What is slowing down the energy transition in the region, and can it be accelerated? This question will be at the heart of the panel “How to Accelerate Renewable Energy Development in the Region? Energy Transition: Is the Slowdown Inevitable or Deliberate, and Is There Still Time to Accelerate?” at the Balkan Solar Summit 2027, taking place on 25–26 February at Banski Dvor in Banja Luka. The panel will be moderated by Jovanka Atanacković, a regional expert in renewable energy regulation.
The panel will address specific challenges facing the region’s energy sector: Can the European regulatory framework and alignment with EU policies accelerate renewable energy development, or will they introduce additional procedures and restrictions? Where should the line be drawn between safeguarding the power system through grid connection requirements and administrative procedures, on the one hand, and creating barriers to new investment, on the other? Can the public and private sectors find a model that simultaneously safeguards the public interest, grid stability and the economic viability of investments?
Particular attention will be given to whether, at the current pace of new capacity development, the region has enough time to meet the targets adopted under the Paris Agreement and set out in national strategic documents. Atanacković is the author of Serbia’s first Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources and participated in the development and implementation of the electronic system for issuing construction permits.
During her tenure in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, she served as State Secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy. Today, she works in the private sector, leading complex permitting and regulatory processes for renewable energy project development, including projects with a combined capacity of more than 450 MW that have reached the Ready-to-Build stage.
Jovanka Atanacković, Head of Permitting Compliance at CWP Global, is an expert in renewable energy, permitting and regulatory frameworks, with more than 23 years of experience in energy, infrastructure and public policy.
She previously served as State Secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia. Today, at CWP Global, she leads permitting, regulatory compliance and development activities for renewable energy projects, including wind farms.