Serbia adopts bill on climate change

More than two and a half years after the public debate on the draft law on climate change has ended, the Government of Serbia has adopted the bill.

With the implementation of the law on climate change, a system will be established for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and it will enable the adaptation to the change in climate conditions, according to the press release by the Government of Serbia.

A draft law was completed in May 2018

In May 2018, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced the public debate on the draft law on climate change was over, and that it expected the bill to be sent to parliament by the end of the year. Since then, there was no official update.

The Government of Serbia says the bill fulfills international obligations including those that concern the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and that it harmonizes domestic legislation with the European Union’s acquis communautaire.

The proposal envisages the adoption of a low-carbon development strategy

The bill envisages the adoption of a national low-carbon development strategy with an action plan within two years. The plan will be introduced for a period of ten years, the government said.

The future law sets the legal framework for further action in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, which is one of the EU’s five strategic goals and the basis of a green and circular economy, it added.

With the law, Serbia will maintain the right to create a legislative framework and set development goals taking into account the country’s economic, energy and other national socio-economic characteristics, according to the statement.

The bill on climate change is currently not available on the websites of the Government of Serbia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.