Addressing the 5th Conference of Danube Region Parliaments in Budapest, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Maja Gojkovic stressed that it is vital that the region recognize the impact of climate change on agriculture, a branch of economy with an increasingly important strategic interest in most of the Danube countries, and it is up to the parliaments to use their legislative power and remit to better tackle the problems it poses.
Gojkovic stressed that Serbia is conducting a great many activities to alleviate the impact of climate change and help adapt to it.
“We are well aware of the immensity of the problem as we have, unfortunately, recently been faced with serious challenges. Since the year 2000, Serbia and the region have suffered some extreme weather resulting in significant material damage and loss of human life”, said Gojkovic, adding that more that 70% of said losses were caused by drought and high temperatures, closely followed by floods as cause number two.
The Serbian Assembly Speaker said that the region needs to pass common policies to help combat climate change, primarily in the sphere of knowledge, science and sustainable economy, in view of the fact that the regional countries’ interests are the same, therefore the policies need to be common and uniform.
“This is an attainable goal as long, as we are aware of the immense consequences climate change already has on the future, and the parliamentarians play a key role in raising public awareness on it”, said Gojkovic asking the parliamentarians of the Danube region to use the parliament’s legislative, supervisory and representative duties to work on the implementation of the sustainable development goals which are among the priorities of the Danube Strategy.
Gojkovic said that the parliamentarians should recognize the remarkable potential of the priorities of the parliamentary dimension of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region as a framework which would allow them access to and a possible resolution of what are vital issues for their citizens.
The Conference was opened by Hungarian Parliament Speaker László Kövér who said that the Danube, which connects several tens of thousands of people living in the EU or striving to join it, is a source of water, food, trade and tourism and listed the many signs that the region is undergoing a change, so it is our shared task to raise awareness on the risks and prepare the societies so as to soften any possible negative effects.
The Conference is dedicated to the role parliaments play in combating climate change and creating the conditions necessary for sustainable agricultural production and sustainable water management in view of the parliaments’ legislative role and adoption of the budget. The Conference is to be completed by the adoption of a final declaration.
The Conference is attended by parliamentary delegations from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Montenegro, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the host, Hungary.
