The public hearing was opened by the Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee Dr Branislav Blazic. He stressed that the disastrous floods suffered by the Republic of Serbia are nature’s last warning to all social spheres to focus their efforts on environmental conservation. Blazic underlined the need for a concerted effort of relevant factors in the state system, economy and civil sector toward environmental protection. To that effect, the future public hearings of the Environmental Protection Committee, Blazic said, would include all of these factors which are at the moment, jointly engaged in drafting a methodology for environmental situation assessment and the elimination of the temporary and lasting damages to the environment caused by the flooding in Republic of Serbia.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Stana Bozovic said that it was essential to clearly define the duties relating to environmental protection in the system of both the legislative and executive government. She said that environmental laws make up as much as one third of all the requirements the Republic of Serbia needs to meet on its road to the European Union. Since the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection is a key factor in the estimation of damages incurred by the catastrophic flooding, Bozovic stressed that the environmental situation assessment methodology covers many spheres in the endangered areas such as measuring of industrial pollution after the flood wave, waste matter situation control, radioactive lightning rod status, air quality, contamination of rivers by hazardous substances, etc. She announced that United Nations experts would combine the damage reports next week.

Saying how sad he was that the topic of today’s public hearing is environmental damage assessment after the unprecedented floods in the Republic of Serbia instead of a discussion on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual report, the Agency’s Director Filip Radovic presented the post-flood water and air monitoring report. He stressed that the Agency has been monitoring the pollution levels and keeping the relevant authorities informed.

The participants of the public hearing were also addressed by Irena Vojackova Sollorano, United Nations resident coordinator in Serbia and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, who said that a great many United Nations agencies were working on the assessment of both material and environmental damage. Saying that the United Nations would continue to support the improvement of environmental protection in the Republic of Serbia, Vojackova said it was essential to change the people’s attitude toward nature, along with recycling and water system management.

Emergency Situation Sector Deputy Chief Djordje Babic gave an analysis of the Emergency Situation Sector’s activities relating to the protection of people and property endangered by the flood waves.

The participants of the public hearing were also addressed by Dr Slobodan Tosovic of the Belgrade Public Health Institute, Dr Ratko Ristic, tenured professor, vice-dean of scientific research at the Torrent and Erosion Department of the Belgrade Faculty of Forestry and Prof. Dr Jordan Aleksic of the Faculty of Applied Ecology Futura.

The public hearing was held with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).