Since 2021, one of the key cross-sector reforms in the Republic of Serbia regarding digitalization has been implemented under the Program for Simplification of Administrative Procedures and Regulation (e-PAPIR), coordinated by the Public Policy Secretariat (PPS), the Government body responsible for public policy coordination. An important milestone in this reform, achieved in mid-2021, was the establishment of a centralized Register of All Administrative Procedures (RAP) related to business activities at the central level, made available online via the RAP Portal. Since then, the reform has continued towards further optimization and simplification of administrative procedures, with a special focus on their digitalization, ultimately reducing time and costs for end users – businesses and citizens.
In this context, as an strategic partner of the Republic of Serbia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supports the digitalization of targeted administrative procedures in line with the EBRD’s strategic capital framework for 2021–2024, which prioritizes inclusion, environmental sustainability, and digitalization as key cross-sectoral goals. Beyond supporting digitalization, itself and accelerating e-Delivery, the EBRD has been actively involved in political initiatives supporting Serbia’s Green Agenda. In addition to supporting the government in establishing the e-Auction Portal for renewable energy sources, the Bank supported the creation of the Renewable Energy Sources of Serbia Association, aimed at enhancing dialogue between renewable energy investors and authorities, thereby improving the business environment and encouraging more green investments in Serbia. This initiative has been supported by the Government of Serbia as well as key stakeholders, including renewable energy investors and regional and EU partners promoting the Green Agenda. Regulatory changes enabling Serbia’s transition to low-carbon energy sources, including a new Law on Renewable Energy Sources, were also timely adopted.
Target Areas of the Project:
The “Digitalization of Administrative Procedures to Stimulate Investments in Renewable Energy – EBRD” project, launched in Q3 2022 with an estimated duration of 24 months, focuses on the following areas:
- Energy permits and status procedures:
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- Issuance and extension of energy permits; obtaining temporary and privileged electricity producer status; and obtaining renewable energy producer status. Procedures for temporary and privileged producers include related processes such as transfer, extension, revocation of status, submission of annual reports, and amendments to status decisions. These procedures fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Mining and Energy (MRE).
- Environmental impact assessments (EIA) and related procedures:
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- Determining the need for an EIA; defining scope and content; obtaining approvals for the assessment and baseline data; updating the study. These procedures are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MZŽS). Procedures are implemented across three levels of public authority – national, provincial, and local – so digitalization must cover all relevant authorities.
Given the importance of digitalization and the imperative to transition to low-carbon energy, which is highly relevant for the business community, digitalizing these processes will significantly benefit the green investment climate and overall business environment.
PPS, in cooperation with the relevant ministries and based on inputs from renewable energy investors via the Renewable Energy Sources of Serbia Association, identified the administrative procedures for each relevant business episode:
- Environmental Protection:
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- Decision on the need for an environmental impact assessment
- Determining the scope and content of the EIA
- Approval of the EIA
- Approval of the EIA baseline study
- Updating the EIA
- Mining and Energy:
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- Energy permit for the construction of a direct power transmission line and for the construction of a direct gas pipeline;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of a direct power transmission line and for the construction of a direct gas pipeline;
- Energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the production of petroleum derivatives;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the production of petroleum derivatives;
- Energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the transport of crude oil (oil pipeline) and petroleum derivatives (product pipeline);
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the transport of crude oil (oil pipeline) and petroleum derivatives (product pipeline);
- Energy permit for the construction of a facility for the storage of crude oil, petroleum derivatives, biofuels, compressed natural gas, and liquefied natural gas with a total storage capacity exceeding 10 m³;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of a facility for the storage of crude oil, petroleum derivatives, biofuels, compressed natural gas, and liquefied natural gas with a total storage capacity exceeding 10 m³;
- Energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the transport of natural gas and a facility for the distribution of natural gas;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the transport of natural gas and a facility for the distribution of natural gas;
- Energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the storage of natural gas;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of an energy facility for the storage of natural gas;
- Approval for the storage of crude oil, petroleum derivatives, and biofuels for own use;
- Approval for the supply of one’s own vehicles at one’s own vehicle fueling stations;
- Energy permit for the construction of electricity generation facilities with a capacity of 1 MW or more; electricity generation facilities up to 1 MW that use water as the primary energy resource; and combined heat and power plants (CHP) in thermal power plants–heating plants with electrical capacity of 1 MW or more and total thermal capacity of 1 MW or more;
- Extension of the energy permit for the construction of energy facilities in the field of electricity;
- Revocation of the energy permit;
- Status of a privileged electricity producer;
- Transfer of the status of a privileged electricity producer;
- Report for the previous calendar year on the fulfilment of obligations related to the status of a privileged producer;
- Transfer of the status of a temporary privileged electricity producer;
- Extension of the status of a temporary privileged electricity producer;
- Status of a producer from renewable energy sources;
- Transfer of the status of a producer from renewable energy sources;
- Amendment of the decision on granting the status of a privileged electricity producer in the event of changes related to the power plant during the period of privileged producer status;
- Amendment of the decision on granting the status of a temporary privileged electricity producer in the event of changes related to the power plant during the period of temporary privileged producer status;
- Amendment of the decision on granting the status of a renewable energy producer in the event of changes related to the power plant during the period of renewable energy producer status.
Project Goals and Activities
The project aims to create high-quality, transparent, and user-oriented services for citizens and businesses in the renewable energy sector while reducing administrative costs for the private sector, contributing to GDP. This is achieved through:
- Detailed assessment of current processes and IT infrastructure underlying administrative procedures for selected business episodes, with recommendations for optimization and digitalization;
- Building digital infrastructure to enable digitalization of selected business episodes and related processes, ensuring compliance with legal frameworks and interoperability with existing digital infrastructure;
- Identification, proposal, and adoption of legal amendments to enable full digitalization of selected business episodes and processes;
- Capacity building for civil servants to manage the system and implement newly digitalized procedures.
The project is implemented using the existing e-Government platform hosted in the State Data Center, managed by the Office for Information Technology and e-Government, with a total budget not exceeding EUR 250,000, including all service-related costs.
