JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     46 
 
 
 
	 	 	 	 N ATURA	 2000	 EXPERIENCES	 IN	 SOUTHEAST	
EUROPE:	 COMPARISONS	 FROM	 SLOVENIA,	
CROATIA	AND	BOSNIA	AND	 HERZEGOVINA 	 	 	 Aleksandar	ŠOBOT	and	Andrej	LUKŠIČ
1
		 ………………………………………………………………… .... ……… ................................. ……… 	 	 	 	 	 The	 main	 research	 objective	 is	 to	 determine	 the	 impact	 of	
Europeanisation	on	the	nature	protection	system	in	the	countries	of	
Southeast	 Europe.	 Europeanisation	 is	 presented	 in	 the	 research	
through	legislative	and	institutional	changes	due	to	the	adoption	of	
the	 European	 ecological	 network	 – 	 Natura	 2000.	 Comparative	
analyses	 were	 made	 in	 Slovenia,	 Croatia	 and	 Bosnia	 and	
Herzegovina.	 Data	 collection	 was	 primarily	 done	 through	
participant	interviews	in	the	establishment	of	Natura	2000	and	
secondary	through	all	available	relevant	literature.	After	that,	a	
policy	analysis	was	carried	out	through	a	thesis	and	subthesis	based	
on	the	main 	goal.	The	conclusion	was	presented	as	a	confirmation	of	
the	main	thesis	that	Europeanisation	led	to	changes	in	Southeastern	
Europe’s	nature	protection	system .	 	 Key	 words: 	 The	 Europeanisation; 	 Nature	 Protection	 System ; 	 Southeast	Europe; 	Natura	2000 . 	 	 	 	 1	 I NTRODUCTION 	AND	METHODOLOGY 	 	 Natura	2000	(N2000)	is	a	sustainable	development	strategy	at	the	European	
Union	(EU)	level.	It	requires	the	introduction	of	sustainable	goals	and	principles	
into	a	national	legislation	through	the	process	of	Europeanisation	 in	Southeast	
Europe	(SEE)	(Fernández	et	al.	2010;	Kapaciauskaite	2011;	Gioti	Papadaki	2012;	
Niedziałkowski	et	al.	2012;	Cent	et	al.	2014;	Denti	2014;	Kay	2014;	Krenova	and	
Kindlmann	2015).	Sustainable	goals	are	based	on	the	Bird	Directive	(BD)	and	
Habitat	 Directive	(HD)	(Rosa	and	Da	Silva	2005;	Wurzel	2008;	Ferranti	et	al.	
2010;	Louette	et	al.	2011;	Winter	et	al.	2014;	Winkel	et	al.	2015)	and	the	
principles	 of	 the	 Aarhus	 Convention	 (AC)	 (Stringer	 and	 Paavola	 2013;	
Niedziałkowski	et	al.	2014).	In	order	to	im plement	these	goals	and	principles	in	
practice,	it	is	a	necessary	institutional	transformation	at	the	national	and	local	
level.	Institutional	transformation	leads	to	the	involvement	of	non -governmental	
 
1
	 Aleksandar	ŠOBOT ,	Ph.D.,	and	Assistant	Professor	 Andrej	LUKŠIČ ,	Ph.D.	are	members	of	the	
Centre	for	Political	Theory,	Faculty	of	Social	Sciences,	University	of	Ljubljana,	Slovenia.	Contact:	
ecosobot@gmail.com 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     47 
 
 
 
organisations	(NGO)	(Weber	and	Christophersen	2002;	Ne wig	and	Fritsch	2009;	
Ferranti	et	al.	2010;	Cent	et	al.	2013;	Stringer	and	Paavola	2013)	and	EU	actors	
(Giljum	et	al.	2005;	Stubbs	2005;	Jordan	2008;	Brulle	2010)	in	the	system	of	
nature	protection	and	the	changing	of	the	roles	of	national	and	local	instit utions.	
All	this	leads	to	a	change	of	the	nature	protection	concept	at	a	local	and	national	
level	according	to	the	goals	of	sustainable	development	(SD)	on	the	global	level	
(Šobot	 and	 Lukšič	 2016;	 2017;	 2019).	 Global	 environmental	 changes	 are	
influenced	by	 the	internationalisation	of	national	and	local	policies	in	global	
movement	for	sustainable	development.	 	 	 The	research	was	carried	out	within	the	framework	of	the	individual	research	
project	 Multi-Level	Governance	of	Natural	Resources	in	Slovenia,	Croatia 	 and	
Bosnia	and	Herzegovina 	 from	2013	to	2016	and	the	applied	methodology	was	
used	from	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019).	Primarily,	67	interviews	were	
conducted	via	snowball	sampling,	using	over	1000	pages	of	secondary	literature	 text.	Secondary,	all	r elevant	and	available	literature	(legislative	acts,	scientific	
literature	etc.)	was	collected	and	a	policy	analysis	was	conducted	according	to	
the	main	objective	of	the	research.	The	main	research	objective	was	to	determine	
the	impact	of	Europeanisation	(l egislative	and	institutional	level)	on	the	nature	
protection	system	in	the	counties	of	SEE. 	 A	comparative	discussion	is	conducted	according	to	the	research	thesis	divided	
into	5	sub -theses.	The	research	thesis	is	drawn	from	the	main	objective	of	the	
research.	The	five	sub-theses	are	drawn	from	five	research	questions,	which	are	
included	in	the	research .
2
	The	discussion	according	to	the	thesis	and	sub -theses	
is	presented	through	similarities	and	differences	between	the	influences	of	the	
process	of	esta blishing	the	N2000	multi -level	governance	(MLG)	system	on	the	
nature	protection	system	of	the	countries	included	in	the	study.		 	 	 2	D ISCUSSION	AND	CONCLUSION 	 	 Research	thesis: 	The	Europeanisation	of	SEE	led	to	the	adoption	of	SD	objectives	
in	the	nature	pr otection	systems	due	to	the	establishment	of	the	N2000	MLG	
system	and	the	legal	as	well	as	institutional	development	is	required	in	order	to	
have	the	objectives	of	SD	implemented	in	practice.	 	 	 The	first	sub -thesis: 	The	process	of	establishing	the	MLG	syst em	of	N2000	or	the	
integration	of	the	objectives	of	SD	in	selected	SEE	countries	following	the	process	
of	Europeanisation.		 	 Confirmation: 	The	Republic	of	Slovenia	(RS)	and	The	Republic	of	Croatia	(RC)	are,	
according	to	the	constitution,	unique	and	indivisible	states,	while	Bosnia	and	
Herzegovina	(BiH)	is	composed	of	two	entities.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	the	main	role	
has	the	government	at	the	cou ntry	level,	while	the	Council	of	Ministers	has	the	
main	 role	 in	 BiH.	 Their	 roles	 are	 primarily	 legislative.	 According	 to	 the	
constitution	 of	 all	 three	 countries,	 the	 international	 objectives	 must	 be	
 
