At the sitting, the Committee considered the Report on waste management on the territory of the Republic of Serbia which is a component part of the 2011 Report on the status of the environment in the Republic of Serbia. Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency spoke about the Report. They shared data on communal, industrial, pharmaceutical and packaging waste and briefed the Committee members on the import and export of waste.

Following a debate, the Committee unanimously adopted the Conclusion proposal that it is necessary to secure earmarked funds in the Republic of Serbia budget collected from environmental pollution fees, to ensure a suitable continuous monitoring of the status of the environment by the state in order to guarantee an adequate environmental protection system.

The Committee also adopted the proposal to review the 2011 Report on the status of the environment in the Republic of Serbia at a National Assembly sitting as well.

In the continuation of the sitting, local self-government representatives shared examples of best waste management practices and drew attention to the problems the local communities encounter in the sphere. They also spoke of the lack of primary waste selection, appealing to the Committee members to help make waste selection mandatory in the future. They also discussed the Republic of Serbia’s future environmental protection activities stemming from the obligation to harmonise domestic legislation with EU legal standards.

The sitting was chaired by Milica Vojic Markovic, Committee Chairperson.