The public hearing was opened by Environmental Protection Committee Chairman Dr Branislav Blazic who stressed that it was imperative to address the accumulated environmental problems as soon as possible, an action to which the executive and legislative power, local self-governments, civil society organisations and the citizens should lend their support. The Committee Chairman wondered at the delay in resolving these issues underlining the importance of the local communities in the process.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Stana Bozovic informed the participants about the Government policy’s main goals stressing the importance of the European integration process and taking steps to implement European environmental protection standards, which, Bozovic said calls for a multi-sector approach to the issue. She also pointed out three key issues that should be tackled locally – education of local communities on the importance of environmental protection, the issue of finance and administration.
The participants were also addressed by Environmental Protection Agency Director Filip Radovic who spoke about the waste monitoring process in the Republic of Serbia and informed them that the Agency had applied for foreign funding for the realisation of the project of raising waste management capacities in local self-governments.
Svetlana Marusic, advisor to the Provincial Secretary for Urbanism, Construction and Environmental Protection for cleaner production, spoke about the operation of nine regional landfills on the territory of Vojvodina.
The participants of the public hearing were also addressed by CEDEF Executive Board President Jovanka Arsic Karisic and representative of the KOMDEL Business Association of Public Utility Companies Lazar Krnjeta.

The Committee members and the other participants of the public hearing discussed communal waste, illegal dumpsites, land rehabilitation and cultivation, role of local self-governments and possible solutions and recommendations in these areas. They underlined the importance of inspections for the sanctioning of illegal dumping and noted the insufficient coverage of the population by utility companies. The participants of the public hearing stressed the need to obtain relevant data from the field on the creation and movement of waste and asked for the enforcement of stricter penalty policies for communal fees and education of the populace.

The public hearing was organized with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).