Themis is an informal regional network of national authorities responsible for natural resources management and protection, and for the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, in particular on nature conservation, in EU candidate countries, potential candidates and countries with EU Association Agreements: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia. The network’s mission is to protect the environment by improving the capacities of its members to implement and enforce legislation on natural resources and forestry, and to combat environmental crimes.

This workshop has been organised with the aim of delivering information about the mission, activities and accomplishments of the Themis Network, and to present its future outlook in light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The workshop will enable an exchange of views among participants on how the Themis cooperation platform can serve as a tool for building networks, strengthening institutions and fostering regional cooperation for effective environmental compliance and enforcement. As a bottom-up mechanism, the platform is adaptable to the local context, thus contributing to the rule of law in the environmental sector, as well as to legal and institutional reforms, by strengthening dialogue between stakeholders.