During July and August, many important decisions on development of Serbian energy sector for the next five years were being made, through adoption of The Implementation Program for Energy Sector Development Strategy to 2025, with projections to 2030. The Implementation Program covers the period from 2017 to 2023. Ministry of Mining and Energy has announced the public discussion starting from 19th of July until 19th of August, and the public presentation of the Implementation Program and the Strategic Environment Assessment Report for the Implementation Program was held on July 25th in the premises of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. 

Representatives of state institutions, private and civil sector attended the presentation. Belgrade Open School took part in the process through the public debate on the presentation itself, as well as through submitting comments on respective documents. The process of adoption of this document was surely not at the center of public attention, in spite of the importance and the impact of this document on Serbian energy sector for the next five years. The date of public discussion may have contributed to that, since it was vacation season. Since the media didn’t cover this process properly, we find it important to say more about the process of adoption of these public policy documents, the content of the Implementation Program itself, as well as regarding the quality of the Strategic Environment Assessment Report for the Implementation Program.

 As for public participation in this process, the Ministry of Mining and Energy fulfilled all the commitments lined out in the Law on Strategic Environment Assessment. The public discussion process was transparently announced through the Ministry’s webpage and legal requirements regarding duration were met as well.

The Ministry has gone one step further by organizing public consultations on the Implementation Program in May (although public consultations are not going to be mandatory until the adoption of New Law on Planning System). In submitted comments, Belgrade Open School reflected on the content of the document and the energy policy development in Serbia, particularly in the context of international commitments and the process of European Integration, necessity for price of energy acceptable for all sectors, reliable, quality and long-term sustainable energy supply that doesn’t impose threat on environment and public health, as well as in the context of energy policy that makes enough space for creating local development policies in line with specific needs of local communities. 

Public discussion on the Implementation Program and Strategic Environment Assessment Report was finished on 19th of August. Ministry of Mining and Energy, as an institution in charge of preparation of this Program, is legally obliged to make a Report on participation of interested public and institutions, with elaborated decisions on submitted comments, according to the Law on Strategic and Environment Assessment. 

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REGULATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM FOR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY  (Serbian version only)

REPORT ON STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT FOR IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY  (Serbian version only)

COMMENTS OF BELGRADE OPEN SCHOOL ON IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY  (Serbian version )

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