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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Twinning project on air quality management presented

Belgrade, 22 February 2010

State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning Ivica Radovic said today that the aim of the twinning project “Strengthening administrative capacities for air quality management in the Republic of Serbia“ is the improvement of air quality in Serbia.

Ivica Radovic, left, and Adriano Martins at today's press oconference

Radovic said at a press conference that this twinning project was launched on November 26, 2009, that it will last for two years and is financed by the European Commission in the sum of €1 million.

He explained that Serbia’s partners in the realisation of this project are the Czech Ministry of Environment, the Institute of Hydrometeorology and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

The project entails exchange of information concerning latest trends in the field of control and protection of air quality, assistance to Serbian experts in the implementation of laws and measurement of air quality in line with European regulations.

Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Adriano Martins said that one of the conditions for Serbia’s EU membership is the adoption and implementation of a series of environmental laws based on European standards.

Serbia has made progress in this area of legislation and has adopted ecology laws including air pollution laws, said Martins.

Studies have shown that there is a link between disease incidence and air pollution. Serbia’s CO2 emission rate is twice that of other countries with a similar GDP, he said.

Since the 1970s, Europe has been working on improving air quality, controlling emission reduction and improving the quality of fuel, Martins said.

In 2005, the European Commission published a strategy on air pollution which envisaged that by 2020 the rate of premature fatalities caused by pollution being reduced by 40%, he said.

The implementation of this strategy will cost €7 billion annually. Since 2000, the EU has invested €450 million in ecological projects in Serbia, of which €165 million being invested in projects which are still continuing, Martins said.