The Climate Change Seminar on “Opportunities, benefits and challenges of EU Climate Policy and Legislation” was held under the EU funded project Regional Environment Network for Accession (RENA)...

 

Banja Luka, 20 and 21 February 2013 – The Climate Change Seminar on “Opportunities, benefits and challenges of EU Climate Policy and Legislation” was held under the EU funded project Regional Environment Network for Accession (RENA), and it brought together representatives from all levels of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina , the industrial sector and civil society. The seminar was held at Banski dvor in Banja Luka.

In the first part of the two-day seminar, the RS Minister of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology, Srebrenka Golić delivered a keynote address, as the Focal Point of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol for BiH; Giulio Zanni, Head of the Banja Luka Office, addressed the seminar on behalf of the Delegation of the EU to BiH; Deputy Minister Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relation of BiH. Other speakers were the European Commission’s Directorate General for Climate Action, Yrjo Makela, FBiH Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry, Erdal Trhulj, as well as UNDP representatives and representatives from the Brčko District.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina in her keynote speech said that “One of the activities successfully contributing to fight against climate change is the implementation of the Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, including initiated activities on establishing a program and center for cleaner production. The main question we are still trying to answer in Bosnia and Herzegovina in all sectors, including the environment sector, is the lack of an effective method of coordination of different levels of government, and low administrative capacity”.

In that sense, it was stressed that "the RENA project is recognized as an excellent instrument and platform of regional cooperation. For two and a half years we have been actively involved in programming activities, organization and participation in RENA trainings and workshops, regional and national, gaining valuable experiences that will help Bosnia and Herzegovina move from the status of a potential candidate to candidate status, in line with the commitment of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for BiH to apply for EU membership in due course. We are aware of our obligations and, therefore, we will work on strengthening capacity and improving coordination mechanisms with the aim to find an optimal model of coordination mechanism in this very demanding field”.

The aim of this gathering was the improvement of cooperation in the field of environmental and climate changes in the world, and the advancement of knowledge and experience in the field of EU climate legislation.