The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has adopted the Law on Air Protection, a key legislative framework introducing significant changes aimed at more effective air quality management, according to a statement from the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
Sara Pavkov, Minister of Environmental Protection, noted that this legislation had not been amended since 2009, and that the new solutions are aligned with European Union regulations.
With the adoption of this law, Serbia has made a major step forward after recognizing the need to harmonize with EU legislation.
“Some of the changes include professionalizing the process of special-purpose measurements, establishing a clear distinction between data and information, and enhancing transparency through more comprehensive consultations and greater public involvement in the drafting of short-term air quality action plans,” Pavkov stated.
The new law broadens the scope of penalties, sets clear deadlines for authorities to inform the public about pollutant measurement results, and defines the responsibilities of inspectors in more detail, which will enable more effective implementation of the law.
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The Minister emphasized that the law creates a normative basis for the practical implementation of air protection measures.
“A positive outcome is that the new provisions enable the responsible implementation of Serbia’s international commitments in the field of air and ozone layer protection. It is also important that this regulation was adopted through a months-long transparent public debate process, including the current session of the Serbian Parliament. During the drafting phase, the academic, expert, and civil sectors were all involved,” Pavkov said.
She highlighted that over 500 proposals for improving the draft law were received and that all relevant suggestions were accepted.
However, several civil society organizations in Serbia have expressed concerns about the new Air Protection Law, stating that it fails to address core issues in the field of air quality protection and that the drafting process should have been more transparent.
The key unresolved problems, according to these organizations, include lack of mandatory and continuous air quality monitoring, inadequate provisions for emergency environmental incidents, absence of a national plan to reduce emissions from thermal power plants and ineffective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
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