INTERVIEW IVA PETROVIĆ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NORDIC BUSINESS ALLIANCE
We Learn
FROM THE BEST We believe that we can together turn problems into opportunities and achieve results for a cleaner and brighter future. Those of us in the North started earlier, so we have learned some lessons the hard way. And we want to share those lessons with Serbia, so that this society can avoid our mistakes and reproduce our success stories “There has already been a lot of talk about that and the good news is that, in the last year, there have been encouraging indicators that the state is now more prepared to get to grips with resolving these problems, at least when it comes to increasing investments in communal infrastructure – we have announcements of larger investments in the sewerage network, wastewater treatment plants, sanitary landfills and the like,” says Nordic Business Alliance Executive Director Iva Petrović. “What is less known is that the construction of the lacking infrastructure would simultaneously pave the way for changing the growth model in Serbia and shifting from a linear model of the economy to a circular one. That in itself represents a step towards a greener future for Serbia, because it implies less pollution, more efficient production and reduced use of resources.”
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erbia is facing great challenges in the field of environmental protection, which was neglected during the previous period, due to the low level of environmental awareness in the society. Weak institutions, the failure to implement regulations and very low investments in public utilities infrastructure over the last 20 years have led to
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Nordic Countries & Serbia 2021
SerbiatodaybeingamongEurope’smostpolluted countries – which poses a serious threat to the health of citizens and impinges on their quality of life. The first step in resolving environmental problems demands the strengthening of the state’s institutional capacities, but also huge public investments in communal infrastructure totalling almost 10 billion euros.
These are this year’s key topics for the European Union, the Nordic countries and their embassies, and also, to a certain extent, for Serbia. What activities have you planned and what will be in your focus? - That’s right. At the heart of the European Green Deal, which is the EU’s new strategy for long-term economic development, are the fight against climate change and low-carbon development, more efficient production and a toxin-free environment by the middle of this century. The Nordic countries, as pioneers of sustainable development in Europe, fully share the vision of such a Europe, and that vision is also extremely relevant for Serbia, as an EU membership candidate country and a country with an economy that is closely connected to
