Due to sustainable regional development and regional cooperation in Europe and wider, CEDEF is primarily focused on sustainable energy and environmental protection.

Energy efficiency involves a series of measures to be taken to reduce energy consumption, which do not impair the conditions of work and life. The goal is to reduce energy consumption to a minimum and maintain or increase the level of convenience and comfort. While saving on energy always means certain sacrifices, however, efficient use of energy leads to a better quality of life, greater competitiveness, and economic and energy stability. Increased energy efficiency results in significant financial savings, but also in a better working and living environment.

In accordance with the directives of the European Union and the Energy Sector Development Strategy of Serbia, under the auspices of the relevant ministries of energy and environmental protection, and in cooperation with the Agency Environmental protection, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and other relevant stakeholders, CEDEF is actively engaged in creation and application of energy efficiency and environmental protection concepts in the Central European region. Numerous studies, researches and educations in a domain of energy efficiency and environmental protection are organized in the aim to raise the awareness of rational energy consumption importance and its significance for sustainable development of the whole region.

Central European Development Forum - CEDEF is continuously and actively involved in creating and applying the concepts of energy efficiency and environmental protection into the Central European region. Every year, we implement a number of activities in the field of energy efficiency environmental protection with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of rational use of energy and the significant effects it has on the sustainable development of the region.

CEDEF is also involved in renewable energy resources.

By the ratification of Energy Community Treaty, Serbia accepted the obligation to adopt and implement Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources and Directive 2003/30/EC on the promotion of bio fuels and other fuels producing renewable energy in the transport sector.

The new Directive on renewable energy 2009/28/EC sets mandatory national targets which EU member states must achieve through the promotion of renewable energy in electricity, heating and cooling and transport sector. These targets are set to ensure that in 2020, 20% of the total energy consumption in the European Union is renewable energy. The Directive also states that in 2020, the use of renewable energy in transport (bio fuels, electricity and hydrogen produced from renewable sources) is at least 10% of the total fuel consumption in the European Union.

The usable energy potential of renewable energy sources in the Republic of Serbia is very large, it is estimated at over 4.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) per year, of which about 2.7 million toe per year is biomass, 0.6 million toe per year in unused hydro potential, 0.2 million toe per year in existing geothermal, 0.2 million toe per year in wind energy and 0.6 million toe per year in solar radiation.