25 November 2025
The most comprehensive report on Europe’s environment, climate, and sustainability, “State of Europe’s Environment 2025”, was officially launched today in Podgorica for the Western Balkans region. The event marked more than two decades of cooperation between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the six Western Balkan countries, including Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Contribution to European Environmental Knowledge
For more than 15 years, Kosovo has been an active cooperating country of the EEA through the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet). The Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency plays a central role in this partnership, contributing environmental data, analyses, and expertise that help build a shared understanding of environmental trends and challenges across Europe.
“The Western Balkans is a long-standing and valued partner of the EEA,” said Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. “Through Eionet, our partners in the region, including Kosovo, have worked for more than two decades to ensure that environmental data across Europe are accurate, reliable, and ready to support decision-making. Today is an opportunity to recognize this work and increase the visibility of their contribution, both at the national and European levels.”
Key Messages from the Report
The “State of Europe’s Environment 2025” report highlights, through country profiles jointly developed by the EEA and national institutions, the progress made by cooperating countries in the areas of environment, climate, and sustainability, as well as the challenges that remain. Kosovo, for example, has made significant progress in improving energy efficiency and developing a comprehensive Energy Strategy for 2022–2031, providing important foundations for the decarbonization of the economy, while continuing to face the challenge of increasing final energy consumption and the need to modernize infrastructure in buildings and industry.
“The Western Balkans is part of Europe’s environmental history, and its role in this history is becoming increasingly important,” added Ylä-Mononen.
Partnership Across the Region
Cooperation between the EEA and the Western Balkans began as early as 2000 and has focused on strengthening environmental monitoring and reporting, aligning with European data standards, as well as supporting capacity building and knowledge exchange.
The launch in Podgorica brought together senior representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, as well as senior officials from the European Union and international partners.
About the Event
The regional launch was organized by the EEA and the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the Northern Region.
The main speakers at the event included representatives of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the Northern Region of Montenegro, representatives of the European Environment Agency, as well as representatives of environmental protection agencies from countries across the region.
The Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency was represented in the discussion panels and in the presentation of the report’s key findings by the Acting Executive Director of KEPA, Afrim Berisha, and Iliriana Orana, as part of the team of the National Focal Point for cooperation with the EEA.
Kosovo’s National Focal Point
In Kosovo, the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency serves as the EEA’s National Focal Point, coordinating environmental information and cooperation within Eionet. The Agency supports local institutions in aligning monitoring and reporting with European practices and actively contributes to the EEA’s data and indicator systems.