The Bill was presented by representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection who said that the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity stipulates that each signatory country has the sovereign rights over its natural resources and the access to national genetic resources is regulated through the issuance of permits. The users and providers of natural resources have to reach an agreement on the conditions for access and sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and the signatories of the Protocol are obliged to control and monitor this use through their own legislation. The Nagoya Protocol has three chief objectives - the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. The Protocol will prevent the overexploitation of the diversity of the Republic of Serbia, with direct investments and the introduction of new technologies being some of the direct benefits of the Bill. Following the explanation the Committee members accepted the Bill.

The Committee then went on to consider the Bill on the Confirmation of the Multilateral Agreement among the Countries of South-Eastern Europe for the Implementation of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, submitted by the Government. Assistant Minister of Environmental Protection Aleksandar Vesic said that the Bill intends to facilitate consultation among the neighbouring countries in the long procedure that is environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context. The agreement sets out the duties of the signatories such as employing all necessary legal, administrative and other measures to ensure compliance with the Convention, adopting criteria for identifying the significant transboundary impact on the environment and preparing strategic, planning and developmental documents. The implementation of the Convention enables preventive action to protect the environment from negative effects of projects realized in a neighbouring country. Following a discussion, the Committee decided to propose that the National Assembly accept the Bill.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Ivana Stojiljkovic, and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Ivana Nikolic, Dr Ljubinko Rakonjac, Borisav Kovacevic, Milena Turk, Sonja Vlahovic, Radoslav Cokic, Jasmina Karanac, Dragan Jovanovic, Miroslava Djuricic Stankovic, Prof. Dr Snezana Bogosavljevic Boskovic and Borka Grubor. The sitting was also attended by Aleksandar Vesic, Jasmina Jovic, Dusan Ognjanovic and Sabina Jovanovic of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, as well as Dusica Trnavac Bogdanovic and Radomir Jovanovic of the “Green Chair”.