Environmental and industrial shifts impact Adriatic and Serbian sectors

Environmental and industrial shifts are impacting regional economies in the Adriatic and Serbia. In the Adriatic Sea, researchers have noted that the average size of sardines has decreased from approximately 15 to 12 centimeters over the last two decades. This decline is attributed to overfishing and climate change, specifically the rapid warming of the Adriatic, which is heating faster than other Mediterranean areas. This trend threatens the local sardine canning industry, a long-standing industrial sector along the Croatian coast.

In Bor, Serbia, the mining and metallurgy sector is undergoing modernization to balance production growth with environmental protection. Srbija Zijin Cooper has invested $317 million in ecological restoration and environmental protection through July 2026. Technological upgrades, such as the introduction of flash smelting and modernized gas purification systems, aim to increase energy efficiency and reduce harmful emissions per ton of copper produced. The companies within the group employ over 7,200 people in eastern Serbia.