The new law on air protection does not eliminate the essential causes of pollution

Civil society organisations are expressing serious concern over the lack of transparency and the limited opportunity for the public and expert stakeholders to participate in the process of drafting the new Law on Air Protection. Despite its importance for the health and quality of life of Serbian citizens, the law-making process has not been conducted in accordance with existing regulations, while the proposed amendments fail to address key issues related to air quality monitoring, timely response to incidents, oversight and sanctioning of polluters.

Disregard for Minimum Standards of Public Involvement

The public consultation on the Draft Law, which began on January 15, 2025, was organized in accordance with only the minimum standards for public participation. Given the severity of air pollution problems in Serbia, we believe that the 20-day period is insufficient for a comprehensive analysis and discussion of the proposed measures, and that organizing only one hybrid public presentation in Belgrade is inadequate. According to the latest Air Quality Report in Serbia, prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency, air is excessively polluted in more than 20 cities and municipalities across the country, yet the presentation was held only in Belgrade.

Key Unresolved Issues

Despite the new legislative framework, some of the most important issues in the field of air protection remain unresolved:

1. Local Air Quality Monitoring
The proposed Draft Law still allows local governments to independently establish monitoring networks based on their own capacities, meaning there will be no binding, comprehensive, and continuous monitoring of all air pollutants.

2. Measurement Procedures in Emergency Situations
The new law foresees a five-day period where authorities need to decide whether to initiate special-purpose measurements in the event of environmental incidents, such as landfill fires, while also unnecessarily complicating the decision-making process. In practice, this means that measurements could take place only after the pollution source has been eliminated and when pollutant concentrations have already returned to permitted levels.

3. National Emissions Reduction Plan
The proposal eliminates provisions that define this key instrument for reducing pollution from thermal power plants. This is especially concerning given that power plants operated by “Elektroprivreda Srbije” have been emitting four to six times more sulfur dioxide than allowed for the past seven years, endangering public health.

Citizens Deserve a Better Law

The citizens of Serbia need a law that effectively addresses the issue of air pollution, not one that merely meets the formal requirements of harmonisation with EU legislation. The European Union adopted a new Air Quality Directive in 2024, while Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is just now presenting a draft law that only partially aligns with the 2008 Directive. Existing data on pollution and its health impacts speak volumes about what has been done over the past 16 years.

Signatories of the Statement:

Belgrade Open School, Belgrade
Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute, Belgrade
Society of Young Researchers, Bor
Novi Put, Kraljevo
Local Response, Valjevo
Tim 42, Leskovac
Safer Chemicals Alternative (ALHem), Belgrade
Environmental Improvement Center, Belgrade
Center of Modern Skills, Belgrade
Center for Green Politics, Belgrade
Environment Engineering Group, Novi Sad
Ministry of Space, Belgrade
Young Researchers of Serbia, Belgrade
National Ecological Association, Belgrade
New Planning Practice, Belgrade
Kraljevo Development Center, Kraljevo
Regional Association of Private Forest Owners “Omorika”, Priboj
RES Foundation, Belgrade
Green Wave, Čačak
WWF Adria – Serbia, Belgrade

This text was originally published on the portal Mašina ↗