A two-day training event was held at the Institute for Nature Conservation in Novi Sad, for the competent authorities responsible for issuing integrated permits and for operators of IPPC farms. This event was organised by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia, and the IED Serbia project. This is the second in a series of sector-specific training sessions focused on building and strengthening capacities for the issuance of integrated permits. The event, organised in cooperation with the Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection, was attended by over eighty participants.
The intensive rearing of poultry and pigs is the sector with the largest number of IPPC installations in Serbia. The goal of the training was to identify potential barriers and overcome challenges in the process of issuing integrated permits.
The training began with the presentation of the results of the support program for the implementation of the Industrial Emissions Directive in the farm sector in Serbia, which included the publication of a Manual for the Preparation of Application for Integrated Permit for the farm sector. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the procedure for issuing integrated permits in the Republic of Croatia, with a focus on introducing general binding rules for farms. Representatives from the “EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia” project presented the support they offer for the implementation of the Directive through an open call for decarbonisation and green industry. The IPARD III programme of the Republic of Serbia for investments in agriculture for the period 2021-2027 was also presented.
In addition to the legal framework for issuing integrated permits, the participants also had the opportunity to learn about the relevant BAT conclusions for operators in this sector and to go through the process of preparing an application for the integrated permit for farms together with experts, as well as through examples of issued integrated permits for poultry and a pig farms.
The training concluded with a lively discussion moderated by experts from both projects. The representatives of the farms used this opportunity to share their experiences gained in the process of preparing applications for integrated permits and obtaining the necessary documentation and permits.
At the end of the event, representatives of the “EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia” project reiterated their call for operators to submit project proposals through the open call to secure the necessary funding for compliance with the Best Available Techniques (BAT). Representatives of the IED Serbia project encouraged farms to apply for support in the preparation of the application for an integrated permit within the project, as well as local self-governments responsible for issuing integrated permits for poultry and pig farms in drafting integrated permits.