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Panel discussion hears public and private sector should work together to mitigate impact of energy crisis
Ksenija Karić, AmCham Governor and Chairperson of AmCham’s Energy Committee, reiterated the association’s commitment to the green energy transition and a statutory framework that fosters investment in renewables. ‘Nevertheless, the ongoing energy crisis clearly demonstrates the Government of Serbia is currently best placed to address the key and most urgent issues, such as ensuring stable and constant energy supply in 2022 and 2023, managing price volatility to make the cost of energy as predictable as possible, and swiftly deploying electricity savings measures’, Karić said.
She added that AmCham would work closely with the new government to continue the digital transformation of both public administration and businesses, achieve the goals of Serbia’s environmental and energy efficiency agendas, proceed with improvements to the national health service, and pursue regional economic integrations, including through the Open Balkans initiative.
The panellists agreed the country would face challenges in the near term, but also noted the energy system had made preparations for the upcoming heating season, as well as that no supply issues were expected with oil and petroleum products. The global economic downturn and geopolitical developments have made security of supply and energy availability major priorities for the Serbian government, businesses, and households. The government was certain to work together with businesses very closely in the months ahead to mitigate the adverse impact of the energy crisis effectively and avoid excessive shocks.
The panellists were David Žarković, Head of Electricity Market Trading at state-owned power company Elektroprivreda Srbije, Dejan Stojanović, President of the Serbian District Heating Companies’ Association, Tomislav Mićović, General Secretary of the Association of Oil Companies of Serbia, and Miloš Mladenović, Executive Director at SEEPEX. The panel was moderated by Aleksandar Kovačević, Researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
