News - 04/06/2009 | Regional Environment Conference
Environment protection is a joint effort
The Fifth Regional Conference Environment for Europe was held in Belgrade on 4 and 5 June. The conference was organised by the non-government organisation Environmental Ambassadors and Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The conclusions of the gathering were that the global economic crisis should not be an excuse for neglecting environment protection or investing in environment but that decisions about environment protection should be based on cooperation. Environment sector should be one of the priorities for the Balkans and Serbia in order to prepare and adjust to climate changes. A great number of ambassadors to Serbia took part in the conference.
Indicating the importance of environment protection in Europe, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Serbia Ambassador Josep Lloveras said that environmental progress in one country in the region was good news for the region as a whole. The European Union (EU) is supporting the efforts made by the countries in this region to meet the challenges of sustainable development, said Ambassador Lloveras.
Ambassador commended the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning for the campaign “Let’s Clean Serbia” and welcomed the recent adoption of “green laws” by the Serbian Assembly, adding that the changes in the environment sector were imperative in the framework of European integration process.
The EU has been funding a number of projects concerning pollution reduction, energy efficiency and clean-up of contaminated sites, Lloveras pointed out. The interrelation between climate change and sustainable tourism is particularly important for the EU, where tourism represents 4% of the GDP.
The Czech Ambassador to Serbia Hana Hubackova said that Serbia and its neighbours had good basis for the development of sustainable tourism.
Greek Ambassador to Serbia Dimosthenis Stoidis said that everybody was facing the impact of the crisis but that it was necessary to secure solid basis for an economy based on low carbon-dioxide emission. He said that Greece allocated considerable funds to alleviate the crisis plus 22 million euros for the protection of the Earth. Ambassador Stoidis added that Athens was assisting Belgrade in the area of environment policy management.
Danish Ambassador to Serbia Mette Kjuel-Nielsen pointed out the importance of raising awareness of using waste as a resource. Waste recycling can be of great benefit for the environment, added Ambassador Nielsen.
Andjelka Mihajlov, Regional Environment Advisor at the Environmental Ambassadors, emphasised the importance of energy stability and sustainable tourism for the region saying that the Western Balkans countries, as well as other European countries, were facing adaptation to climate changes in order to protect tourism and other sectors of economy. Sustainable tourism planning and development of tourist destinations are not possible if we do not adjust to climate changes and protect environment, added Mihajlov.
The World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and has been celebrated in over one hundred countries all over the world ever since.
Speech by Ambassador Lloveras (DOC)
Indicating the importance of environment protection in Europe, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Serbia Ambassador Josep Lloveras said that environmental progress in one country in the region was good news for the region as a whole. The European Union (EU) is supporting the efforts made by the countries in this region to meet the challenges of sustainable development, said Ambassador Lloveras.
Ambassador commended the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning for the campaign “Let’s Clean Serbia” and welcomed the recent adoption of “green laws” by the Serbian Assembly, adding that the changes in the environment sector were imperative in the framework of European integration process.
The EU has been funding a number of projects concerning pollution reduction, energy efficiency and clean-up of contaminated sites, Lloveras pointed out. The interrelation between climate change and sustainable tourism is particularly important for the EU, where tourism represents 4% of the GDP.
The Czech Ambassador to Serbia Hana Hubackova said that Serbia and its neighbours had good basis for the development of sustainable tourism.
Greek Ambassador to Serbia Dimosthenis Stoidis said that everybody was facing the impact of the crisis but that it was necessary to secure solid basis for an economy based on low carbon-dioxide emission. He said that Greece allocated considerable funds to alleviate the crisis plus 22 million euros for the protection of the Earth. Ambassador Stoidis added that Athens was assisting Belgrade in the area of environment policy management.
Danish Ambassador to Serbia Mette Kjuel-Nielsen pointed out the importance of raising awareness of using waste as a resource. Waste recycling can be of great benefit for the environment, added Ambassador Nielsen.
Andjelka Mihajlov, Regional Environment Advisor at the Environmental Ambassadors, emphasised the importance of energy stability and sustainable tourism for the region saying that the Western Balkans countries, as well as other European countries, were facing adaptation to climate changes in order to protect tourism and other sectors of economy. Sustainable tourism planning and development of tourist destinations are not possible if we do not adjust to climate changes and protect environment, added Mihajlov.
The World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and has been celebrated in over one hundred countries all over the world ever since.
Speech by Ambassador Lloveras (DOC)
