EU & Serbia Signal Strategic Partnership On Sustainable Uncooked Supplies, Battery Worth Chains, & Electrical Automobiles

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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 automobile worth chain in full respect of excessive environmental and social requirements whereas addressing the issues of native communities with full transparency.

The Partnership additionally supplies 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 buyers.

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 Power of the Republic of Serbia, Dubravka Đedovič Handanović. The signing ceremony occurred throughout the Excessive-Degree Summit on vital uncooked supplies in Belgrade.

The Partnership builds on the Stabilisation and Affiliation Settlement (‘SAA’) entered into drive on 1 September 2013 and is in keeping with EU’s New Development plan for the Western Balkans. It represents a constructing bloc in advancing Serbia’s integration inside 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 useful pipeline of tasks with particular give attention to the EV industrial ecosystem.
• Cooperation on analysis and innovation (R&I), by mapping the prevailing cooperation areas below EU Horizon Europe R&I framework programme and different schemes. On the idea of the MoU, each events will share information 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 will probably be facilitated by means of mutual session and change of knowledge on related insurance policies and initiatives alongside all the worth chains, together with by means of the appliance of elevated due diligence and traceability for the battery worth chain.
• Mobilisation of economic and funding devices to help funding tasks below the Partnership, notably by means of Make investments EU, the Western Balkans Funding Framework and a Single Mission Pipeline in Serbia in addition to below the European Uncooked Supplies Alliance and European Battery Alliance.
• Growing needed abilities for high-quality jobs in uncooked supplies and battery sectors. This consists of participation of Serbian organisations in European Battery and upcoming Uncooked Supplies Academies, together with potential 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 tasks. The Partnership will help growing sustainable provide chains between either side and allow furthering environmental, social and governance requirements and change of data on uncooked supplies.

With vital uncooked supplies being a vital 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 Vital Uncooked Supplies and the Vital 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 Vital Uncooked Supplies Act goals to make sure the EU’s safe and sustainable provide of vital uncooked supplies. The Act helps the event of tasks 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 uncooked supplies, battery worth chains, and electrical autos is a testomony to our shared dedication to driving ahead the inexperienced transition. By way of strategic collaboration in these key sectors, we unlock immense potential for sustainable development and innovation, whereas additionally enhancing Serbia’s integration with the EU’s single market and additional boosting its financial, 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 uncooked supplies, battery worth chains, and electrical autos lays an necessary basis for Serbia’s deepened integration into EU’s inexperienced know-how provide chains, supporting the important thing aims of the EU’s New Development Plan for the Western Balkans. Our cooperation will create new job alternatives in industrial sectors which might be essential for the longer term, have added worth in growing processing and battery manufacturing, and have substantial financial advantages. It additionally reaffirms Serbia’s EU path. Primarily based on shared values, the EU perspective gives to remodel societies and economies in a complete and sustainable approach to construct long-term prosperity and resilience.” —Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

Courtesy of European Fee.