Following the introductory speech of the representative of the Vojvodina Environmental Movement (Pokret gorana), the participants of the seminar were addressed by Dr Ivan Jaric of the Belgrade Institute for Multidisciplinary Research who spoke on the Aarhus Convention – international importance, content and obligations of signatory countries, Tina Janjatovic, independent advisor in charge of the Aarhus Convention in the Republic of Serbia at the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection, who spoke on Progress achieved in the implementation of the Aarhus Convention at the state level and future activities, and Snjezana Mitrovic, manager of the Regional Aarhus Centre Subotica, who spoke on the Aarhus Centre Subotica activities and experience. The participants of the seminar were also addressed by Natasa Jovic of the South and Eastern Serbia Aarhus Centre who spoke on the role the Aarhus centres play in the implementation of the Aarhus convention at the local level and the activities and experience of the Aarhus Centre Kragujevac and South and Eastern Serbia Aarhus Centre, and Darija Sajin, manager of the Novi Sad Aarhus Centre, who spoke about the Novi Sad Aarhus Centre activities and experience.

After the seminar, the Committee members toured the facilities of the Radulovacki Environmental Centre.

The Aarhus Convention was adopted on 25 June 1998, at the IV conference of the Environment for Europe process, in the Danish city of Aarhus.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia passed the Law on the Confirmation of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (i.e. the ratified Aarhus Convention) on 12 May 2009.

The provisions of article 74 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia stipulate that everyone shall have the right to healthy environment and the right to timely and full information about the state of environment, everyone, especially the Republic of Serbia and autonomous provinces, shall be accountable for the protection of environment and everyone shall be obliged to preserve and improve the environment.

As an international environmental protection instrument, the Aarhus Convention contains three groups of rules relating to the citizens’ right to access to information, citizens’ right to take part in decision-making on the environment and the right to justice when the two aforementioned rights are violated.