Chapter 3.27 Environment and climate change is a set of policies aimed at protecting the environment from various anthropogenic disturbances, as well as reducing the risks to climate change, public health and biodiversity. The chapter is horizontal by nature and plays a significant role in shaping and implementing energy and transport policies. It covers the following areas: horizontal legislation, air quality, waste management, water quality, nature protection, industrial pollution control, noise, forestry, chemicals, climate change and civil protection.

The focus of EU environmental policies is the European Green Deal, which aims to introduce a climate-neutral economy in the EU by 2050, by developing clean energy sources and green technologies, while respecting the principles of sustainable development. To achieve the ambitious political commitments of the EU, a draft regulation on Climate Neutrality and an action plan to achieve the objectives therein have been prepared, using an appropriate Fair Transition financial mechanism. The EU Action Plan includes the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, which will be developed and promoted in the next period in all countries in the region, and thus the harmonisation of national policies to EU policies and dynamics in this area will be inevitable