25 November 2009

BELGRADE - Minister of Mining and Energy Petar Skundric and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic opened today the South Eastern European regional ministerial conference “Climate Change and Energy”.
Skundric said that the purpose of the conference is to better connect the climate policy to energy industry issues.

The Minister stressed that Serbia is ready to fulfil obligations from European directives because this is part of the country’s EU integration process, but it expects financial and technical help from the EU.

He said that he expects that next year will be more successful for Serbia’s energy sector regarding sustainable development.

Skundric warned of the dramatic climate changes being caused by the use of fossil fuels, which could have grave consequences for life on Earth.

The Minister stressed that globally speaking people expect that an agreement will emerge from the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen which will guarantee economic growth without jeopardising the environment.

He said Serbia’s foremost goal is sustainable energy development that will ensure a stable energy supply and increase the overall efficiency of the energy sector, while at the same time it will be committed to environmental protection and the development of renewable energy sources.

The Serbian government will take measures at three levels, namely through harmonisation of its legislature with that of the EU, by implementing institutional reforms and by investing in energy and other infrastructure facilities, he explained.

Dulic said that his Ministry, together with the Ministry of Energy and Mining, has been striving to attract investors that will invest in renewable energy sources, with which Serbia abounds.

He stressed that the harmful consequences of climate changes are quite visible, adding that another proof of that is the atypically warm weather in November, as well as long periods of rain then drought.

The Minister underlined the importance of recycling in terms of energy savings, noting that recycling one tonne of cans uses 90–95% less energy than producing the same amount of aluminium from raw materials.

Dulic announced the adoption of a set of rule books to encourage citizens to use insulation materials for their homes because saving energy is closely linked with the protection of the environment.

Source: EkoForum