Climate Action Days: The European Climate Pact meets the Western Balkans

On March 5, 2026, during the KEY Energy Transition Expo in Rimini (Italy), a dedicated European Climate Pact satellite event was hosted at the Emilia-Romagna Region stand. Facilitated by Climate Pact Ambassador Fabrizio Tollari, the event served as a collaborative space to bridge grassroots climate action and European networks.

The gathering brought together international delegations representing 5 pioneering Renewable Energy Community (REC) projects from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia).

The primary objective of the meeting was to shift the narrative of the energy transition from purely technical terms (infrastructure and kilowatts) to a "Purpose-driven" approach.

The discussion highlighted how the adoption of a new decentralized energy paradigm acts as a powerful engine for local welfare, social innovation, and the alleviation of energy poverty.

Key highlights of the activity included:

• Introduction to the Climate Pact: An overview of how the Pact translates the EU Green Deal into human-centric action and how Western Balkan initiatives can benefit from its networking and advocacy platforms.
• Peer-to-Peer Exchange: A practical testimony from Francesco Premi, representing "CER Lucense 1923" (an active Italian Renewable Energy Community and Climate Pact Partner).This sparked a highly engaging exchange of best practices between the Italian experience and the Balkan pioneers.
• Youth and Community Empowerment: A roundtable discussion emphasizing the critical role of intergenerational equity, encouraging the delegations to leverage young local talents and skills to facilitate, promote, and scale their pilot projects.

The event concluded with a strong call to action, inviting the Western Balkan stakeholders to join the European Climate Pact network and register their actions as "Climate Pledges", demonstrating that a Just Transition is a shared, cross-border endeavor.