Serbia is relatively rich in minerals such as copper, bauxite and iron ore. The country is self-sufficient in coal (mainly lignite), but the need for imported energy is great. The 1999 NATO bombing destroyed the two largest oil refineries, oil storage and a large part of the pipelines.
The resources of oil and natural gas covered one third and one quarter of the country’s needs before the war. Two years after the war, production resumed, as did domestic production of electricity from hydropower and coal-fired power plants, which previously covered the country’s needs. However, many plants are inefficient with recurrent power cuts. The state-owned electricity company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), which has long been heavily indebted but started to make a small profit in the 2010s, lost its monopoly in the market in 2013, which led to increased electricity prices.
COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Serbia with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
The EU has demanded that just over a quarter of the electricity should come from renewable energy sources and investments are now being made on smaller hydroelectric power stations, wind power and solar energy. Since 2015, for example, there is a wind farm in Vojvodina, which was built using funds from the European Investment Bank, the EIB.
More than half of the debt-burdened state-owned oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) was sold in 2008 to the Russian company Gazprom, giving EUR 400 million to the Treasury. Through the deal, Serbia would receive part of the large Russian gas project South Stream, but in late 2014 Russia decided to close the project, which meant a major breakdown for Serbia.
Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, SCG stands for Serbia. Visit itypeusa for more information about Serbia.
In May 2015, Prime Minister Vučić announced that Serbia would join the proposed Transadrian oil pipeline, which will transport gas from Azerbaijan to Western Europe.
FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
1,859 kilos of oil equivalent (2014)
Electricity consumption per person
4272 kWh, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
37 667 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
5.3 tonnes (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
21.2 percent (2015)
2012
November
New leader of the Democratic Party
Dragan Đilaš, mayor of Belgrade, becomes the new leader of the Democratic Party since Boris Tadić resigned after the election loss in May.
May
Election success for nationalists
Nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolić wins the second round of the presidential election, much to the surprise of the incumbent President of the Democratic Party, Boris Tadić, barely won over Nikolić in the first round and led the polls all the time. Nationalist parties will again be the largest in the parliamentary elections, which will be held at the same time as the first round of presidential elections. Socialist Party leader Ivica Dačić becomes prime minister at the head of a coalition government where President Nikolić’s SRS is the largest party. The socialists thus interrupt cooperation with the Democratic Party and for the first time since Slobodan Milošević’s fall 2000, Serbia is ruled entirely by nationalists.
March
Serbia becomes EU candidate
The EU gives Serbia the status of a candidate country for membership in the Union.
2011
October
No Pride Parade in Belgrade
A pride parade that was to be held in Belgrade at the beginning of the month is prohibited with reference to the right-wing extremists being threatened with violence, as in the parade the year before. Organizers accuse the state of surrendering to violent men, while many Serbs are satisfied that the parade will not go away.
September
EU-led talks between Serbia and Kosovo are suspended
The talks between Serbia and Kosovo under EU leadership are interrupted after 16 ethnic Serbs and 4 NATO peacekeepers were wounded in clashes around the Kosovo border.
July
Goran Hadžić grips
The last of the Serbian leaders who have been wanted for war crimes, Croatian Serb Goran Hadžić, is arrested in Serbia and also taken to the Hague Court (see also May 2011).
May
Ratko Mladić grips
The long-awaited Bosnian Serb former commander Ratko Mladić is arrested in Serbia. He will soon be brought to The Hague for trial at the War Criminal Tribunal.
March
The EU monitors talks between Serbia and Kosovo
The governments of Serbia and Kosovo initiate direct talks in Brussels under EU supervision to reach a solution to their contradictions; Kosovo and that university degrees from each country should be valid both in Serbia and Kosovo.
