How far has the process of developing and adopting the Environmental Protection Strategy and Action Plan come?

The process of developing this Strategy is coordinated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and based on previous announcements, we expected the draft and adoption of the Strategy in 2023. Very soon, we will see the year 2024, but not the adoption of this document.

With the aim of greater transparency of the process and the inclusion of representatives of organizations in decision-making processes, the Belgrade Open School, together with its partners, organized a consultative process with civil society organizations within the project "Volvox - Strength of Community". The project is jointly implemented by the Young Researchers of Serbia, the Belgrade Open School and the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment, and the consultative meetings were an opportunity for representatives of the organizations to give their comments and contributions in the early stages of drafting the Environmental Protection Strategy and Action Plan.

The problems and objectives of the Strategy, indicators and measures were discussed at the previous consultations, while those present at the third consultative meeting held on December 20, 2023, discussed and commented on the first Draft Strategy, as well as the Action Plan, documents that the project partners received as members. Working groups. After this consultative meeting, specific proposals and formulations were forwarded to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The most important conclusion of the consultative meeting with civil society organizations refers to the fact that even after the process of changes, there are still significant areas for improvement of the first version of the Draft Strategy, as well as the fact that the budget funds allocated to fulfill the stated goals are insufficient. When it comes to data on the state of the environment, they are difficult to access and non-transparent, so the Strategy is an opportunity for this improvement. Additionally, it is still necessary to achieve stronger cooperation with civil society organizations, taking into account that the realization of the set goals implies active cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as cooperation of all other sectors in society.

At the Working Group meeting, it was announced that further steps will be taken in 2024, the first draft of the document will be published on the E-consultation website in February, and its publication will be followed by wider consultations with the interested public.

The meeting was organized with the support of the European Union, the governments of Switzerland and Germany, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the British Embassy in Belgrade.

Photo source: Belgrade Open School

You can view photos from the event HERE.​