Five companies have received support for the implementation of innovative green investments within the Public Call conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, with financial support from the European Union and Switzerland, as part of the project EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia. The call was aimed at companies registered in Serbia to invest in decarbonization and reduction of industrial emissions, in line with the goals of the Green Agenda. Special focus was given to projects that bring measurable environmental benefits while encouraging the mobilization of private capital for the green transition.
Support was provided to the companies MAKInternacional from Niš, PK Trebič-Sunce from Sokobanja, B.M.M. from Kać near Novi Sad, Milk House from Niš, and Mesopromet Company from Vinorača near Jagodina, whose innovative green investments will contribute to reducing harmful gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources in the food industry, agriculture, and tourism.
The selected solutions include investments in waste heat utilization systems, introduction of geothermal energy for heating, increased energy efficiency in production processes, reduction of dust emissions and raw material losses, use of specialized electric vehicles with cooling devices powered by batteries charged with solar energy instead of diesel generators. These projects contribute to reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The total value of supported investments is over 1.8 million dollars, 20% of which will be co-financed through grants from the Government of Switzerland, 66% from bank loans, and the remaining amount through the companies’ own funds. Banks that partnered with the EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia project supported the identification of green projects suitable for investment, and in assessing opportunities for securing additional sources of financing for green investments. Through this cooperation, the mobilization of private capital is encouraged and the volume of green investments in Serbia is increased.
The initiative EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with technical and financial support from the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank, with additional financial resources provided by the governments of Sweden, Switzerland, and Serbia.