2
	 The	first	research	question	is	to	determine	the	process	of	establishing	the	MLG	of	N2000	in	
countries	of	SEE	that	followed	during	the	pre -accession	and	accession	process;	The	second	
research	 question	 is	 to	 determine	 the	 changes	 in	 the	 national	 legislation	 during	 the	
implemen tation	of	N2000	international	agreements;	The	third	research	question	is	to	determine	
the	roles	of	the	main	actors	in	the	process	of	establishing	MLG	of	N2000;	The	fourth	research	
question	is	to	determine	the	contribution	of	the	process	of	establishing	MLG 	 of	N2000	in	the	
nature	protection	system;	The	fifth	research	question	is	to	identify	future	challenges	for	the	
nature	protection	system.	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     48 
 
 
 
implemented	 in	 their	 national	 legislation	 during	 the	 proc ess	 of	 the	
Europeanisation.	In	1999,	the	RS	submitted	its	application	for	EU	membership	
and	in	2004,	became	a	member	of	the	EU .
3
	The	RC	submitted	a	formal	candidacy	
to	join	the	EU	in	2003	and	joined	the	EU	in	2013 .
4
	BiH	entered	the	pre -accession	
process	to	 join	the	EU	in	1999	and	in	2016,	BiH	submitted	its	official	candidacy	
to	join	the	EU .
5
	All	three	countries	had	an	obligation	to	establish	the	N2000	MLG	
system	in	this	period.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	this	process	began	with	the	official	
candidacy	to	join	the	EU	 (the	accession	period)	while	in	BiH,	it	began	before	the	
official	candidacy	to	join	the	EU	(the	pre-accession	period).	The	first	steps	to	
establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system	in	all	three	countries	were	in	changing	the	
national	legislation	of	nature	protectio n	with	the	implementation	of	international	
objectives.	In	1999,	the	RS	adopted	a	new	law	on	nature	protection,	which	
integrated	nature	protection	objectives	according	to	BD	and	HD,	and	the	RC	along	
with	BiH	integrated	these	objectives	into	their	national	l aw	in	2003.	The	next	step	
was	to	include	work	on	information	gathering	and	the	involvement	of	non -
governmental	actors	in	decision -making.	In	the	RS,	this	process	was	guided	by	
the	competent	Ministry	of	nature	protection	that	included	national	experts	in	
information	gathering	and	decision -making 	 (Šobot	and	Lukšič	2017) .	In	the	RC	
and	BiH,	these	processes	were	guided	through	projects	without	a	clear	plan	and	
strategy	of	the	work	on	the	establishment	of	N2000	areas.	The	work	was	such	
mostly	due	to	the	politics 	 in	these	countries	and	the	lack	of	financial	resources.	
Having	major	EU	funding,	there	had	been	intensive	work	on	establishing	the	
N2000	 MLG	 system.	 As	 an	 example,	 in	 the	 RC,	 the	 first	 project	 "National	
Ecological	Network	 – 	important	bird	areas	in	Croatia "	was	funded	and	led	by	the	
competent	Ministry	of	nature	protection.	However,	after	this	project	there	was	a	
break	of	2	years	to	obtain	the	EU	funds.	With	obtaining	the	funds	from	the	EU,	
the	following	three	projects	were	organised,	"Institutional	strength ening	and	
implementation	of	the	NATURA	2000	network	in	Croatia",	"The	identification	
and	establishment	of	the	marine	part	of	the	NATURA	2000	network	in	Croatia",	
"Capacity	building	for	the	preparation	of	management	plans	and	strengthening	
of	nature	protect ion	inspection	on	the	proposed	NATURA	2000	areas",	with	
which	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system	was	completed 	(Šobot	
and	Lukšič	2016) .	The	competent	ministry	of	nature	protection	was	included	in	
all	projects	and	the	organisers	of	projects	al ong	with	participants	were	mostly	
composed	 of	 international,	 governmental	 and	 non -governmental	 actors.	 All	
projects	contributed	to	the	implementation	of	BD	and	HD	objectives	into	the	
national	legislation.	In	this	period	a	lot	of	experience	was	adopted	from	the	RS.	In	
BiH,	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system	was	performed	through	
5	 projects:	 "Emerald	 Network",	 "Living	 Heart	 of	 Europe",	 "Protection	 of	
Biodiversity	of	the	Sava	River	Basin	floodplains",	"Wise	use	of	common	natural	
resources",	"Coop eration	for	NATURA	2000" 	 (Šobot	and	Lukšič	2019) .	The	EU	
funded	the	first	4	projects	and	the	main	project	managers	were	national	or	
international	NGOs.	There	were	no	representatives	of	competent	ministries	from	
BiH	in	these	projects.	The	EU	also	funded	the	 last	project,	however,	the	project	
coordinator	was	the	competent	Ministry	of	nature	protection	in	BiH.	This	project	
was	also	the	final	proposal	of	N2000	areas	in	BiH.	In	this	project,	a	lot	of	the	
experience	was	adopted	from	the	RC	and	RS.	All	projects,	i n	the	process	of	
establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system	demanded	information	gathering	and	the	
involvement	of	stakeholders	in	decision-making,	which	make	up	the	parts	of	the	
Aarhus	 Convention.	 Therefore,	 the	 process	 of	 establishing	 the	 N2000	 MLG	
system	in	all	t hree	countries	led	to	the	implementation	of	the	principles	and	
 
