About this learning event

For the Western Balkans, developing sustainable finance taxonomy is a critical step toward aligning regional financial systems with the EU Green Deal and sustainable investment goals. The RCC's Assessment of Sustainable Finance in Western Balkans (Nov 2024) highlights several challenges, including a fragmented market, limited regulatory clarity, and low product uptake. However, there is a strong demand for a regional taxonomy that aligns with EU standards. A shared taxonomy would provide clarity for investors, ensure transparency, and act as a foundation for green bonds, environmental, social and governmental (ESG) financing, and climate-aligned financial instruments. While interest in sustainable finance is growing, countries in the region remain in the early preparatory phase, with no national taxonomy yet fully aligned to the EU Taxonomy Regulation.

This webinar will provide a strategic policy discussion on what taxonomy alignment means for the region and what institutions need to consider as they prepare for future implementation. The webinar will highlight:

• the purpose of taxonomies and why they matter for public institutions and financial markets
• a comparative overview of the current state of play in Western Balkan economies
• regulatory and institutional challenges, illustrated through a country case study (Albania)
• key capacity needs and coordination requirements for moving toward national taxonomies

By bringing together perspectives from public institutions and experts, the webinar will help participants reflect on the policy pathways, institutional preparedness, and inter-agency collaboration needed to advance taxonomy development in the Western Balkans, including a discussion from participants on their countries’ current progress and expectations for the way forward.

Target audience

This webinar is intended for public officials working in ministries of environment and climate change, ministries of finance, central banks and other public institutions involved in implementing the Green Agenda.

Faculty

• Branimir Jovanović, CEF Associate Fellow; Economist, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, Austria
• Margerita Topalli, Head of Division, Research Department, Bank of Albania (TBC)

Partners

This event is delivered as part of the Greening Human Capital of Public Institutions of the Western Balkans project implemented by the CEF and supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy and the Climate Change Fund of Slovenia.