Public debate on Draft Law on Climate Change launched

The Ministry of Environmental Protection invited all interested parties to participate in the public debate on the Draft Law on Climate Change in order to improve the quality of the act.

Public debate has started on March 16 and will last until April 20.

The first public hearing was held at the amphitheater of the Institute for Nature Protection of the Vojvodina Province. The session was opened by Goran Trivan, Minister of Environmental Protection.

According to him, this law is strategically important, not only from the environment point of view but from the entire society.

“This is one of the most important, systematic laws that Serbia will adopt because it determines a set of EU measures and standards that must be applied and implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All segments of the society, citizens, institutions, and business, will be involved,” he said.

The new law should also be discussed in Kragujevac on March 27, in Niš on March 30, and in Belgrade on April 3. The public debate was also planned in Pirot for April 4 and in Prijepolje 12 days later.

The law, as noted by the Ministry, aims to establish a system of monitoring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions and other information of importance for climate change.

The National Program for the Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA) and the Government’s Program foresees the obligation of adopting the law on climate change in the second quarter of 2018.

Representatives of the Government of Serbia, the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, public companies, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities and civil society organizations took part in drafting the law.

Remarks and suggestions can be submitted during public debates, as well as by e-mail to danijela.bozanic@ekologija.gov.rs or in writing to the following address: Ministry of Environmental Protection, Sector for Nature Protection and Climate Change, Omladinskih brigada 1, 11070 Belgrade, with the notation “Public debate – climate change” on the form that can be downloaded from the above page.