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Having only last December contributed at another event in a Serbian city (Niš) powered largely by coal and wood-burning stoves, the contrast could not have been greater, from a choking and heavy atmosphere to fresh and energising.
And the point here is how to transition so many polluted communities across the region into healthy and pleasant places to live and thrive.
The two hundred odd delegates gathered in Herceg Novi (or more accurately Igalo) all seemed genuinely committed to this goal, from policy makers to the business and entrepreneur communities. There was significant interest in foundational areas like reporting and disclosure, waste, energy production and EVs, but also in exciting areas such as marine regeneration (see www.yoursea.org) and software for measuring impacts of, for example events or tourism (see www.arctur.si ). The Brazilian Ambassador to the region also delivered an excellent pre-brief around the host’s ambitions for COP30.
I was there to talk about business risks and to participate in sessions linked to ESG, along with a great friend and colleague, Mat Roberts, a ‘fellow IEMA Fellow’ and known to many readers. We collaborated around the ESG topic and, given his background, Mat also delivered a masterclass around waste management.
Participating nations (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro) have several incentives. Firstly, there is the economic and social opportunity, secondly the requirement to be able to trade with(in) the EU as their key market, thirdly (for some) to position themselves for EU accession and lastly because many people attending recognise that it’s just the right thing to do.
The Western Balkans is a fascinating case study for sustainability professionals. Hobbled by often ageing Yugoslav infrastructure, unhelpful demographic trends, several brutal conflicts and with much remaining distrust, it nevertheless benefits from an educated, technically strong population and natural resources (and beauty) in abundance. Being adjacent to a rich community of 450 million consumers can only help, as can the prospect of EU membership and a returning diaspora as these nations mature a la Poland or Romania.
Springtime on the Adriatic certainly beats the London Excel centre for a conference, but more importantly it was a privilege to see the potential in a part of the world that has experienced such a difficult time in recent decades (I served there twice as a soldier in 1996 and 2000). Whilst it can truly be said that any nation benefits from a transformation to sustainability, it is ever more so for nations that are catching up and have a profound opportunity to close the gap.
For readers involved with Balkan developments, Eco Forum will likely take place in 2026.
Damien Plant FIEMA CEnv lives in Vienna, Austria and co-chairs IEMA Europe, a regional network that is developing at pace. If you’re based in mainland Europe, or interested in what’s going on around sustainability and the environment on the continent, why not join the IEMA Europe Regional Network on LinkedIn and get involved?
