Marija Pujo Tadić, president of the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA), EU ambassador for the European Climate Pact, and international expert on climate change law and policy, as well as ESG, participated as a panelist at the “SARAJEVO ENERGY FORUM 2024” – the main regional forum on future energy issues, held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mrs. Pujo Tadić, among the many gathered experts and leaders, presented global climate change policies and the achievements of COP28. She emphasized the beginning of the end of fossil fuels and the rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. She pointed out that the world agreed to triple its renewable energy capacity and double its energy efficiency by 2030. Among other things, she claims that COP28 is sending a strong message to policymakers and investors worldwide that fossil fuel investments are becoming stranded assets, indicating the long-term direction of migration towards a carbon-free future.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is especially vulnerable to climate change due to its geographical location, the economic importance of agriculture and forestry, and its limited ability to adapt. Furthermore, it is a transitional country that is facing a variety of economic, ecological, and social shocks and problems.

Specifically, when it comes to climate change, the poorest members of the population, who live in rural areas, are the most vulnerable. Summer temperatures have risen by 1.3 ˚C in some areas, while precipitation patterns have shifted throughout the years.

Therefore, Mrs. Pujo Tadić referred to the preparation of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) that, at the EU level, member states are required to prepare for the period from 2021 to 2030. She informs that for Bosnia and Herzegovina (as a member of the Energy Community) activities have been initiated on the drafting of the NECP, the provisions of which will be binding for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of implementing Paris Agreement responsibilities.

She emphasizes that renewable energy sources represent a significant growth opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose potential is reflected in numerous areas suitable for the construction of facilities that produce energy from natural sources.

As an example, she praises Prof. Dr. Venan Hadžiselimović, general manager of Hifa-Oil, for his presentation on the company’s transition from a dominant oil corporation to an energy company.
ASA Group and the company Hifa-Oil make strategic investments in the production of power from renewable sources, thereby assisting both Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy transition and its own energy transformation.

In conclusion to all the above, Mrs. Pujo Tadić pointed out that she hopes that there will be more and more examples like this in the future, since the fast and strong decarbonization of the energy sector is the only correct path towards the entry of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the community of EU countries whose goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.