Completed training on pollution prevention and control

Belgrade, August 29, 2023 - The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) held a second training session at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce on the process of obtaining integrated permits, in which representatives of institutions responsible for issuing these permits and heating plant operators participated. This is one of the activities carried out as part of the "EU Green Agenda in Serbia" initiative in order to accelerate the decarbonization of the economy and reduce industrial emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG).

Integrated permits are issued by competent authorities at the national, provincial and local levels for facilities that may have a negative impact on human health and the environment in order to prevent and control the pollution they emit.

In our country, the conditions and procedure for issuing integrated permits for facilities whose activities may have negative effects on human health and the environment are regulated by the Law on Integrated Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution. In accordance with this Law, the deadline for obtaining integrated licenses for all operators, including heating plants, is until the end of 2024.

During the training, it was pointed out that obtaining an integrated permit is a demanding and complex procedure. The biggest obstacle is often the lack of other permits that are necessary for the application for an integrated permit to enter the official procedure, such as a use and water permit or obtaining approval for a fire protection plan.

Obtaining an integrated permit also implies compliance with the requirements of the Directive on industrial emissions and emission limit values. In some cases, this harmonization may require investments in equipment and technological processes, which is why it is important to plan funds for this purpose in the budgets of heating plants for the following year. The training participants also received information on how they can secure the additional funds needed for such investments. One of them is co-financing, which can be applied for through the Challenge Call for the green transition of the Serbian economy, which is constantly open as part of the "EU Green Agenda in Serbia" project.

The two-day training was organized in cooperation with the IED Serbia project "Green transition - implementation of the Directive on industrial emissions in Serbia from 2021-2025" which is implemented by the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy of the University of Belgrade.

The Project "EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia", implemented by UNDP with the technical and financial support by the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funds provided by the governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.