On 1 January 2015 Serbia officially joined the other 20 Member States of ECMWF. The Centre's Director-General Alan Thorpe welcomed Serbia's accession to full membership, saying that it marks a new chapter in the collaboration between ECMWF and Serbia:
As we start our 40th anniversary year and look back at what the Centre has achieved since its creation, we are proud to owe our success to global collaboration and partnerships. We believe that each of our Member States brings its own experience and expertise to our collective knowledge. ECMWF and Serbia have had a formal co-operation agreement since 2003, and we look forward to even closer collaboration with the Serbian Administration in the fields of weather and climate to ensure the safety of life and property.
Prof. Dr Jugoslav Nikolic, Acting Director of the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia (RHMSS), gave the following statement:
The Government of the Republic of Serbia recognized the significance of the accession to ECMWF for the further growth and development of the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia (RHMSS). The full membership in ECMWF is very important for Serbia, bearing in mind the value of meteorological and hydrological activity both from the aspect of the protection of citizens and property from meteorological, climate and hydrological hazards and disasters, and from the aspect of the provision of immediate support to the primary sectors such as food and energy production, water supply and other economy and social areas.
The full membership in ECMWF is of vital importance for Serbia, as it enables us to contribute to the key issues related to the development of ECMWF, which is in direct correlation with the strategic plans for the development of meteorological profession and science in Serbia. Our right to decide shall be reflected in our future participation both in the work of the Centre’s Council and in the activities of different ECMWF bodies, such as the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), the Advisory Committee for Data Policy (ACDP), and the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), which shall make Serbia a potentially active contributor to the creation of ECMWF’s development policies. By participating in the work and development of ECMWF, we shall provide support to the operative activities of RHMSS and give strong encouragement to the research and development activities in the field of the numerical modelling of the atmosphere for the needs of the numerical weather and climate forecasting.
The full membership shall grant us the right to access and use the Centre’s high-performance computer resources, which shall improve the production of different weather forecasts and warnings in Serbia, and enable a broader scope and higher quality of research in the field of meteorology, including climatology, with a special focus on medium-range weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts and climate projections.
Strengthening of cooperation with ECMWF through the use of numerical modelling products, participation in staff training programmes, and usage of available computer and software resources has a strategic importance for the realization of the long-term and medium-term goals related to the development of meteorological and hydrological activity in the Republic of Serbia.
More information
ECMWF governance and Member States
Website of the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia