Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me at the outset to congratulate you Mr. Chairman on your election, as well as, on the excellent manner in which you have been steering the work of the Commission. I would also like to thank the members of the Bureau for their hard work and facilitation of negotiations so far. Croatia appreciates the efforts put into elaboration of the reports which have streamlined our discussions on energy, industrial development, air and atmosphere pollution, and climate change.
As Croatia has already aligned itself with the statement delivered by Germany on behalf of the EU, I would like to limit my statement to the national policies and good practices regarding this year's thematic cluster.
Mr. Chairman,
In recent years Croatia has made important, but still uneven progress in the area of enterprise and industrial development.
The first Industrial Policy Document which has been developed in accordance with sustainable development principles is in the process of being submitted to the Croatian Government. The document focuses on the enhancement of competitiveness, efficiency and multiplication. Those three goals could be attained through the implementation of governmental “horizontal support measures”, adequate policies in education, science and technology and ICT. Additionally, they should be delivered through the protection of intellectual property and promotion of innovation, through the overall infrastructure development, as well as environmental protection and corporate social responsibility.
Croatia is aware that the “added value” based on global competitive industrial product could contribute to a higher GDP which is a prerequisite for a continuous self-financed sustainable development. Therefore, Croatia will pay closer attention to the development of selected industry sectors.
Bearing in mind that the development of industry requires development of energy sector, Croatia aims to put more emphasis on the environmental protection through the implementation of cleaner energy technologies, renewables and energy efficiency. I would like to note that a number of cogeneration and energy efficiency projects were co-financed through the recently established Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency. Targets and mechanisms for introducing renewable energy resources have been established, and projects in wind-energy, biogas and biofuels production have been launched. In addition, the new law and regulations concerning construction of private houses and housing units take into consideration energy saving.
Croatia is aware that the climate change is one of the greatest challenges in environmental protection and strongly supports the fulfillment of Kyoto targets. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that the Croatian Parliament ratified the Kyoto Protocol several weeks ago. I would like to point out that Croatia has finished the strategy on the fulfillment of the commitments under both, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. The strategy includes the adoption of measures aiming to establish effective greenhouse gas emission reduction in all sectors, as well as, the adoption of necessary regulations and provisions of the UNFCCC decisions.
Mr. Chairman,
In our efforts to mitigate climate change impacts that would allow sustainable economic development, Croatia is ready to actively participate in the development and implementation of environmentally sound energy technologies. Taking up specific activities that would enhance concrete action, Croatia has already taken steps to improve energy efficiency and the extensive use of renewable energy resources.
Let me conclude by saying that Croatia strongly believes that, in the long run, the most appropriate solution for the achievement of the sustainable energy use is the one linked to the development and deployment of new technologies in energy production and consumption.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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