At the end of 2020, representatives of the environmental pillar, in cooperation with local partners, organized round tables in Sremski Karlovci, on December 23, and Priboj, on December 25. The events are dedicated to the current situation, as well as to the potentials of Sremski Karlovci and Priboj in the field of environmental protection. They were organized via the Zoom platform and gathered a large number of important actors in the social, political and economic life of the two municipalities.
The round tables were opened by representatives of local partners, Nikola Blagojević on behalf of the Vojvodina Environmental Movement in Sremski Karlovci and Goran Reković on behalf of the Association of Citizens Primus in Priboj. After introductory speeches, the participants in both municipalities were introduced to the project "Sustainable Development for All". Nina Cvetanović from the Belgrade Open School presented the project to the participants in Sremski Karlovci, and Lidija Radulović from the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence to the participants in Priboj. Both roundtables were moderated by Radovan Živković, a local development expert.
The working part of both round tables began with a review of the current situation in the municipality in the field of environmental protection through the prism of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 6; 7; 12; 13; 14; 15). The second part was dedicated to the next development steps and goals, as well as the development potentials of the two municipalities. At the round table in Sremski Karlovci, the low level of citizens' awareness of the importance of environmental protection (especially the importance of raising the awareness of excursionists), low level of energy efficiency and problems of competence over local utilities were seen as significant challenges facing the municipality in this area. As Sremski Karlovci is a municipality whose most important economic branch is viticulture, the participants discussed the challenges that may arise due to the negative effects of climate change on different grape varieties. Geothermal waters and sustainable tourism have been recognized as significant development potentials, and the importance of focusing on the circular economy has been particularly emphasized, with a special emphasis on educating young people in this regard.
On the other hand, the participants of the round table in Priboj see the problem of waste (primarily floating waste on the Lim River), lack of strategic and planning documents in this area, as well as insufficiently developed mechanisms for measuring pollution (air, water, land) as the most significant challenges of the municipality in the field of environmental protection. However, the participants agreed that there are many reasons for optimism in the coming period, since great efforts are being made to increase energy efficiency and decarbonization of the municipality, as well as to improve the water supply and sewerage network, whose coverage is currently at a relatively low level.
The round tables ended in a positive tone, because participants, in addition to showing awareness of the importance of the challenges facing the two municipalities, have also demonstrated their willingness to contribute to significant progress of their municipalities in the field of environmental protection in the next seven years, and consequently to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals from the 2030 Agenda, and they saw the "Sustainable Development for All" Platform as one of the significant impulses in this process.
Author of thr photos: Belgrade Open School