CCIS and RECONOMY Program Sign Memorandum of Understanding – Cooperation for Better Waste Management

The Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (CCIS) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) – RECONOMY have signed the Memorandum of Understanding to the end of cooperation and promotion of the best practice of waste management and circular business models, inciting an inclusive and sustainable economic growth throughout the region, Beta reports.

– We have to preserve the environment so that we would leave something behind. Circular economy is part of the green transition which is the condition for us to be sustainable as a country and as an economy, on the path to regional integration and the integration of the region into the European Union – stated Mihailo Vesovic, the director of the Sector for Strategic Analyses, Services and Internationalization of the CCIS, at the opening of the conference “Small and Medium Enterprises – Western Balkans”, organized as part of the RECONOMY program.

At the CCIS, the conference gathered representatives of the private sector and civil society from Albania, Montenegro and Serbia, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and knowledge exchange in solving the challenges of sustainable development.

The CCIS and the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro have established the Center for Circular Economy and Digital Platform. This platform, as pointed out, has considerably improved the readiness of the private sector for circular business practices. With the support of the RECONOMY program, this model will also be expanded to Albania, inciting regional dialogue and the building of capacities, Beta reports.

After the conference, the RECONOMY program and the chambers of economy of Albania and Montenegro signed the Memorandum of Understanding.

The deputy ambassador of Sweden to Serbia and Montenegro, Anna Sofia Erasmie, emphasized the dedication of Sweden to environmental sustainability and its support to the Western Balkans in switching to circular economy.

– The Western Balkans has a very good strategic geographic location. It has great potential for cross-border cooperation in circular economy and many trade connections with the EU for the reprocessing and export of recycled materials. The potential for improvement is huge in the Western Balkans. The disposal of waste at landfills is not just bad for the environment and eventually all those who live there, but is also a terrible waste of resources and a lost business opportunity – said Erasmie, as announced on the CCIS website.

Nenad Celarevic, the director of the HELVETAS Serbia office, emphasized that the focus of the RECONOMY initiative was not on financial support. Instead, “it is more about using the soft power of knowledge,” Celarevic said and added that the project aimed to use the existing knowledge in the Western Balkans to upgrade the regional cooperation in the direction of the green economic transition.

RECONOMY, the program of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), which is implemented by HELVETAS Serbia and which is focused on regional inclusive and green economic development, has made a considerable step in the region of the Western Balkans with the partnership with the regional economic chambers, and the future cooperation has been confirmed with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. The aim is to promote better practices of waste management and circular business models, inciting inclusive and sustainable economic growth throughout the region. The key component of the RECONOMY strategy includes the improvement of the services of the economic chambers for the purpose of a better support to smaller and insufficiently represented companies, it is added.

Paulo Rodriges, RECONOMY Program Manager, presented the objective and the projected impact, emphasizing the importance of circular economy in the Western Balkans. RECONOMY aims to strengthen groups in an unfavorable position through a green and digital transformation, with a major focus on supporting micro and small enterprises and enterprises run by women.

RECONOMY will use the possibilities of cross-border cooperation in circular economy. This initiative will stimulate the cooperation and synergy between the countries of the Western Balkans, cross-border discussions and the harmonization of strategies for raising the collective potential of the Western Balkans and promoting sustainable development and green economy, it is concluded on the CCIS website.

Privredna komora Srbije

Privredna komora Crne Gore

Ambasada Kraljevine Švedske Beograd

Predstavništvo HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation SRB

CCIS

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Sida

Mihailo Vesović

Anna Sofia Erasmie

Nenad Čelarević

Paulo Rodriges

Reconomy

Memorandum of Understanding CCIS Sida

circular economy

green transition

Western Balkans small and medium enterprises

Center for Circular Economy and Digital Platform