3
	See	more	in	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2017). 	 4
	See	more	in	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016). 	 5
	See	more	in	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2019). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     49 
 
 
 
ratification	of	the	Aarhus	Convention.	The	RS	ratified	the	AC	in	2002,	the	RC	
completed	it	in	2006	and	BiH	did	it	in	2008.	 	 	 The	Second	sub -thesis: 	 The	objectives	of	BD,	HD	and	AC	are	implement ed	into	
the	national	legislation	that	led	to	the	definition	of	the	main	actors	and	their	roles	
in	achieving	the	objectives	of	sustainable	development.	 	 	 Confirmation: 	The	implementation	of	the	BD	and	HD	objectives	and	the	principles	
of	AC	into	the	national 	 nature	protection	systems,	which	led	to	the	changes	of	
national	legislation.
6
	 Changes	led	to	the	inclusion	of	new	actors	in	the	nature	
protection	 system.	 The	 main	 actors	 in	 all	 three	 countries,	 in	 addition	 to	
governmental	institutions	(competent	ministrie s	and	managers	of	protected	
areas),	became	international	actors	(such	as	the	EU)	and	non -governmental	
actors	(such	as	NGOs	in	the	field	of	nature	protection).	The	EU	became	an	
important	actor	in	nature	protection	at	the	national	level	in	all	three	countrie s.	
In	the	RS	and	RC,	it	is	a	platform	of	information	transfer	under	the	national	law.	
In	BiH,	RC	and	RS,	the	EU	is	in	charge	of	financing	the	implementation	of	
international	 agreements	 into	 national	 legislation.	 In	 addition,	 the	 EU	 is	
responsible	for	coord inating	the	implementation	of	international	commitments	
into	national	legislation	in	these	countries.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	the	EU	is	a	controller	
of	international	agreements	in	order	to	remain	unchanged	under	the	influence	of	
national	legislation.	The	EU	is	a 	consultant	in	BiH	for	all	the	important	issues	on	
its	way	towards	the	EU.	Competent	ministries	of	nature	protection	are	in	charge	
of	communicating	with	the	EU	at	the	national	level	in	terms	of	implementation	
and	enforcement	of	international	obligations	to 	 protect	nature.	They	have	an	
administrative	role	in	the	transposition	of	BD,	HD	and	the	directives	of	AC	into	
national	legislation.	They	are	the	leaders	of	a	formal	process	of	establishing	
N2000.	It	is	defined	that	the	government	with	the	assistance	of	th e	competent	
ministry	submits	a	N2000	areas	final	proposal	to	the	competent	EU	institution	in	
RS.		 	 During	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system,	competent	ministries	
of	nature	protection	have	a	role	in	information -gathering	and	involvement	of	
stakeholders	in	decision -making	in	all	three	countries.	The	governments	of	RS	
and	 RC	 have	 to	 establish	 new	 institutions	 that	 should	 operate	 within	 the	
competent	ministry	in	order	to	gather	information.	Competent	ministries	are	
also	in	charge	of	inter -sectoral	cooperation	during	the	establishment	of	the	
N2000	 MLG	 system.	 In	 BiH,	 an	 inter -entity	 cooperation	 and	 coordination	
mechanism	 are	 established	 for	 all -important	 issues	 towards	 the	 EU.	 The	
competent	state	ministry	has	the	role	of	co -ordinating	the	competent	entity	
ministries	(in	the	Federation	of	BiH	(FBiH)	cantonal	ministries).	Furthermore,	
these	ministries	have	a	role	in	information -gathering	and	involving	stakeholders	
in	decision-making.	In	RS	and	RC,	competent	ministries	keep	records	of	N2000	
areas	after	adopting	N2000.		 	 The	 cooperation	 with	 managers	 of	 protected	 areas	 is	 defined,	 which	 are	
becoming	an	important	actor	in	implementing	BD	and	HD	at	the	local	level	in	all	
three	countries.	The	National	Parks,	in	all	three	countries,	have	the	role	of	
managing	the	national	eco -network	and	after	the	adoption	of	N2000	 -	of	also	the	
N2000	network.	Their	role	in	the	N2000	is	to	gather	information	and	involve	
local	people	in	decision -making.	Working	with	local	people	is	defined	in	raising	
 
