Belgrade bans sale of plastic shopping bags from 2020, moves to establish future metro operator

Belgrade’s city assembly has adopted a decision banning the sale of plastic shopping bags in the Serbian capital from January 1, 2020, to help reduce pollution.

Once the ban on plastic shopping bags takes effect, retailers will be able to sell paper shopping bags or offer them for free. Those who do not take heed of the ban will be fined. The fines are set at RSD 150,000 (about EUR 1,200) for legal entities, RSD 25,000 (around EUR 200) for the liable employee at a legal entity, RSD 75,000 (some EUR 600) for entrepreneurs, and RSD 25,000 for individuals.

The use of transparent plastic bags will be allowed at catering and retail establishments at the Belgrade airport if security reasons should require it.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in mid-August that the use of plastic bags at retail outlets in Serbia plunged 60% since retail chains started charging them a token amount in mid-July.

Minister Goran Trivan said at the time that Serbia consumes around 300 plastic bags annually per capita, a number he expected to halve by the end of 2018. He also said that the state is ready to apply EU directives aimed at slashing the consumption of plastic bags ninefold by 2025.

City assembly adopts decision to establish metro operator

At the same session, Belgrade’s city assembly adopted a decision to establish the capital’s future metro and commuter rail operator, to be called Beogradski Metro i Voz. The company, which will manage the construction of the metro system, will have a three-member supervisory board, with Časlav Mitrović already named chairman and Ivanka Milošević a member.

The city assembly is also to name the third supervisory member, as well as the company’s general manager, who will be appointed for a four-year term renewable if a public vacancy procedure is carried out.

Several public utilities’ top men appointed

The city assembly also named top men of several public utilities, including waste management company Gradska Čistoća, with Marko Popadić to serve as general manager over the next four years.

The assembly appointed three acting general managers, of public transit system operator Gradsko Saobraćajno Preduzeće (GSP) Beograd (Radiša Momčilović), district heating operator Beogradske Elektrane (Rade Basta), and aggregated bill collection company Infostan Tehnologije (Strahinja Danilović).