The city of Bijeljina focuses on its citizens’ needs and is working on various projects to improve the quality of life in Semberija in the long term.
As part of the strategic concept of Green BijeljINa, the city strives for sustainable ecological development, with particular attention given to non-motorized forms of movement, which positively contributes to human health and environmental protection. We talked about the city’s activities, plans, and challenges with Ljubiša Petrović, the Mayor of Bijeljina.
Q: What would you highlight as the most important achievements in Bijeljina related to ecology, energy independence, or sustainable development?
A: In the past nearly four years, the city of Bijeljina has actively worked on improving the situation in various areas related to ecology, energy independence, and sustainable development. Significant efforts have been made to green public spaces through campaigns such as April – Month of Cleanliness and Green BijeljINa, during which, along with intensive planting across the city, actions were taken to clean roadways and other public areas, including the removal of illegal dumpsites. Based on the Decree on the Establishment and Functioning of the Co-financing Mechanism – Model for Co-financing Measures to Improve Energy Efficiency in the Housing Sector, a public call for financial support for the implementation of energy efficiency improvement measures in the housing sector was launched for the first time in 2023 in Bijeljina. This call was aimed at individual households and homeowner associations to replace their existing systems with environmentally friendly ones, such as water-to-water and waterto-air heat pumps, with the support of the City Administration. A similar call for 2024 is currently underway, with 300,000 convertible marks (approximately 153,000 euros) allocated for this purpose. In addition, the city of Bijeljina signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a company to conduct testing and research on geothermal energy sources in the Semberija region. This company will independently carry out the research phase, examine existing boreholes, and produce a study on the use of geothermal resources in the city of Bijeljina. The gas system installation is also in progress. The local community has fulfilled all its administrative and financial obligations, and the Srbijagas Company is responsible for further strategic steps.
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- Safety of Electric Vehicles – Challenges and Opportunities
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- Key Plans For North Macedonia’s Energy Future
Q: What does the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan entail?
A: This plan is designed and developed as a strategic direction for the city of Bijeljina towards modern urban mobility concepts for the 2020–2025 period. It is the first integrated plan of its kind and one of the few in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It outlines three goals: a safe, inclusive, and functional city tailored to every individual, a place of healthy and comfortable living, and smart solutions and innovations aimed at sustainable development. The primary goal of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan is to build a system that will provide citizens with a promising future in terms of mobility and accessibility. Bijeljina aims to establish itself as a dynamic and thriving environment, promoting environmental protection and contributing to a healthier and safer environment for all residents and traffic participants. The emphasis is on non-motorized forms of movement, pedestrians, cyclists, individuals with limited mobility, and the city’s residents in general. The focus is, therefore, on people and their needs. The Sustainable Urban establishing an efficient, low-emission public transport system. It also aims to introduce innovative measures to reduce the use of private cars for urban travel, which will lower greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and congestion.
Q: What has been achieved with the Local Ecological Plan for the period from 2018 to 2028?
A: The Gromiželj protected habitat was cleaned of municipal waste during the April – Month of Cleanliness campaign. An initiative has been sent to the line ministry to transfer management rights over this protected habitat to the city of Bijeljina. A sanitary protection program for the Grmić drinking water source in Bijeljina has been in place from 2016 to 2024, with plans for a new sanitary protection program underway. Between 500 and 1,000 saplings are planted each year. Since the beginning of 2024, several children’s playgrounds with landscaped green areas have been built, and there are plans to construct a new city park, Knez Ivo od Semberije. The size of areas where waste is collected and transported has increased, and the city now has 100 percent coverage in organized municipal waste collection. According to the Republic’s Regulation on Measuring Stations and Sites, a unified system for monitoring air quality has been established. Traffic remains a dominant air pollutant. A significant measure implemented by the City Administration is prioritizing public transport over private cars, specifically by introducing organized public transport. Consequently, a Public Transport Study has been completed, and preparations for technical documentation and approvals for new pedestrian and cycling paths are underway. From 2018 to 2024, approximately 20 kilometers of new water supply networks have been built, about one kilometer of the existing water supply network has been reconstructed, and around 30 kilometers of new sewage networks have been constructed.
Interview by Jasna Dragojević
Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ECOLOGICAL TRANSPORT
