The influence of the European policies of sustainable industrial development in Serbian cities

Abstract

This work discusses the possible influences of industrial policy, the EU mining and energy supply policies on the restructuring and sustainable development of these sectors in Serbia, in the period of transition to a market-oriented economy. It points out the necessity to incorporate strategic goals of development of the European area and its economy, by the principles of competitiveness, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, into the policy of spatial industrial development of the cities throughout Serbia. In order to solve the main problems of long-term industrial development in Serbian towns, it is necessary to adjust the industrial policy with the policy of territorial development of this activity in order to increase the competitiveness. From the aspect of the new policy of competitiveness regarding the European area, it is advised to maximize the ever-growing involvement of the knowledge-based economy, innovations and entrepreneurship or, the socalled ’learning economy’, as well as a ’low-carbon economy’. Apart from a sustainable development of the industry, a special role is assigned to the introduction of ’low-carbon sources’ into the corporate business strategy, i.e. a reduction of the carbon consumption in industrial activities, by way of applying the ’low carbon criteria’ in the decision making process regarding business development issues. Therefore, this essay illustrates the necessity of studying and harmonizing the planning of sustainable spatial development of Serbian industry in accordance with the European policy as defined in the Lisbon Agenda, the Territorial Agenda of EU, the Program of Competitiveness in EU 2007-2012, and by the mining and energy supply policy of the EU. It is essential to explore the ways of including the policy priorities and instruments into spatial organization strategy, into spatial planning and urban policy as well as into some sector policies in Serbia. Dynamic changes in spatial structure of towns and wider areas are in the focus of attention, as well as, the development of new economic poles in urban areas, new locational- spatial forms of industry and economic activity. It is considered that the processes of globalization and market mechanisms have led to the ’break down’ of urban structures into numerous specialized and fragmented localities, by way of developing economic clusters and other activities dispersed in a populated structure. The development of new economic poles in towns is a consequence of activating new localities and changing the present territorial organization under the effect of multinational companies and the development of ’knowledge-based’ economic activities. In some big towns in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad) the new economic poles – new industrial, commercial, entrepreneurial zones developed systematically or spontaneously in the suburban areas (along highways and main roads) have a major role in spatial development of economic activities and in the planning of territorial organization of certain areas.