6
	A	literature	review	on	the	implementation	of	the	objectives	of	BD	and	HD	and	the	principles	of	AC	
into	national	systems	of	nature	protection	countries	of	the	EU	can	be	found	in	the	articles	by	
Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     50 
 
 
 
public	 awareness	 (work	 on	 opinions)	 to	 achieve 	 the	 objectives	 of	 nature	
protection.	It	is	defined	that	National	Parks	(NP)	participate	in	the	development	
of	documents	on	the	national	level	in	RS.	It	is	defined	that	NPs	participate	in	the	
transfer	of	experience	from	other	protected	areas	and	cooperate	 with	non -
governmental	organisations	in	all	three	countries.	 	 	 The	 NGOs	 in	 the	 field	 of	 nature	 protection	 are	 defined	 as	 major	 actors	 in	
achieving	 the	 principles	 and	 objectives	 of	 sustainable	 development	 at	 the	
national	 level	 in	 all	 three	 countries.	 Their	 r ole	 is	 based	 on	 the	 help	 to	
governmental	actors	in	implementing	the	principles	of	the	Aarhus	Convention	
and	the	objectives	of	BD	and	HD.	They	also	have	a	role	in	collecting	information,	
involving	the	public	in	decision -making	and	promoting	the	rights	of	na ture	
protection.	 They	 are	 legitimate	 participants	 in	 the	 Environmental	 Impact	
Assessment	(EIA)	process	at	the	national	level	and	have	a	role	in	representing	
public	environmental	rights.	 	 	 The	 third	 sub -thesis: 	 The	 main	 actors	 of	 nature	 protection	 had	 a	 rol e	 in	
implementing	the	principles	of	AC	for	achieving	the	objectives	of	BD	and	HD	in	
accordance	with	the	concept	of	SD.	 	 	 Confirmation	1.	The	role	of	the	EU.
7
	 The	EU	funded	and	coordinated,	in	an	
advisory	manner,	all	projects	to	establish	the	N2000	MLG	syst em	in	RS,	RC	and	
BiH.	These	projects	led	to	the	implementation	of	the	objectives	of	BD	and	HD,	as	
well	as	the	principles	of	AC	in	the	national	legislation,	that	represent	the	basic	
change	in	the	nature	protection	system	of	these	areas.	The	objectives	of	BD 	 and	
HD	were	implemented	in	the	law	on	nature	protection	and	the	objectives	of	AC	
into	the	law	on	environmental	protection.	Financing	the	implementation	of	
international	obligations	by	the	EU	enabled	the	implementation	of	the	objectives	
of	sustainable	development	in	nature	protection	systems	of	the	SEE	and	policy	
development	 in	 these	 areas.	 The	 EU	 is	 recognised	 as	 the	 guardian	 of	 the	
objectives	of	international	agreements	in	order	to	remain	unchanged	under	the	
influence	of	domestic	legislation	in	RS	and	RC. 	In	this	manner,	supranational	rules	
with	a	transnational	participant	enabled	the	transparency	and	unchangeability	
of	nature	protection	rules	at	the	national	level.	The	unchangeability	of	AC	rules	
led	to	altering	public	awareness	and	old	practices.	The	new 	 practice	demanded	
change	in	the	concept	of	nature	protection,	a	system	access	through	planning	and	
inter-sectoral	cooperation,	which	was	not	the	case	before.	That	is	why	the	NGO	
sector	gained,	for	the	first	time,	equality	in	decision -making	in	the	field	o f	nature	
protection.	It	is	the	biggest	change	regarding	the	attitude	of	governmental	and	
non-governmental	actors	in	the	RS,	RC	and	BiH	nature	protection	system.	In	the	
RS	and	RC,	this	led	to	altering	the	practice,	increasing	the	number	of	participants	
in	n ature	protection,	the	respect	for	all	stakeholders	in	decision -making,	as	well	
as	a	higher	degree	of	respect	for	legislation.	The	EU	is	the	guardian	of	the	rights	
and	 all	 disputable	 situations	 that	 came	 between	 governmental	 and	 non -
governmental	actors	in	t he	process	of	establishing	N2000,	which	led	to	the	
freezing	of	funds	for	the	RS	and	the	RC.	This	is	the	mechanism	by	which	the	EU	
does	 not	 participate	 directly	 in	 the	 relations	 between	 the	 stakeholders	
(governmental	 and	 non -governmental	 actors)	 but	 instead ,	 it	 protects	
supranational	 interest	 and	 compels	 participants	 to	 work	 together	 to	 find	 a	
solution.	In	the	RS,	RC	and	BiH,	the	EU	became	a	national	consultant	for	all	future	
plans	of	nature	protection	which	must	comply	with	the	legislative	of	the	EU,	i.e.	
other	member	states.	In	this	manner,	a	new	practice	was	introduced	in	the	
 
