140 Contracts for Energy Efficiency Subsidies Awarded in Rakovica The latest round of “green” subsidies in Belgrade’s Rakovica looks, on paper, like a technocrat’s dream: more insulated homes, lower bills, and a clear national target. The political fight is over what those numbers really say about the government’s priorities.

The rollout: contracts and cash

On Thursday in Rakovica, officials handed out 140 contracts to citizens for subsidies to improve energy efficiency in houses and apartments. The program, run through the Ministry of Mining and Energy’s Directorate for Financing and Encouraging Energy Efficiency, has funneled 77 million dinars into the municipality so far, leading to energy renovation of more than 600 households.

Ten of the newly signed contracts are reserved for socially vulnerable residents, who can receive up to 90% of the investment costs covered by the state — a measure launched last year and touted as “very useful.”

Government framing: success story in progress

Pro-government outlets frame Rakovica as a flagship example of successful cooperation between the ministry and the local municipality, now in its third year. Officials stress that citizens should feel the first benefits “within six months,” through lower energy bills and greater comfort, with savings that can be redirected to other needs and homes that “will be more comfortable and have higher value.”

The ministry promises more: a fresh nationwide public call this year, with the stated goal of renovating at least 50,000 households across Serbia and cutting both electricity and heat consumption.

Opposition angle: same facts, sharper questions

Opposition-leaning reporting cites the same core data — 140 contracts, 77 million dinars, 600+ renovated households — but treats them less as proof of triumph and more as evidence that the government is still only nibbling at Serbia’s energy-inefficiency problem. With 50,000 homes touted as the national target, critics question whether these carefully staged handover ceremonies are meaningful acceleration or merely political greenwashing ahead of future elections.

In Rakovica, the subsidies are real and the bills will probably fall. The political argument is over whether this is transformative climate policy — or an expensive photo-op with insulation.