Countdown to 2026 brings CBAM into sharp focus

At the annual Belgrade Energy Forum 2025, the atmosphere was tense as industry leaders and policymakers stressed the inescapable reality: CBAM goes live on 1 January 2026.

Unless Western Balkan exporters can pivot, either by implementing domestic carbon pricing systems or achieving electricity market coupling, they will incur full carbon charges on exports in sectors like aluminium, steel, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, and power.

Voices at the forum unanimously called for urgent action, stressing that EU ETS replication, even in part, may offer the most practical path to shielding local industries and smoothing the shift toward green economies.