7
	 A	literature	review	on	 the	EU	role	in	the	implementation	of	international	obligations	at	the	
national	level	can	be	found	in	the	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     51 
 
 
 
transfer	of	information	that	was	recognised	as	important	in	all	processes	of	
nature	protection.		 	 Confirmation	2: 	 The	role	of	the	competent	Ministry	of	nature	protection.
8
	 The	
compete nt	Ministry	of	nature	protection	in	the	RS	had	a	formal	role	of	organising	
the	 whole	 process	 of	 establishing	 the	 N2000	 MLG	 system.	 The	 ministry	
established	the	Management	board	that	coordinated	the	entire	process	from	the	
beginning	to	the	end.	The	establis hment	of	the	N2000	MLG	system	was	done	
through	projects	in	the	RC	and	BiH.	A	competent	ministry	had	a	major	role	in	
establishing	 N2000	 in	 RC.	 They	 were	 the	 leaders	 of	 the	 first	 project	 of	
establishing	N2000	and	the	main	actors	of	the	implementation	of	all	 other	
projects	funded	by	the	EU.	The	process	of	establishing	N2000	in	BiH	was	also	
done	through	projects.	However,	in	BiH,	the	competent	ministry	at	the	state	level	
did	not	participate	in	all	the	projects	but	it	did	participate	and	coordinate	the	last	
project	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system.	Other	projects	were	coordinated	
by	domestic	or	international	NGOs.	The	role	of	the	competent	Ministry	in	nature	
protection	of	BiH,	in	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	system,	is	defined	
quite	well	by	a	con stitutional	structure	that	differs	from	the	RS	and	RC	(mostly	
due	to	the	entity	governments).	The	competent	state	ministry	established	the	
Management	 Board	 in	 which	 all	 the	 entities	 and	 cantonal	 ministries	 were	
included.	 The	 Management	 Board	 had	 a	 group	 fo r	 the	 harmonisation	 of	
legislative,	information	gathering,	to	involve	the	public	in	decision -making	and	
creating	a	proposal	of	N2000	areas.	This	Board	was	established	on	the	practice	
of	the	RS.	In	the	RS,	the	Board	had	a	role	to	harmonise	national	legislat ive	with	
the	EU	legislative,	to	gather	information,	to	involve	the	public	in	decision -making	
and	to	prepare	the	final	draft	of	N2000	areas.	In	the	RC,	there	were	no	boards	and	
activities	were	done	from	project	to	project.	The	competent	ministry,	as	in	the	
RS,	had	the	role	of	transposing	international	obligations	into	national	legislation,	
of	information	gathering	and	of	involving	the	public	in	decision -making.	In	the	RS	
and	the	RC,	there	was	an	increase	in	the	number	of	employees	due	to	the	needs	
for	the	wo rk	on	the	establishment	of	N2000.	Statutory	legislation	led	to	the	
changes	of	inter -sectoral	organisations	of	the	competent	ministry	on	several	
occasions	(the	transformation	of	institutions)	and	the	establishment	of	new	
institutions	for	the	purpose	of	N2000	areas,	such	as	the	Republic	Institute	for	
Nature	Protection	(RINP).	The	Institute	for	Nature	Protection	included	many	
independent	 researchers	 in	 the	 data	 collection	 process.	 In	 BiH,	 due	 to	 the	
constitutional	order,	there	was	neither	the	capacity	building	and	transformation	
of	existing	institutions,	nor	the	establishment	of	new	institutions	at	the	national	
level,	however,	the	coordination	mechanism	was	established.	The	coordination	
mechanism	plays	a	role	of	increasing	inter -entity	cooperation,	i.e.	interse ctoral	
cooperation.	Collecting	data	in	the	Entity	Republic	of	Srpska	(ERS)	went	through	
RINP	 and	 independent	 experts.	 In	 EFBiH,	 collecting	 data	 went	 through	
independent	experts	and	NGOs	because	there	was	no	Entity	Institute	of	Nature	
Protection	(EINP).	Int er-sectoral	cooperation	in	RC	was	developed	mostly	during	
the	EIA	process,	which	has	been	going	on	since	2007.	This	led	to	the	involvement	
of	other	sectors	in	nature	protection	(potential	N2000	areas)	on	a	planned	basis.	
In	 RS	 and	 BiH,	 there	 was	 the	 inclus ion	 of	 other	 sectors	 in	 the	 process	 of	
establishing	N2000	through	the	board	for	N2000.	Primarily,	there	were	included	
representatives	of	the	forestry	and	agriculture	in	all	three	areas	since	a	large	part	
of	forest	and	agricultural	land	represents	a	potenti al	N2000	area.	The	sector	of	
forestry	cooperated	quite	well,	while	the	sector	of	agriculture	had	very	little	
 
8
	A	literature	review	on	the	roles	of	the	ministry	on	implementation	of	international	obligations	can	
be	found	in	published	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     52 
 
