandra Martinovska Stojcheska, SWG Regional Expert
Presentation Leonidha Peri, SWG National Expert
Plenary Session 4: From climate hazards to adaptation measures in agriculture and forestry: Synergies between both sectors. The session explored practical adaptation measures in agriculture and forestry, with a focus on strengthening cooperation between the two sectors and improving resilience to increasing climate hazards.
Presentation Nenad Petrovic, SWG Regional Expert
Participants emphasized the importance of developing strategic planning frameworks where sectors work together more effectively, especially in areas related to sustainable land use, biodiversity protection, and climate adaptation. The conference also reinforced the value of regional-level cooperation, knowledge exchange, and joint expertise in addressing shared environmental and climate challenges across the Western Balkans. The event also contributed to clear policy recommendations supporting more resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry across the Western Balkans.
