About Project:
Earth’s natural resources are being used up fast. The growth of the world economy and the rising global population (9 billion by 2050) are exploiting the natural resources such as ecosystems, soil, water and clean air. All of these are vital for our health and quality of life, but they are only available in limited supplies. Resources need to be managed more efficiently throughout their life cycle, from extraction, transport, transformation and consumption, to the disposal of waste.
This grey scenario determined EU to start pushing for “resource efficiency”. This means producing more value using less material and consuming differently. This will decrease the risks of insufficiency and keep environmental impacts within our planet’s natural limits. It is an overarching idea that applies to all natural resources from food, biodiversity to metals, soil, water, minerals, the atmosphere and land.
Making Europe more resource efficient is at the same time path towards achieving economic, social and environmental policy goals more easily, more securely, and at lower cost. Resource efficiency is a key component of Europe 2020, the EU’s strategy for building growth and jobs over the next ten years. The strategy aims to encourage economic growth that is smart (based on knowledge and innovation), sustainable (green growth will be more sustainable in the longer term), and inclusive (because high rates of employment deliver improved social and territorial cohesion). The EU is making serious efforts to create a long term policy which will secure the efficient usage of resources.
These contemporary flows in resource efficiency policy of the EU must not be ignored in Serbia. Being candidate country strongly determined to move faster towards full membership, Serbia has to comply with the attempts to establish and sustain policy framework for efficient exploitation of resources. In the area of environment, Serbia remains moderately advanced towards fulfilling the European standards. The National Programme for Environmental Protection 2010–2019 and a number of laws on air and water quality as well as on nature protection and climate change were adopted. However, the capacity to implement and enforce legislation still needs to be strengthened.
The project “ReEnergy – for energy sustainable local communities” examined the state-of-art of the efficient exploitation of natural resources in Serbia and possibilities for development of active and suitable response of local communities, based on the experience and practice of Covenant of Mayors. Throughout intensive training, online workshops and policy briefs, developed on the outputs of the workshops, and the study visit to Austria, project offered the necessary steps for Serbian stakeholders dealing with energy related issues on the local level to pursue more efficiently and effectively the goal of compliance with EU policy framework in respective policy area, obstacles and challenges as well the benefits of the process (with a strong emphasis on local municipalities).
The aims of this capacity building initiative were:
- to introduce local actors with EU policy framework for resource efficiency
- to support the development of pro-active policy framework for energy management on the local level, utilising model of Sustainable Energy Action Plans developed by Covenant of Mayors
- to present strategic goals of Europe 2020 agenda and EU Road map 2050 and their impact on Serbia;
- to strengthened capacity of local administration, CSOs and media for successful implementation and monitoring of new Serbian legal framework in the areas of Energy and Environment.
Activities in the Project
- One-day intensive training
- On line workshops "Sustainable Local Energy Management - Driving towards Reforms and Impact on Resource Efficiency of the Serbian Local Communities“
- Policy analyses "Resource efficiency in Serbia - towards sustainable growth and preserved environment“
- Study visit to Austria
- Discussion forum (dissemination and presentation of policy analyses)
Project partners:
Foundation of Friedrich Ebert
Time and place:
Belgrade and Graz, June - November 2012