Dr Branislav Blazic, Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee, explained the Committee’s new approach according to which draft laws are to be presented to it at public hearings so that the MPs, Ministry and the experts could begin to discuss, influence and improve the concept of the future bills in that stage. Blazic informed the participants that the public hearing is being attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, experts in the field and young legal experts from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia – the Ex-Yu Conference on International Legal Protection of the Environment, as well as members of the Forum on the Environment and Climate Change - students of the Krusevac Grammar School.

Ministry representatives Ivana Radosavljevic, Tina Janjatovic and Zoran Ibrovic presented the Draft Law amending and modifying the Law on Environmental Protection which envisages the establishment of an efficient environmental protection funding system, harmonisation with EU legislation, better information and participation of the public, and the establishment of a Green Fund of the Republic of Serbia to be finance from the budget.

Ministry representatives Ivana Radosavljevic and Radmila Serovic presented the Draft Law amending and modifying the Law on Waste Management which envisages additional harmonisation with EU legislation, filling in certain gaps and making the provision more precise, harmonisation with other laws and internal harmonisation of the provisions of the law to boost the efficiency of its implementation especially concerning the management of medical and pharmaceutical waste.

The presentations were followed by a discussion on the future Green Fund, hazardous waste management procedures, the Ministry’s experiences and cooperation with local self-governments, interspersed by numerous suggestions regarding the draft laws.