 
 
cooperation	in	all	three	areas.	In	all	three	countries,	all	other	sectors	were	
marginally	involved.	 	 	 Confirmation	3: 	The	role	of	the	National	park s.
9
	The	role	of	NPs	in	all	three	areas	
was	not	defined	by	the	organisers	of	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	
system.	The	competent	ministry	communicated	with	NPs	in	all	three	areas	during	
the	establishment	of	the	N2000	MLG	system	in	the	course	of	 their	regular	
activities	of	inter-sectoral	cooperation.	In	all	three	areas,	the	research	was	done	
by	 the	 RINP	 and	 NGOs.	 In	 this	 manner,	 there	 was	 cooperation	 between	
governmental	and	non -governmental	actors	in	all	three	parks.	Also,	all	three	
parks	are	mem bers	of	the	Dinaric	Arc	parks	and	in	such	a	manner,	there	was	an	
international	communication	in	the	process	of	establishing	the	N2000	MLG	
system.	The	Triglav	National	Park	(TNP)	underwent	legal	changes	after	the	
establishment	of	the	N2000	MLG	system,	where by	a	new	management	model	
was	 established	 that	 included	 non -governmental	 actors	 in	 decision -making.	
There	was	no	new	management	model	and	non -governmental	actors	were	not	
involved	in	decision-making	in	Plitvice	Lake	National	Park	(PLNP)	and	Sutjeska	
National	Park	(SNP).		 	 Confirmation	4: 	 The	role	of	Non -governmental	organisations.
10
	 The	need	for	
information	gathering	according	to	BD	and	HD	led	to	the	establishment	of	new	
NGOs	by	the	experts	and	the	development	of	existing	NGOs	in	the	process	of	
establishing	the	 N2000	 MLG	 system	 in	 all	 three	 countries.	 The	 work	 on	
information -gathering	led	to	the	professionalisation	of	the	NGO	sector	in	all	three	
countries.	The	professionalised	NGO	sector	began	to	control	the	implementation	
of	national	legislation,	mostly	on	t he	examples	of	EIA.	This	led	to	increasing	the	
public	involvement	in	NGO	in	the	field	of	nature	protection	in	all	three	countries.	
Public	involvement	in	NGOs	led	to	increased	public	involvement	in	the	national	
nature	protection	politics	and	policy.	The	inc reased	NGO	participation	in	politics	
at	the	national	level	of	nature	protection	system	led	to	more	conflicts	between	
governmental	 and	 non -governmental	 actors.	 The	 NGOs	 in	 many	 cases	
represented	the	rights	of	the	public	and	prevented	many	harmful	projects	f or	
potential	N2000	areas.	In	this	manner,	many	NGOs	received	media	attention.	In	
addition,	in	all	three	countries,	NGOs	had	the	role	of	transferring	the	experiences	
from	countries,	which	had	already	adopted	N2000.	The	NGOs	that	were	more	
internationally	li nked	(like	NGOs	in	RC)	began	to	participate	in	lobbying	at	the	
international	level.	In	BiH,	the	international	NGO	World	Wildlife	Fund	(WWF)	
was	the	first	proponent	of	N2000,	while	in	the	RS,	it	was	the	national	NGO	
DOPPS .
11
	 In	 the	 RC,	 the	 NGO	 sector	 corrected	 the	 final	 proposal	 of	 the	
government	for	the	proposed	N2000	areas.	Also,	in	the	RC,	the	NGO	sector	
underwent	 an	 evolution	 in	 public	 involvement	 while	 in	 BiH,	 it	 was	 more	
"symbolic"	in	nature.	This	influenced	that,	in	BiH,	the	NGO	sector	was	less	
developed	than	the	NGO	sector	of	the	RC	and	RS.	In	the	RS,	after	the	adoption	of	
N2000,	NGO	DOPPS	was	given	the	role	of	management	and	monitoring	of	N2000	
areas,	while	in	the	RC	it	had	only	the	role	of	monitoring	the	proposed	areas.	 	 	 The	fourth	sub -thesis: 	The	implementation	of	BD,	HD	and	AC	contributed	to	the	
introduction	of	the	concept	of	sustainable	development	in	the	nature	protection	
 
9
	A	literature	review	on	the	roles	of	national	parks	in	an	implementation	of	international	obligations	
can	be	found	in	the	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	 10
A	literature 	 review	on	the	roles	of	NGOs	in	the	implementation	and	execution	of	international	
objectives	at	the	national	level	can	be	found	in	the	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	
2019).		 11
	National	name	is	Društvo	za	opazovanje	in	proučevanje	ptic	Slovenije	 ( Society	for	the	observation	
and	study	of	birds	of	Slovenia). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     53 
 
