These laws aim to align national regulations with European Union directives, specifically Directive 2011/92/EU (amended by 2014/52/EU) and Directive 2001/42/EC. A key innovation in both laws is introducing the “ecological network” concept and the requirement for appropriate assessment of projects that might affect these protected areas.
The laws establish stricter coordination between environmental assessment procedures and strengthen public participation through mandatory electronic publishing and a new central web portal. The legislation marks a significant advancement in Serbia’s environmental protection framework, bringing procedures up to European standards while enhancing administrative efficiency and public involvement in environmental decision-making processes.
Detailed coverage of the new legislation is provided in this article (in Serbian and English) written by Jelena Stanković Lukić, Katarina Rosić and Jana Stanojević.