Environment at Balkan Summit 2026: water, waste and multi-purpose dams
Water supply, wastewater, waste management and dams that store water, generate power and protect against drought.
Environment ran across both halls on Monday 19 October.
In the Beethoven Hall, Plenary Session 2, “Closing the Loop: Water, Wastewater & Waste for a Circular Balkan Economy”, covered water supply, dams, wastewater and waste management. It was moderated by Sir Jake Berry, CEO and Founder of Fozzilo.
Water pollution and waste management were the focus. Integrated waste management projects in Kosovo were among the investments shown on stage, with indicative values, for the financiers in the room.
In the Strauss Hall, Thematic Panel 1 asked a narrower question: “Water as Infrastructure: Multi-Purpose Dams for Storage, Power & Drought Resilience”. A single dam can store water, generate electricity and protect against drought, and the panel looked at how that combination can be financed and safeguarded as one asset.
On the panel were Manar Mansour of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the summit's partner, and Sokol Xhafa, Water Infrastructure Expert with the World Bank's FLOWS programme and former CEO of the Prishtina Water Company. Premtim Islami, Senior Expert on Environment at KfW Development Bank, moderated.
Environment matchmaking ran in the Meeting & Networking Hall from 13:30, alongside transport.
Balkan Summit 2026 took place in Prishtina from 18 to 21 October 2026, at the Emerald Hotel.