 
 
system	at	the	national	level.	The	AC	became	a	central	component	in	achieving	the	
objectives	of	BD	and	HD,	and	introducing	the	 concept	of	SD.		 	 Confirmation	1: 	The	contribution	of	the	first	pillar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	
HD.
12
	There	was	an	increase	of	information	on	the	number	and	status	of	species	
and	habitats	according	to	BD	and	HD	in	all	three	countries.	In	this	manner,	al l	
three	countries	established	the	new	protected	areas.	The	RS	and	RC	protected	
one	third	of	the	country	according	to	BD	and	HD.	In	BiH,	1/5	of	the	areas	of	the	
state	was	submitted	for	protection	according	to	BD	and	HD	and	new	protected	
areas	were	set	up,	s uch	as	the	Una	NP,	which	has	the	role	of	managing	species	
and	habitats	that	are	protected	by	BD	and	HD.	The	processes	of	information -
gathering	in	the	RS	and	RC	led	to	an	increase	in	communication	and	cooperation	
of	all	sectors,	while	in	BiH,	they	led	to	an 	 increased	inter-entity	cooperation.	In	
the	RS	and	RC,	this	led	to	an	institutional	transformation	and	capacity -building	
in	the	nature-protection	sector	through	the	establishment	of	new	institutions,	
while	BiH	adopted	the	coordination	mechanism.	The	proces ses	of	establishing	
N2000,	 for	 the	 first	 time	 in	 the	 RS	 and	 RC,	 enabled	 the	 public	 access	 to	
information	 on	 nature	 protection	 in	 one	 place,	 while	 the	 process	 in	 BiH	
contributed	a	greater	amount	of	information	to	be	publicly	available	in	more	
places.	 	 	 Confirmation	2: 	 The	contribution	of	the	second	pillar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	
and	HD.	In	all	three	countries,	there	was	a	public	involvement	in	the	NGO	sector.	
The	public	was	primarily	involved	in	the	NGO	sector	to	influence	decision -
making	because	the	publi c	realised	that	non-governmental	actors	had	equality	in	
decision -making	as	governmental	actors.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	this	led	to	the	first	
great	public	participation	in	decision -making	within	a	nature	protection	system.	
The	public	found	that	public	participat ion	was	a	way	of	protecting	nature.	In	BiH,	
there	was	no	raising	of	public	awareness	about	the	need	for	public	participation	
in	a	nature -protection	system	and	the	public	were	mostly	involved	in	the	process	
of	EIA.	In	BiH,	there	was	no	great	NGO	sector	deve lopment	as	was	the	case	in	the	
RS	and	RC.	However,	non -governmental	actors	from	BiH,	for	the	first	time,	began	
to	get	involved	in	creating	nature	protection	politics	and	policy	at	the	national	
level	together	with	governmental	actors.	 	 	 Confirmation	3 :	The	contribution	of	the	third	pillar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	
HD.	In	all	three	countries,	the	public	recognised	the	possibility	for	action	upon	
the	problem	in	nature	protection	through	NGOs	that	received	a	similar	impact	as	
governmental	organisation s	and	partly	therefore	included	them	in	the	process	of	
EIA.	That	is	why	the	NGO	sector	initiated	many	lawsuits	against	harmful	projects	
in	the	proposed	N2000	areas	in	all	three	countries.	This	contributed	to	the	raising	
of	public	awareness	about	the	import ance	of	BD	and	HD	in	all	three	countries.	 	 	 The	fifth	sub -thesis: 	 Future	challenges	of	nature	protection	(and	SD)	are	based	
on	the	application	of	the	principles	of	AC	for	achieving	the	objectives	of	BD	and	
HD.	 	 	 Confirmation	1: 	 The	challenge	of	the	first	p illar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	
HD.
13
	All	three	countries	are	faced	with	the	challenges	of	developing	a	system	of	
information -gathering	as	a	basis	for	nature	protection.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	the	
 
12
	 A	literature	review	on	the	contributions	of	all	pillars	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	HD	can	be	
found	in	the	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	 13
	A	literature	review	on	the	chall enges	of	all	pillars	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	HD	can	be	found	
in	the	articles	by	Šobot	and	Lukšič	(2016;	2017;	2019). 	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     54 
 
 
 
