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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Ministerial conference "Environment for Europe" of great importance for Serbia

Belgrade, 11 September 2007

Serbian Minister of Environmental Protection Sasa Dragin said today that delegations from 56 countries, including Canada and the US, will participate in the Sixth ministerial conference "Environment for Europe", which will be held in Belgrade from October 10 to 12.

Dragin told Beta news agency that a ministerial declaration will be adopted at this conference which will determine environmental polices of Europe, Canada, the US and Russia in next five years.

The Minister said that adoption of the declaration and document that envisages establishment of a regional virtual centre for following climate changes in southeastern Europe will be of great importance for Serbia as well.

The Belgrade Biodiversity Statement is also important for Serbia, as well as ministerial statements that will be adopted at the conference and refer to sustainable development.

The Minister said that in the next two months an agreement on understanding and cooperation will be signed with Portugal, which holds the EU Presidency, and added that good communication with Portugal contributed to the unified stance of the EU concerning relations with Serbia.

He said that this conference is being organised by the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection and that foreign delegations will be led by their ministers or state secretaries. Also, this will be the first time that education ministers of member states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) take part in the conference.

Dragin said that the conference, which will be held in Sava Centre, will be opened by a bicycle ride of representatives of the participating countries.

The first ministerial conference as part of the "Environment for Europe" process was held in 1991 in the then Czechoslovakia. Four more conferencies were held later on - in Switzerland in 1993, in Bulgaria in 1995, in Danmark in 1998 and in the Ukraine in 2003.