Environmental Protection Minister opens seminar on National Environmental Action Plan

Andjelka Mihajlov

Belgrade, Feb 24, 2004 - Serbian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andjelka Mihajlov opened the first in a series of six seminars on the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) in Vrujci on Tuesday. The seminar, which aims to help develop the National Environmental Policy and the National Environmental Action Plan, is being held as part of an EU-financed project for environmental protection capacity building.

NEAP, which will help the country draw loans for environmental projects, will propose cost-effective solutions to priority problems, said Mihajlov.

The plan stipulates a series of activities required for achieving the goals of Serbia's policy on the environment, a detailed financial plan, as well as an implementation plan.

The two-day seminar will bring together officials of the Serbian government, experts, representatives of local authorities, NGOs, the Vojvodina secretariat, as well as international organisations including Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNEP/UNOPS) and Swedish International development Agency (SIDA).