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 Milevski: I encourage municipalities and citizens with their ideas to contribute to climate change mitigation

Climate change should be a priority for all institutions and the whole community, said the Minister of Local Self-Government Goran Milevski today at the conference "Talking about climate change" on "Smarter heating opportunities", organized by Eco-Svest, CNVP Macedonia, and DEM

- I appeal to the institutions, state and private, as well as every citizen to be directly involved in the possibilities of alternative solutions. It is necessary to improve the situation with air pollution due to heating homes in some locations in the country and identify possible supporters of the change to cleaner and more climate-friendly options through interactive online work. Therefore, I encourage all municipalities and citizens who have ideas and projects that are focused on home heating in the old principle to use them wisely, municipalities in their future programs and efforts to be a priority, and citizens to apply as much as possible for opportunities that are offered, said Milevski.

He reminded that the Ministry of Local Self-Government last week adopted in the Parliament the ten-year Strategy for Regional Development 2021-2031 in which special attention is paid to ensuring coherence of goals, priorities, and measures with the principles and priorities of the "European Green Agreement" and The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, whose strategic goal is to make the EU and Western Balkans economies sustainable through transforming climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and a fair transition involving everyone.

- One example is the House of Culture in ‘’Sveti Nikole’’, we have installed a heating and cooling system, for the first time in 30 years. With the realization of this project, the consumption of electricity has been significantly reduced, and the saved financial means will be used for the additional arrangements of the space that now the citizens will be able to use 360 ​​days a year, he explained.

He explained that with the support of the Ministry of Local Self-Government through the budget program for balanced regional development, as well as with the support of the Swiss Government, several projects have been implemented in the 8 planning regions, which directly improve the living conditions of citizens by using renewable energy sources, greater savings, environmental protection, as well as by raising public awareness.

Also in three Skopje municipalities: Centar, Karpos, and Kisela Voda, three innovative eco-zones have been established where renewable energy sources are used. Solar energy is used to power smart benches that have air quality sensors that provide free internet.

He pointed out that through IPA programs with financial support from the European Union for cross-border cooperation with our neighboring countries have invested in ecologies projects, one such example is with Greece, a measuring station for air quality was built in Gevgelija and the measuring station in Bitola was completely renovated. Solar collectors are installed in St.Erasmo in Ohrid it is building energy facade has been built with the support of the Swiss Government so that the Ministry uses all programs to the maximum to improve the environment in the country.

The Ministry enables in a participatory manner by the side of the citizens through the Centers for Development of the eight planning regions to realize priority projects that affect the mitigation of climate change.