The role and importance of contemporary energy, economic and environmental security policies in international integration

Abstract

The significance of energy for modern states and people’s lives, limitation and non-renewability of the most of energy sources, as well as their continuing potential vulnerability (by the natural disasters, technical and technological accidents and by destructive human behavior), necessarily and justifiably caused the development of economic and energy security theoretical thought and practice, with special attention to their relationship with environmental security. The Republic of Serbia has also realized that improving the energy security, improves national security as well. However, there’s a lot of space for it’s improvement in national energy policy. In fact, our country is an energy - importing country, therefore energy dependent and 'politically vulnerable'. At the same time, a number of potential alternative and pure energy sources that Serbia possesses in abundance are unexploited, and realizing the obligations undertaken by signing the Kyoto Protocol, the Serbian position on it’s European integration way would be significantly advanced. Furthermore, geo-strategic position of the significant transregional energy connector would have to encourage national policy designed to stimulate infrastructure projects with national and international importance, which brings 'profit and so the political points'. Finally, in cooperation with NGO sector, the state should improve the energy resource security mechanisms. That would make the benefit of energy sector development, at least triple: the national economy would be advanced, the international position of Serbia would be improved, and the environment would be protected, which would enhance the national security.

Značaj energije za život modernog čoveka i države, ali i ograničenost i neobnovljivost većine energenata, kao i njihova kontinuirana potencijalna ugroženost (prirodnim nepogodama, tehničko-tehnološkim akcidentima i destruktivnim ljudskim ponašanjem), neminovno su i opravdano uslovili razvoj teorijske misli i prakse ekonomsko- energetske bezbednosti, pri čemu se posebna pažnja posvećuje njihovoj vezi sa ekološkom bezbednošću. Republika Srbija uvidela je da se unapređenjem energetske, unapređuje i nacionalna bezbednost. Međutim, u nacionalnoj energetskoj politici ima prostora za poboljšanje. Naime, naša zemlja je uvoznica energenata i energije te je, u tom smislu, i energetski zavisna, a samim tim i 'politički ranjiva'. Istovremeno, nisu iskorišćeni brojni potencijali alternativnih i čistih izvora energije kojima Srbija obiluje, a realizovanjem obaveza koje je preuzela potpisivanjem Kjoto protokola unapredio bi se položaj Srbije na putu evrointegracija. Geostrateška pozicija značajnog transregionalnog energetskog konektora morala bi da podstakne nacionalnu politiku koja stimuliše infrastrukturne projekte državnog i međunarodnog značaja, što donosi 'i profit i političke poene'. Najzad, država bi morala da, u saradnji sa nevladinim sektorom, unapredi mehanizme bezbednosti energetskih resursa. Tako bi dobit od razvoja energetskog sektora bila najmanje trostruka: unapredila bi se nacionalna ekonomija, poboljšao bi se međunarodni položaj Srbije i zaštitila bi se životna sredina, čime bi se unapredila i nacionalna bezbednost.