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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Huge tasks towards sustainable development await Serbia

Belgrade, 10 May 2009

Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic Today stated that sustainable development implies unspoilt nature, development of the knowledge-based economy and social inclusion, which will mean that the country is developing without leaving anyone unprotected.

At the celebration in Kalemegdan Park marking the Sustainable Development Day Djelic said that Serbia uses up three times more energy than rich European countries and that only 5% of waste is recycled in Belgrade, adding that the difficult task to set up sustainable development is ahead of Serbia.

He recalled that last May Serbia adopted the National Sustainable Development Strategy and in March the action plan which is now becoming a reality through the budgets of all ministries, the City of Belgrade and local self-governments.

The campaign of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning showed that the huge task of cleaning Serbia of the garbage that has accumulated over decades is ahead of us, which will be impossible to carry out unless the entire society becomes aware of the problem, he noted.

This is why we will start the initiative to introduce obligatory environmental education in schools, stressed Djelic.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that Serbia was late with adopting the Kyoto Protocol, which first dealt with the issue of air pollution, stressing that it now has the economic opportunity to use it because it is followed by financial and economic protocols which may enable Serbia to receive several million euros a year through transfers from the West by getting engaged in environmental protection.

Secretary of the Environmental Protection Secretariat Goran Trivian stressed that there are around 118 wild dumps in Belgrade with approximately 3.5 cubic metres of waste, adding that this year they should all be either removed or put into proper use.

Djelic and Trivian visited an exhibition of photographs in Kalemegdan and saw children’s handicrafts made from recycled material.

The celebration was organised by the Deputy Prime Minister’s cabinet and the Environmental Protection Secretariat together with NGO Sfera No and Ekosfera.

Present at the celebration were numerous officials, city authorities, artists, representatives from NGOs and public utility companies, students and Belgrade citizens.