On 27 September Mr Vladan Kocic, Director of the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia (RHMSS), and Professor Alan Thorpe, Director-General of ECMWF, signed the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and ECMWF on the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the ECMWF Convention” in Belgrade. The agreement will enter in force after it has been ratified by the Serbian Parliament. Serbia will then officially join the other 20 Member States governing ECMWF and setting its strategic direction.
Commenting on the accession and its benefits to Serbia’s economy and its citizens, Vladan Kocic said: “It is an honour for me to sign the accession agreement with ECMWF, the world’s leading centre in global medium-range weather prediction. I would like to express my appreciation to the Centre’s Council for the unanimous decision on the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the ECMWF Convention and also to thank the Serbian Government for providing us the necessary support and for recognizing the significance of the accession for the further growth and development of RHMSS.
The role of RHMSS in disaster risk reduction becomes all the more important taking into consideration historical data showing that the frequency and intensity of meteorological and hydrological disasters in Serbia are increasing. The share of disasters of hydrometeorological origin in the total number of catastrophes in Serbia is similar to that on a regional and global scale (around 90%). The RHMSS will use the Centre’s products in particular for early warnings of extreme weather events, such as storms, heavy precipitation and heat waves. The Centre’s products are vital to enable us to prepare for and respond to those events and thereby saving lives and reducing economic damages.”
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Professor Thorpe said: “I am extremely pleased that following today’s signature, the Republic of Serbia will soon become a Member State. Serbia will then be a full voting member of the ECMWF Council. A portion of the Centre’s supercomputer time and archive resources will be allocated to the Republic of Serbia for its own use. Public Services in Serbia will have access to all ECMWF products and tools. I am particularly looking forward to the collaboration with our colleagues in Serbia for the mutual benefit of both the RHMSS and ECMWF.”