ZAGREB, November 21, 2019 – The Islands Forum on European islands’ clean energy began in Podstrana near Split on Wednesday, with Energy and Environmental Protection Minister Tomislav Ćorić saying that Croatia would push for the establishment of the Energy Union during its EU presidency.
“Alongside clean energy for islands, we also plan to focus on the continuation of the establishment and implementation of the Energy Union as well as on transitioning to clean energy, which will include activities and measures for the reduction of harmful emissions and the development of a low-carbon economy, in line with a just energy transition,” Ćorić said.
He said the forum was a watershed in Croatia’s preparations for the EU presidency in the first half of 2020, which include activities as part of the Smart Islands Declaration which the EU adopted in 2017. “We are trying to head towards a climate neutral and greener Europe.”
Europe has over 2,000 inhabited islands which have access to different energy sources, notably renewables, but many still rely on the expensive import of fossil fuels, Coric said.
In February this year, 26 European islands officially began transitioning to clean energy with the support of the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat, the organiser of the Islands Forum, he said. “We are proud that of Croatia’s 1,244 islands, four are on that list – Brač, Hvar, Korčula and the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago.”
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