Transposing EUTR Requirements in the Western Balkans: multiple case study of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro

Although between 2015 and 2020 the deforestation rate had a 40% global decrease compared to 1990s values, deforestation and forest degradation remain major concerns. The size, trends and impacts of these processes are emphasized by illegal practices. To halt them, the European Union (EU) is taking a lead regulatory role through flagship policies, such as the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) program, including the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), and the newly adopted European Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR). While the EUDR is not yet implemented, evaluation reports of EUTR and FLEGT implementation present inconclusive results, highly dependent on the national context of EU member states or exporting countries. Among high-risk exporting countries are also some Balkan countries, considered as a corridor of illegal timber and timber products from Eastern to Western Europe. Although some scholars focused on forest and wood trade legality for timber in the Balkans, existing studies are patchy and there is limited research on how Balkan countries are adapting national forest policies to the EUTR. This study aims to contribute filling this gap by identifying the main actors involved in the adaptation to the EUTR of forest policies within selected Western Balkan countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska, BH), as well as investigating their roles and relations. Using multiple embedded case study design, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of policy documents and 30 key stakeholder interviews in selected countries. We used network analysis to map the actors involved and influenced by adaptation of national policies, as well as to examine the resource and information flows between them. Our results indicate that in all targeted countries state actors are the key stakeholders: they form small elite communities representing policy networks characterized by rather formal patterns of information exchange and resource dependency. This indicates the persistence of a strong state authority and weak shifts towards innovative ‘soft’ forest governance. Our research wishes to contribute to a better understanding of forest policy adaptation and paves the way for more effective measures in combating deforestation and promoting sustainable forest management in the Balkan countries.