The session of the Central European Initiative (CEI) Parliamentary Assembly (PA) ended in Belgrade on Friday by adoption of the declaration that offers responses to the new economic crisis and current financial challenges.
During a two-day session the House of the Serbian parliament, officials pointed to the importance of regional cooperation, particularly with regard to EU integration for regional countries.
One of Serbia’s main priorities in terms of foreign policy is EU accession as an important step in creation of a new Europe and the parliament has an irreplaceable role in the achievement of this goal, Serbian Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic Dejanovic stated at the opening of the meeting.
She underscored that Serbia and other CEI members believe that policy of cooperation and EU accession represents an important step in achieving a new Europe as a continent of peace, political stability, respect of human rights and economic prosperity, a task in which parliaments have a matchless role.
Serbian Assistant Foreign Minister Dusko Lopandic underscored that regional cooperation is the cornerstone of relations in European integration, ad that CEI can help Serbia achieve its goal in terms of EU accession. In addition to the EU membership, Lopandic listed as important the implementation of the Danube Strategy, prompt EU accession for remaining EU hopefuls and fight against organized crime.
Serbia holds presidency over CEI this year and the meeting on the perspectives of CEI development was attended by 11 CEI delegations. The next country to chair CEI is Ukraine.
CEI Expert Meeting on Next Generation Biofuels and 2nd SEDRI Task Force Meeting (Belgrade, 24 November 2011)
In the framework of possible alternatives for renewable energy strategies in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Central European Initiative (CEI) is promoting an integrated and interdisciplinary regional project on Next Generation Biofuels, which represents a priority option for its eighteen Member States.
In this regard, a CEI Expert Meeting on Next Generation Biofuels will take place in Belgrade on 24 November 2011. The Meeting is organised by the Serbian Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and is co-financed by the CEI. It will provide participants with the latest information concerning the possible use of next generation biofuels in the CEI region.
The use of Next generation Biofuels is closely dependent on potentials of raw materials, availability of production technology and product quality. Therefore, establishing good cooperation between different applied research laboratories and relevant institutions and finding a common way of overcoming inherent barriers, is of the utmost importance.
The Expert Meeting will be followed by the 2nd Task Force Meeting of the Sustainable Energy Development Regional Initiative – (SEDRI).
SEDRI represents a coordination effort of the CEI and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) for a joint action in the area of sustainable energy development in order to maximise the benefits for the Participating countries.
The Initiative is targeted towards both RCC and CEI Member States in South-East and Eastern Europe. So far the participating countries are: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine).
The Task Force Meeting will focus on the SEDRI Project Proposals Inventory. Ministries – or other institutions who expressed their interest in participating – together with the support of the CEI and the RCC Secretariats – have produced a regional inventory of small-scale sustainable energy projects.
The resulting ten projects from seven countries, should enable participants to cooperate, raise funds, exchange information and best-practices. Representatives of international financial institutions are also invited to attend the meeting in order to outline any potential support and procedures from their side.
Source emg.rs
