The second meeting of the Serbian Covenant of Mayors Club was held in the City of Niš on 17 April 2013, with the presence of the Minister of Energy, Sustainable Development and Environment, Ms. Zorana Mihajlovic, Mr. Djordje Stanicic, the Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities in Serbia and Ms. Milena Garthley from NALAS.
The main focus of the meeting was joint signing by the Serbian Covenant of Mayors signatories of NALAS petition letter for launching Covenant of Mayors Office (CoMO) for Southeast Europe.
Mayors of towns and cities from the teritory who signed the Covenant of Mayors, who are, through their national associations of local authorities, indirectly members of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), requested that the EU Commission considers the prospect of extending the scope of the Covenant of Mayors to South Eastern Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey (IPA Countries).
NALAS petition has been signed by four Mayors of the Serbian Covenant signatories, in presence of some twenty Mayors of Serbian cities active in energy field and potential Covenant of Mayors Signatories. It is expected that the three remaining signatories will sign the petition in the upcoming days.
The members of the Serbian Covenant of Mayors Club adopted counclusions relevant to four main levels: national, local, regional and EU. Minister Mihajlovic expressed her support from the national level, while Mr. Stanicic, from the Standing Conference showed their support as a Covenant of Mayors supporting structure.
The main conclusion at SEE regional level was to “suggest NALAS to discuss the possibility of extending the Serbian Club to the Covenant of Mayors Club of Western Balkans”.
The event was covered by all local media. It is expected that the Covenant of Mayors in Serbia will provde a boost to sustainable energy development.