Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia's energy safety at its highest in 15 years

Belgrade, 14 March 2006

Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Radomir Naumov said today that in the past two years Serbia secured a stable and regular energy supply for citizens and the economy with all forms of energy products and that Serbia reached the highest level of energy safety in 15 years.

Radomir Naumov

Speaking at a press conference at which results of the Ministry's work in the past two years were presented, Naumov said that the Ministry rounded up the legal and legislative framework on the operation of energy entities in Serbia. He said that the Law on energy was adopted, as well as the Strategy of Energy Development to 2015. In addition, the public companies were reorganised and the South East Europe Energy Community Treaty was signed.

Naumov said that the adoption of the Law on energy speeded up the process of integration of Serbia's energy system into that of Europe, adding that Serbia has become a part of the third largest market in the world, the Pan-European community.

The adoption of this law set up a clear legal framework for reorganisation of the Serbian Electric Power Industry (EPS) and the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS), but it was also made clear that Serbia wants to prevent the national energy companies from being sold.

The Strategy of Energy Development to 2015 contains strategic planning of energy development harmonised with overall growth in economic activity. The document was adopted in the Serbian parliament after an exhaustive technical discussion.

Naumov said that the most important goal for the upcoming period is the preparation of remaining by-laws that will allow for introduction of new rules of work, business operation and development of Serbia's energy sector, as well as the participation of foreign and private capital in construction of new energy facilities.

The second most important goal which stems from the Law on energy is the preparation of a programme for implementation of the Strategy of Energy Development to 2015, for all energy production sectors - Srbijagas, Transnafta, NIS, EPS, the Electric Network of Serbia (EMS) and communal power plants.

Aleksandar Vlajcic

The Minister confirmed that the Ministry has planned joint activities with other ministries on the preparation of a proposal for ratification and the use of mechanisms of the KYOTO Protocol, preparation of a sustainable development strategy and documents related to the EU stabilisation and association agreement.

As for infrastructural projects, priorities are the completion of an underground storage in Banatski Dvor, construction of a gas pipeline Nis-Dimitrovgrad, and the completion of thermoelectric power plant Kolubara B.

Assistant Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Vlajcic pointed out that the goal of the Ministry's Electricity Sector is the strengthening of the international position of Serbia's electrical power companies, first and foremost of EPS and Srbijagas.

Vlajcic voiced hope that the South East Europe Energy Community Treaty will have been ratified by the middle of the year in the Serbian parliament, adding that some of the treaty's provisions are already being applied because of the intense transit of electricity through the eight surrounding borders.