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Yesterday, the EU and the Republic of Serbia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) launching a Strategic Partnership on sustainable uncooked supplies, battery worth chains and electrical autos.
The Partnership goals to help the event of recent native industries and high-quality jobs alongside the electrical car worth chain in full respect of excessive environmental and social requirements whereas addressing the considerations of native communities with full transparency.
The Partnership additionally offers the framework for a robust public-private multi-level engagement between the EU establishments and our bodies, industrial actors, enterprise associations, social companions, representatives of civil society, related ministries of Member States and Serbia, public organisations, monetary establishments, and traders.
Government Vice-President for the European Inexperienced Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight of the European Fee, Maroš Šefčovič, signed the MoU with the Minister of Mining and Vitality of the Republic of Serbia, Dubravka Đedovič Handanović. The signing ceremony occurred throughout the Excessive-Degree Summit on important uncooked supplies in Belgrade.
The Partnership builds on the Stabilisation and Affiliation Settlement (‘SAA’) entered into pressure on 1 September 2013 and is according to EU’s New Progress plan for the Western Balkans. It represents a constructing bloc in advancing Serbia’s integration throughout the EU’s single market, and additional boosting its financial, social and environmental convergence with the EU.
5 Areas of Cooperation
This MoU, in accordance with the SAA, establishes shut cooperation between Serbia and the EU within the following 5 areas:
- Improve the event of worth chains for uncooked supplies, batteries and EVs, by facilitating shut cooperation between EU and Serbian industrial actors and stakeholders. The MoU will encourage the event of a mutually helpful pipeline of initiatives with particular deal with the EV industrial ecosystem.
- Cooperation on analysis and innovation (R&I), by mapping the present cooperation areas underneath EU Horizon Europe R&I framework programme and different schemes. On the idea of the MoU, each events will share data and applied sciences associated to sustainable exploration, extraction, processing and recycling of secondary uncooked supplies.
- Utility of excessive environmental, social and governance requirements and practices might be facilitated via mutual session and alternate of data on related insurance policies and initiatives alongside the complete worth chains, together with via the applying of elevated due diligence and traceability for the battery worth chain.
- Mobilisation of monetary and funding devices to help funding initiatives underneath the Partnership, notably via Make investments EU, the Western Balkans Funding Framework and a Single Venture Pipeline in Serbia in addition to underneath the European Uncooked Supplies Alliance and European Battery Alliance.
- Creating vital abilities for high-quality jobs in uncooked supplies and battery sectors. This contains participation of Serbian organisations in European Battery and upcoming Uncooked Supplies Academies, together with attainable Serbian contribution with devoted programmes and internships.
Subsequent Steps
Following the signature of the MoU, the EU and the Republic of Serbia will collectively develop inside six months a roadmap with concrete actions to place the Strategic Partnership into apply.
Background
The EU has a well-established and rising marketplace for inexperienced applied sciences, like batteries, that gives many alternatives for offtake agreements, joint ventures and joint R&I initiatives. The Partnership will help creating sustainable provide chains between either side and allow furthering environmental, social and governance requirements and alternate of information on uncooked supplies.
With important uncooked supplies being an important prerequisite for delivering on the inexperienced and digital transitions, the Fee has began to construct a sequence of Partnerships on uncooked supplies, following the Motion Plan on Crucial Uncooked Supplies and the Crucial Uncooked Supplies Act. Such agreements had been signed with Canada and Ukraine in 2021, with Kazakhstan and Namibia in 2022, with Argentina, Chile, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Greenland in 2023, and with Rwanda, Norway, Uzbekistan and Australia in 2024.
The Crucial Uncooked Supplies Act goals to make sure the EU’s safe and sustainable provide of important uncooked supplies. The Act helps the event of initiatives contributing to construct strategic uncooked supplies capacities throughout all worth chain phases, each inside and outdoors of the EU.
For Extra Info
Memorandum of Understanding
European Fee on Strategic Partnerships on Uncooked Supplies
Uncooked supplies diplomacy
“The Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Serbia on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles is a testament to our shared commitment to driving forward the green transition. Through strategic collaboration in these key sectors, we unlock immense potential for sustainable growth and innovation, while also enhancing Serbia’s integration with the EU’s single market and further boosting its economic, social and environmental convergence with the EU.” —Maroš Šefčovič, Government Vice-President for European Inexperienced Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
“The signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Serbia on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles lays an important foundation for Serbia’s deepened integration into EU’s green technology supply chains, supporting the key objectives of the EU’s New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. Our cooperation will create new job opportunities in industrial sectors that are crucial for the future, have added value in developing processing and battery manufacturing, and have substantial economic benefits. It also reaffirms Serbia’s EU path. Based on shared values, the EU perspective offers to transform societies and economies in a comprehensive and sustainable way to build long-term prosperity and resilience.” —Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement
Courtesy of European Fee.
