The Hungarian Embassy in Belgrade and the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) held a roundtable discussion entitled “Serbia’s environmental action plan for EU accession and possibilities for support from Hungary” on 20 December 2021. The event was moderated by Péter Mocsáry, Ambassador, seconded expert on European integration to the Ministry of European Integration of Serbia. Panellist included Barbara Kovács, Head of Unit for International Climate Policy from the Ministry for Innovation and Technology; László Örlős, Director of the Western Balkans Green Centre; Dušan Čarkić, Assistant Minister Responsible for Green Deal and Sustainable Development of Serbia; and Sandra Dokić, Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia.
In his keynote speech, Attila Pintér, Ambassador of Hungary to Serbia summarized the main points of Cluster 4 that Serbia will have to fulfil in the upcoming period. The Ambassador pointed out that as environmental issues know no borders, Serbia needs to adopt a lot of new legislation to cope with the challenges of climate change. Hungary will also continue to support the country by sharing all necessary information and good practices concerning this policy field.
Ambassador Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy explained that Serbia and the other Western Balkan states play a key role in the fight against environmental issues. In order for Serbia to become a full-fledged member state of the EU, the country must demonstrate effective implementation enforcement of EU environmental legislation too. The Commissioner highlighted that the necessary assistance will be provided to Serbia and that the EU will support the state in achieving its goals.
Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of European Union to the Republic of Serbia pointed out that Cluster 4 is the heart of the European economy; it can bring new investments and boost local markets. Additionally, there needs to be a strong commitment from Serbia’s side in achieving the goals of the abovementioned cluster; the involvement of the government as well as the civil society is also also crutial step in this process.
Barbara Kovács, Head of Unit for International Climate Policy from the Ministry for Innovation and Technology presented the main objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Katowice Rulebook, highlighting the main priorities of the EU in the field of international climate policy. In terms of meeting EU requirements, Ms. Kovács emphasized the importance of gradual coal phase-out, which can be supported nowadays from the EU Just Transition Fund and from other funding sources, as well. Hungary is already implementing a long-term just transition project, and we are eager to share the best practices and lessons learnt with Serbia with the aim of developing our cooperation in environmental and climate topics..
László Örlős, Director of the Western Balkans Green Centre highlighted that there were several joint programs between Hungary and Serbia focusing on the environment. These projects have been carried out jointly with companies and governments in the two countries, with the aim of achieving the objectives set out in the climate agreement. Exchange of information in this field, according to Mr. Örlős, is an important tool for fighting against environmental-related issues, such as air pollution.
Dušan Čarkić, Assistant Minister Responsible for Green Deal and Sustainable Development of Serbia considers the clime protection a significant duty for all parties involved. Moreover, cross-border cooperation projects between Serbia and Hungary could serve as a good and effective method in the fight against water and air pollution.
Sandra Dokić, Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia emphasised that working groups will soon be set up to ensure a smooth-running and transparent implemetation process. According to Ms. Dokić, special emphasis will be made on air pollution.
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