14 April 2011: Ministers responsible for sustainable development and energy in South East Europe held a meeting on “Green Economy in the Energy Sector in the Context of Sustainable Development,” under the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP), and adopted a political declaration on regional cooperation for energy and sustainable development.

The ministerial meeting, held in Budva, Montenegro, from 7-8 April 2011, was hosted by Montenegro in its capacity as SEECP chair, as a sub-regional initiative in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). In addition to SEECP ministers responsible for sustainable development and energy, participants included Ambassador Park In-kook, Republic of Korea, one of the co-Chairs of the UNCSD Bureau, and Tania Raguž, Croatia, a UNCSD Bureau member.

According to Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Economy Minister Vladimir Kavarić urged directing investments towards sustainable energy resources, public transportation, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture and measures aimed at protecting the ecosystem and biodiversity. Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Predrag Sekulić said Montenegro is “a state constitutionally defined as ecological,” and that “the whole concept of economic development and any individual project will be continually filtered through the framework of sustainable development and environmental protection.”

Ambassador Park informed the ministers about the UNCSD preparatory process, underscored the need for more cooperation in the region and recognized the energy sector to be the driving force for achieving a green economy and green jobs. He also encouraged countries that have not implemented the green economy concept to do so as early as possible in accordance with their development possibilities and national specificities.

The “Budva Declaration on strengthening regional cooperation and coordination in promotion of energy in the context of sustainable development and green economy in South East Europe” expresses the Ministers’ dedication to: coordinating public activities in research, development and promotion of inclusive growth and sustainable development, while recognizing the importance of private investment, private-public partnership and international cooperation, including regional innovation centres; cooperating on preparations for the UNCSD with regard to identifying mechanisms for implementation of green technologies in the energy sector, in the context of energy poverty; working together to remove barriers, creating incentives, improving capacity building and undertaking necessary measures based in best practice, as well as the transfer of low-carbon technologies; and cooperating to promote the use of existing mechanisms, based on the multi-stakeholder approach. [Budva Declaration] [Montenegro MFA Press Release] [Minutes of UNCSD Bureau’s 15th Meeting]