Environmental Protection Committee Chairman Branislav Blazic opened the public hearing on the Draft Law amending and modifying the Law on Nature Conservation by saying that cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection on the Draft Law would greatly improve it and make it more comprehensive before it enters National Assembly procedure, and the MPs can gain more detailed insight in it, learn about its provisions and share their views on it.

Dr Stana Bozovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, said that the Ministry is to set up a Green Fund to finance environmental protection, in line with the Republic of Serbia Budget System Law.

The representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Snezana Prokic, Chief of the Protected Areas, Ecological Network and Appropriate Assessment Unit, Pavle Jovanovic Head of the CITES Implementation Group, and Aleksandra Doslic, Head of the Protected Areas and Ecological Network Department, had presentations on the proposed technical amendments to the provisions of the Law on Nature Conservation and its harmonisation with EU laws and standards. The Draft Law proposes amendments of the parts of the Law concerning the management plans for protected areas and the rights and authority of protected area guards who would become officials. CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species would amend the articles of the Law on Nature Conservation relating to the keeping of wild animals in captivity and the trade in protected and endangered wildlife species.

The presentation was followed by a discussion in which the participants shared their suggestions and proposals how to streamline the Draft Law, and Committee Chairman Branislav Blazic promised that the conclusions would be forwarded to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection.