September 2022

Recognizing the importance of energy efficiency in the process of decarbonization of the building sector, the Ministry of Spatial Planning of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS), invites all interested authors to submit the scientific papers on the topic of energy efficiency in buildings as part of the BHAAAS Symposium on Sustainable Urban Development 2023 (Social Sciences, Economics, Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering and Related Fields).

Papers that are accepted and presented during the symposium will be published in the Springer’s LNNS series and will be indexed in SCOPUS, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH, SCImago, Google Scholar, Springerlink.

More information can be found at BHAAAS International Symposium on Sustainable Urban Development 2023 – Call for papers

Sarajevo, September 14, 2022. – Today, an international conference entitled “Improving the energy efficiency enabling environment public building sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina” was held in the City Hall, organized by the Federal Ministry of Spatial Planning. The event brought together key actors in BiH’s energy efficiency field, to discuss topics of importance for energy efficiency, with a focus on financing models and capacity building with the aim of removing existing obstacles to further develop market and increase energy efficiency in the public buildings sector.

The vision of development in the field of energy efficiency of public buildings in the coming decades was presented to those present, with reference to the achieved results and obstacles related to the renovation of buildings in previous years, and the importance of establishing an inventory of public buildings and sustainable financing mechanisms, as well as the mobilization of private capital, was pointed out.

“This international conference is an opportunity to inform the public about everything that the Ministry has done in the last seven years, positioning itself as an absolute leader in the implementation of energy efficiency measures in public buildings. Through multi-year cooperation with financial institutions and organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, KfW, Swiss Caritas, GIZ, and with the support of budget funds, EUR 53 million was secured for the renovation of over 400 public purpose buildings, mostly educational, health and administrative. Although the results achieved through the mentioned projects are extremely significant, I would like to point out the fact that every project has its own beginning and end. Well aware of this fact, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina established the Revolving Fund as a self-sustaining financial mechanism with the aim of collecting and managing financial resources for the implementation of energy efficiency measures in public facilities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The achieved results are the best example of good synergy between different ministries, the project team and financiers, which should be followed further because we still have a lot of work to do to improve energy efficiency. As pointed out in the very introduction of the conference, over 2,000 public buildings are still waiting for their turn to implement energy efficiency measures. As a result, we have a significant reduction in energy costs in both public and private budgets, and all of the above contributes to the economic growth and accelerated development of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Federal Spatial Planning Minister Josip Martić.

The results achieved through the projects of the World Bank for energy efficiency in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BEEP and Additional financing for BEEP) support the statement of Minister Martić. Through an investment of 39.3 million KM, 80 public buildings have been renovated so far, 1,963 green jobs have been created, and the comfort of stay has been improved for more than 476,500 users. By carrying out the activities within the BEEP project, it is expected that CO2 emissions will be reduced by almost 9,000 tons per year, while energy savings on an annual level amount to almost 30,000 MWh.

The conference was an opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences, and to present examples of good practice in the field of energy efficiency in the EU and neighbouring countries. The event served as a platform for presenting new ideas and solutions, which will help Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of fulfilling the requirements of the Energy Community Treaty and EU accession.

The conclusions of the conference will be delivered in the form of guidelines to all competent institutions in BiH, with the aim of prompt action in order to create a stimulating environment for energy efficiency in the public buildings sector in the next year, and initiate new investments for the energy renovation of the public sector.