problem	is	a	lack	of	connection	or	incompleteness	of	all	info rmation	according	to	
BD	and	HD.	This	leads	to	a	lack	of	transparency	of	information	for	nature	
protection.	In	BiH,	the	biggest	challenge	is	creating	a	unified	database	according	
to	BD	and	HD.	The	data	have	been	available	so	far	in	multiple	sources,	which	
significantly	causes	the	lack	of	connection	of	all	data.	In	addition,	all	three	
countries	experienced	a	lack	of	data	on	the	opinions	of	population	of	protected	
areas	for	nature	protection	and	N2000.	It	is	necessary	to	collect	the	views	of	the	
population	wit h	the	aim	of	improving	management	control	of	protected	areas	in	
all	three	countries.	On	a	national	level,	it	is	also	very	important	to	include	the	
whole	of	society	in	order	to	gather	information	in	all	three	countries.	It	is	
therefore	necessary	to	create	a	 communication	strategy	of	governmental	and	
non-governmental	actors	in	all	three	countries	as	a	basic	document	for	gathering	
information	and	nature	protection	in	these	areas.	In	addition,	on	an	international	
level,	in	the	future,	it	is	necessary	to	gather	information	on	the	impact	of	climate	
change	on	species	and	habitats	according	to	BD	and	HD,	which	has	not	been	done	
by	the	managers	of	protected	areas	in	all	three	areas.	Based	on	the	gathered	
information	it	is	necessary	to	develop	policies	of	adaptation	a nd	of	climate	
change	management.	 	 	 Confirmation	2: 	The	challenge	of	the	second	pillar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	
HD.	All	three	countries	have	a	lot	of	problems	with	public	participation	in	
decision -making.	In	the	RS	and	RC,	there	is	a	problem	of	uneven	development	of	
the	NGO	sector	across	the	country,	 which	leads	to	the	disengagement	of	public	
from	peripheral	areas	in	decision -making.	In	BiH,	there	is	a	problem	of	the	
underdeveloped	NGO	sector	in	general.	In	the	future,	it	is	necessary	to	create	a	
clear	plan	for	the	development	of	the	NGO	sector	on	the	 territory	of	all	three	
countries,	which	should	be	an	integral	part	of	a	communication	strategy.	In	
addition,	the	RC	and	BiH	have	big	problems	with	non -compliance	in	national	
legislation	while	involving	the	public	in	decision -making	across	the	country.	
Following,	the	law	is	carried	out	on	a	case -by-case	basis.	In	the	future,	it	is	
necessary	to	raise	public	awareness	on	the	respect	for	the	legislation	on	the	
whole	territory	of	the	country.	In	BiH,	public	participation	in	decision -making	is	
also	at	a	low	level ,	mostly	due	to	the	small	development	of	the	NGO	sector.	It	is	
necessary	to	develop	public	participation	in	NGO	of	nature	protection	in	BiH	in	
the	future.	BiH	and	the	RC	expressed	the	problems	of	insufficient	involvement	of	
local	people	in	the	management	o f	protected	areas.	In	the	future,	it	is	necessary	
to	organise	new	models	of	governance	and	management	in	which	governmental	
and	 non-governmental	 actors	 should	 have	 equal	 participation	 in	 decision -
making.	In	the	RS,	there	is	a	problem	of	the	population’s	un even	involvement	in	
decision -making	 in	 the	 entire	 territory	 of	 protected	 areas.	 In	 addition,	 the	
problem	is	also	the	unequal	powers	of	non -governmental	actors	in	decision -
making	with	governmental	actors.	A	future	challenge	for	the	RS	represents	an	
upgrade	of	managers	of	protected	areas	that	should	contribute	to	the	balanced	
involvement	of	non -governmental	actors	in	the	entire	territory	of	the	protected	
area	and	should	distribute	equal	powers	to	non -governmental	and	governmental	
actors	in	decision-making.	 	 	 Confirmation	3: 	 The	challenge	of	the	third	pillar	of	the	AC	according	to	BD	and	
HD.	In	all	three	countries,	the	judiciary	is	seen	as	not	sufficiently	developed	to	
deal	with	questions	on	nature	protection.	The	main	problem	is	a	complete	access	
to	informatio n	in	all	three	countries.	Another	problem	is	the	non -compliance	of	
legislation	(as	in	RC	and	BiH)	for	public	participation	in	all	processes	of	nature	
protection.	On	the	other	hand,	the	major	problem	is	the	low	level	of	public	
awareness	in	BiH,	i.e.	the	lack	of	education	of	the	population	on	nature	protection	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     55 
 
 
 
in	all	three	countries.	It	is	necessary	to	integrate	education	on	nature	protection	
and	sustainable	development	in	all	regular	school	systems.	 	 	 	 3	C ONFIRMATION	OF	THE	MAIN	THESIS	AS	A	 CONCLUSION 	 	 The	Europeanisation	has	contributed	to	the	introduction	of	the	concept	of	SD	in	
the	system	of	nature	protection	of	SEE	countries	and	it	is	necessary	for	the	future	
legislative	and	institutional	development	to	agree	to	the	AC	principles	in	order 	to	
achieve	 the	 objectives	 of	 BD	 and	 HD	 and	 the	 objectives	 of	 sustainable	
development	 in	 practice.	 Suggestions	 for	 future	 legislative	 and	 institutional	
development	are	shown	in	 Table 	1.	The	thesis	was	confirmed.		 	 TABLE 	1:	PROPOSAL	FOR	LEGISLATIVE	AND	INST ITUTIONAL	GUIDELINES	TO	IMPROVE	
THE	GOVERNANCE	AND	MANAGEMENT	OF	THE	NATURA	2000	PROTECTED	AREAS	IN	
SELECTED	COUNTRIES	OF	SOUTHEASTERN	EUROPE	TO	ACHIEVE	THE	OBJECTIVES	OF	
SUSTAINABLE	DEVELOPMENT 	 	 	 The	impact	of	Europeanisation	in	SEE	countries	reflects	in	pre -accession	and	
accession	processes	of	joining	the	EU.	Pre -accession	and	accession	processes	had	
their	legal	and	institutional	form	in	these	countries.	Such	a	legal	and	institutional	
form	incorpo rated	the	implementation	of	international	obligations	of	sustainable	
development	into	the	national	legislation	in	the	course	of	implementation	N2000	
(sub-thesis	1).	Apart	from	that,	there	were	changes	of	institutional	framework	in	
the	system	of	nature	prot ection	(sub-thesis	2)	and	the	role	of	main	actors	in	the	
system	 of	 nature	 protection	 (sub -thesis	 3).	 The	 establishment	 of	 N2000	
contributed	to	the	development	of	this	legal	and	institutional	framework	(sub -
thesis	 4),	 however,	 there	 are	 needs	 for	 further	 de velopment	 of	 the	 legal	
framework	(national	legislations,	especially	according	to	the	principles	of	AC	and	
objectives	of	BD	and	HD)	and	institutional	framework	towards	democratisation	

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS     56 
 
 
 
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