How can international funding translate into sustainable environmental investments? What stands in the way of implementation, and where are the opportunities for Hungarian environmental companies? These questions took centre stage at the “Unlocking Finance for Green Projects in CEE and SEE” conference, held on 7 October during ENVIRONTEC powered by ÖKOINDUSTRIA 2026 in Budapest.
Organised by the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE / KSZGYSZ), the conference was moderated and led by Dr. Krisztina Wégner, international waste management expert, who guided the discussion among government representatives, civil society professionals and financing experts on the key challenges facing environmental investments in the Western Balkans. A central message emerged: funding alone does not guarantee successful projects. Institutional capacity, predictable financing and coordinated investment strategies are equally essential.
A common message emerged: funding alone does not deliver successful projects. Institutional capacity, predictable financing, effective partnerships and coordinated investment strategies are equally essential.
Funding is available – but who delivers the projects?
András Klein, Special Envoy to the Western Balkans at Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, highlighted the opportunities for Hungarian companies in the region, while stressing the importance of financial support and genuine risk-sharing mechanisms to enable their participation in environmental investments.
M.Sc. Ana Karanfilova Maznevska, Head of the Waste Department at North Macedonia’s Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, presented the challenges of financing the transition towards a modern regional waste management system. EU IPA grants, EBRD loans and other international financing instruments are supporting infrastructure development, but ensuring sustainable funding for operation, maintenance and long-term aftercare remains a major challenge.
Veselin Šturanović, representing FORS Montenegro, addressed the structural difficulties faced by NGOs relying on project-based funding. Staff retention, cash flow, pre-financing and institutional continuity are essential to ensuring that successful projects leave lasting results rather than disappearing when funding ends.
Aleksandar Djureinovic, an independent development and financing expert from Serbia, examined the consequences of reduced US development assistance. His central message was that replacing lost funding is not enough. Equally important is preserving the flexible financing arrangements, institutional knowledge and adaptive implementation approaches that enable projects to respond to changing realities.
From isolated projects to functioning environmental systems
One of the strongest conclusions of the roundtable was the urgent need for better donor coordination and stronger implementation capacities among beneficiaries.
Environmental investments cannot be treated as isolated interventions. Infrastructure development, regulatory reforms, institutional strengthening and operational financing must advance together if projects are to produce sustainable results.
The key question is therefore not simply which projects receive funding, but what is financed, when, in what sequence, and how individual investments contribute to a functioning system.
For the Hungarian environmental industry, the Western Balkans also represents significant opportunities. The region’s investment needs could open new markets for technology providers, engineering companies and environmental consultants. Realising this potential, however, requires well-prepared projects, strong local partnerships and financing structures that adequately address implementation risks.
The ENVIRONTEC conference provided an important platform for dialogue between policymakers, practitioners and potential project partners.
The ultimate measure of success is not how much funding is allocated or spent, but whether investments create environmental systems that remain effective, operational and sustainable in the long term.
Read more about the ENVIRONTEC Trade Fair in the summary about ENVIRONTEC powered by ÖKOINDUSTRIA.