Awards Ceremony “Ekoopština” 2025

In the Embassy of France in Serbia, the awarding ceremony of the competition "Economics" was held, which is organized in partnership with the companies Saint-Gobain, Veolia, Decathlon, Wiener Städtische, Telekom Srbija, HUOT, non-governmental organizations NALED and SKGO, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Delegation of the European Union. Every year, the competition awards municipalities and schools in Serbia that have made the greatest contribution in the field of sustainable development and environmental protection. The award ceremony, moderated by Marina Nenković-Rižnić, concluded its fourth edition.

Conceived as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and examples of good practice between French and Serbian actors involved in the programs of sustainable development of cities and municipalities in the areas of sustainable waste management, sustainable water management, sustainable urban mobility, as well as energy efficiency of buildings, the competition "Eco-Economy" has a special subcategory, "Green Schools", which is intended for primary and secondary schools.

2025 editions: increased exchange and regional opening

The fourth edition of the Eco-Economics competition was announced on March 19, 2025 at a media conference in Belgrade. In April and May, four thematic seminars were held, during which French and Serbian experts exchanged experiences and discussed good practices and concrete solutions that exist at the level of local self-governments. The seminars were attended by 280 representatives of cities and municipalities from Serbia, but also, for the first time, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving the competition a new, regional dimension.

As part of the seminar dedicated to waste management, the participants had the opportunity to visit the waste facility in Vinci, which is managed by the competition's partner, Veolia.

Dynamics of concrete cooperation

The selection process is based on the assessment of detailed questionnaires submitted by the municipalities. The achieved level of development in the application of modern methods of managing sustainable cities is evaluated, as well as the potential for the realization of future planned activities and applicability in other local self-government units in Serbia. The jury consists of experts and university professors, as well as representatives of the civil sector. One municipality and one city are awarded in each category. The prize consists of a study trip for two representatives of each local government (municipality and city) in the period from November to March next year.

In the "Green Schools" category, two schools are awarded for initiatives in the field of environmental protection, one where French is taught and the other where it is not taught. The prize is sports equipment that equips the sports halls in both winning schools and is intended for all students, and is donated by Decathlon.

In her introductory speech, the chargé d'affaires of the French Embassy in Serbia, Nataša Efimoff, pointed out that this initiative illustrates the importance of cooperation and the exchange of good practices in responding to climate and environmental challenges. Ten years after the Paris Agreements, the ecological transition begins above all at the local level, through the engagement of municipalities and schools, she reminded and emphasized that Ecopoština is a unique project that strengthens cooperation in the field of sustainable cities between France and Serbia.

The Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Plamena Halačeva, reminded that the European Union, through the initiative "EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia" and with the support of its partners, supports Serbia in its green transition through investments and reforms in key areas such as decarbonization, circular economy and biodiversity protection. She also emphasized the importance of engaging schools, municipalities and citizens, who are the real drivers of a more sustainable future. Mrs. Halacheva also emphasized that this ceremony takes place during the European Mobility Week, a European event that promotes more sustainable, healthier and innovative solutions for mobility.

- For the fourth year in a row, we are participating in the Eco-Economy project, because together with local governments and young people, we are creating sustainable communities through concrete environmental initiatives. Saint-Gobain, as a global leader in the production of construction materials, is committed to preserving the environment and contributing to the creation of a healthier and better future, following the slogan "Making the world a better home" - said Vladan Ilić, director of Saint-Gobain.

All information about this competition is available on the website www.ekoopstina.rs.

Competition Results

At the fourth edition of the "Economics" competition, a total of 8 cities and municipalities in four categories received awards for their contribution to sustainable development, while in the "Green Schools" category, one elementary school and one high school each were awarded.

Category "Green schools - Francophonie"

  • Svilajnac High School, represented by teacher Milena Milanković and students Nađa and Teodora.

Category "Green Schools"

  • Elementary school "Nikola Tesla" - Banatsko Karađorđevo, represented by Valentina Momirov, teacher and students Isabelle and Nataša.

Cities and municipalities

Category "Sustainable waste management"

  • Municipality: Aranđelovac, represented by Nevena Irić, Deputy President of the Municipality, Vesna Radovanović, Director of PUC and Aleksandar Lazarević, Municipal Councilor for Environmental Affairs
  • City: Sremska Mitrovica, represented by Danica Nedić, deputy mayor, Goran Crnojački, executive director of PUC and Tamara Milković, project coordinator at PUC

"Energy efficiency" category

  • Municipality: Smederevska Palanka, represented by Nikola Vučen, president of the municipality and Milena Katanić, energy manager
  • City: Pirot, represented by Milica Golubović, deputy mayor and Bojan Ivković, energy efficiency manager

"Sustainable urban mobility" category

  • Municipality: Svilajnac, represented by Milena Radović, head of the office for local economic development
  • City: Vranje, represented by Slobodan Milenković, mayor and Maja Nedeljković, mobility coordinator at the city level

Category "Sustainable water management"

  • Municipality: Aranđelovac, represented by Nevena Irić, deputy mayor of the municipality, Vesna Radovanović, director of PUC and Aleksandar Lazarević, municipal councilor for environmental issues
  • City: Kruševac, represented by Ana Prvanov, deputy mayor in charge of issues of ecology and sustainable development

Photo: Dario Konstantinović


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