The Ministry of Environmental Protection initiated the public consultation process for the Draft Law on Air Protection on Wednesday, January 15. The public consultation will run until Monday, February 3, with a public presentation scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, at the UN House in Belgrade.

Why do we need the Air Protection Law?

A public opinion survey conducted by CESID and UNDP in January 2023 shows that air pollution is the primary concern for citizens, with one in three respondents identifying air pollution as the most pressing environmental issue.

In 2023, air pollution exceeded safe levels in 13 cities. These cities include: Subotica, Sombor, Kruševac, Pirot, Novi Pazar, Valjevo, Šabac, Kragujevac, Loznica, Čačak, Paraćin, Zaječar, and Kraljevo. The ongoing nature of the problem is highlighted by the example of Valjevo, where, within the first two weeks of 2025, there were already 11 days of exceeding the limit for suspended PM10 particles, while the annual limit for such exceedances is 35 days.

The main cause of excessive air pollution is the exceedance of the permissible levels of suspended PM10 and/or PM2.5 particles. These substances are also the primary sources of air pollution in Serbia, along with concentrations of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, arsenic, lead, and other metals. According to the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency, daily limit values for PM10 particles were exceeded at 60% of the monitoring stations across Serbia.

Increasing incidents of fires at uncontrolled, unsanitary landfills are further impacting air quality and public health, as citizens are exposed to contaminated air due to high concentrations of volatile organic compounds.

The alarmingly poor air quality in Serbia is also evident in the results of civic air quality monitoring. In exactly 47 out of 79 municipalities in Serbia, excessive air pollution caused by PM10 particles has been recorded. Data is available for 79 municipalities, covering the period from the beginning of 2024 to mid-November, providing an overview of air quality in municipalities without automatic monitoring stations.

Uncertainties in the Process

To recall, in November 2024, the Ministry conducted an early public review and presentation of a portion of the Draft Law. This practice is unclear, as the Law on the Planning System does not recognize the concept of early public review, especially when applied to just a part of a law. Early public review is only applicable to the preparation of spatial and urban planning documents, which the Air Protection Law is not.

Public Engagement

The team from the Belgrade Open School, in collaboration with partners, will prepare and present to the public the main comments and recommendations for improving the Draft Law on Air Protection. The comments will be available on the public consultation website at javniuvid.bos.rs, and citizens can download and submit them to the Ministry during the consultation period.

You can send your comments to the Ministry of Environmental Protection by downloading the COMMENT FORM, completing it, and sending it via email to ana.jelicic@eko.gov.rs and jovana.tomanic@eko.gov.rs, or by mail to: Ministry of Environmental Protection – Sector for Nature, Air, and Ozone Layer Protection, Omladinskih brigada 1, 11070 Novi Beograd, with the note: “Public Consultation – Draft Law on Air Protection.”

You can attend the presentation and consultation on the Draft Law in person or online via Zoom at the following link: https://undp.zoom.us/meeting/register/3hfRi2LfRt-qDnmpBCWChQ.

For more information about participating in the public consultation on the Draft Law on Air Protection, visit the Ministry's website at ekologija.gov.rs.

We encourage you to follow our activities through our Viber channel, where we will share direct information about opportunities to participate in this and other environmental processes.

Be #JavnostNaPotezu.