The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the European Union are launching a new support package in the areas of climate change policies, circular economy and businesses, and bio-waste management. The package is worth altogether about EUR 16.3 million and will help to further improve the environment for the citizens of Serbia.
The objective is to improve the quality of life of citizens in Serbia thanks to a better legal and policy framework, improved capacities of the public and business sectors and investment in waste separation and collection.
The European Union Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, said “We are at a defining moment when more efforts must be done to contain global warming, which has disastrous consequences as we see with wildfires, floods, heatwaves or water shortages. The European Union stands with Serbia to accelerate the country’s transition to cleaner and greener economy, where citizens will directly benefit from improved services. There will be direct support to set up a mechanism on carbon pricing, support to local circular economy with local self-governments and businesses, and we will launch a massive campaign for collection of bio-waste and green waste in 25 Municipalities. This new environment and climate package of 16.3 million euros will start immediately”.
The Climate Change component will address climate change policy and legal framework, strengthening capacities for climate change management and assisting in developing mechanisms for support of industry related to decarbonisation. It includes necessary amendments to the Climate Change Law to align better with EU regulations, and supports setting up a mechanism on carbon pricing aligned with the EU Emissions Trading System. Amount – EUR 1.5 million.
The Circular Economy component aims at developing circular economy roadmaps for local self-governments, circular economy business action plans, and raising awareness. The local self-governments will benefit from receiving support to take actions for more resource-efficient local economy, while private companies will receive tailored support to explore business opportunities facilitated by circular economy practices. Amount – 709,270 EUR.
The bio-waste component supports new services such as bio-waste collection from individual households, small businesses and collection of green waste from public places in 25 municipalities across 5 waste management regions (Subotica, Pancevo, Sremska Mitrovica, Uzice, and Pirot). The green waste, like cuttings from gardens and parks, will be composted instead of disposed at landfills, reducing costs and GHG emissions: around 40,000 tons of green waste a year could be diverted from landfills. The duration of the project is 24 months, up to the end of December 2026. Amount – EUR 14.1 million.
