About this learning event

Greening national budgets is essential to advancing climate action and green transition. Most countries use green budgeting mainly as a transparency and reporting tool, not yet as a decisive factor in budget allocation. 

This online course will provide an introduction to green budgeting. Participants will learn about the steps that  governments in the Western Balkans, Georgia, and Slovenia are taking in using green budgeting as a bridge between fiscal and environmental policy, complementing their national climate strategies. Participants will also get an overview  of green budgeting practices across EU member states, their design, implementation, and the challenges that remain, as presented in the 2025 European Commission's survey. They will also be able to hear what the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034 proposes for green budgeting and performance.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Gain basic knowledge of the principles of green budgeting
• Develop practical skills in green tagging
• Get an overview of the state of play of green budgeting in the EU
• Learn from Serbia's, Georgia's, and Slovenia's practitioners of their green budgeting experience and challenges.

Who should attend

This online course is intended for professionals from line ministries from the Western Balkans that are involved in budget planning and climate policies implementation. Officials of finance ministries and other institutions and countries interested in green finance are also invited.

Faculty

This online course will be delivered by:

• Simona Pojar, Climate PFM Advisor, IMF
• Johanna Bärnreuther, Green Budgeting Analyst, DG ECFIN, European Commission
• Miranda Groff Ferjančič, Deputy Director General for Budget, Ministry of Finance, Slovenia
• Natia Gulua, Head of Budget Department, Ministry of Finance, Georgia
• Miroslav Bunčić, Independent Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Serbia  

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.