Belgrade, 23 September 2022 - With support from the European Union Delegation and the Swiss Government, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Serbia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection selected the best proposed solutions received in response to the ‘Challenge Call for Decarbonisation of the Economy and Depollution.’ This public call was published within the ‘EU for Green Agenda in Serbia’ initiative in April this year.

The expert jury selected 29 of the 47 innovative solutions that had arrived, and these will be provided with mentoring and technical support to further develop their ideas. In the first phase, the selected teams will undergo training in fields like pollution reduction technologies; planning and technical documentation development; infrastructure facility construction process; business planning; as well as assistance in the development of specific analyses, etc.  The co-funding project preparation stage starts in late September 2022 and will end in February 2023.

After the end of this phase, the best solutions will receive co-financing so they can be applied in practice. Part of the co- financing (in the amount of € 425,000) will be provided from the project funds, and the candidates will be trained on how to attract additional funding sources. Additionally, UNDP will set up an additional project and solutions presentation round for commercial banks and the donor community, to secure additional funding sources.

Companies from the private and public sector, representatives of industries that are major polluters and energy consumers, and local governments applied to the challenge and proposed ideas for new or improved technologies that will lead to a reduction of environmental pollution and GHG emissions, more efficient utilisation of resources in industrial production and a more expansive use of renewable energy sources, such as:

• solutions for the use of solar energy and energy generation from biodegradable waste;
• utilisation of new technological solutions to increase energy efficiency;
• solutions to help reduce energy consumption with improvements and reconstruction of utility infrastructure;
• solutions to reduce water and air pollution through the application of innovative technologies.

The implementation of these ideas will bring about a reduction in GHG emissions and the implementation of the Green Agenda in Serbia, and it will also lead to the preservation and creation of new jobs, including jobs for marginalised groups.

The list of selected solutions can be seen on the following LINK.

The ‘EU for Green Agenda in Serbia’ project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, with financial support of the European Union and the Government of Switzerland and in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the EIB.