Serbia to launch carbon credit trading to ease EU export costs

Serbia’s Belgrade Stock Exchange plans to introduce trading in carbon credits to help domestic firms manage costs linked to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), CEO Lazo Ostojić told Tanjug on February 8.

The bourse, which recently adopted the Greek trading system OASIS, is connecting regional capital markets and could eventually join Euronext, the pan-European group that owns eight exchanges.

Ostojić said the exchange will create a platform modeled on the EU Emissions Trading System, allowing companies to buy carbon credits to cover carbon dioxide emissions. One credit typically equals one tonne of avoided or stored CO2, letting firms offset emissions by supporting environmentally sustainable projects.

CBAM, which came into effect on January 1, requires EU importers of aluminium, cement, electricity, iron and steel, hydrogen and fertilizers from non-EU countries to pay a carbon price. Serbia also introduced a carbon tax—a €4-per-tonne tax on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon-intensive imports—on the same date.

The bourse plans additional platforms for digital tokens and CBAM-related trading. Ostojić said companies across the Western Balkans facing similar EU export rules could also benefit from the new carbon credit market.