New Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

Belgrade, March 10, 2025 – The first meeting of the Working Group for drafting the new Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) was held, organized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The meeting was attended by 79 representatives of relevant institutions, operators managing industrial facilities, and non-governmental organizations. This is one of the activities being implemented within the "EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia" project, to accelerate the decarbonization of the economy and reduce industrial emissions.

The Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control was adopted in Serbia in 2004, when integrated pollution control was introduced. The goal was to ensure that major polluters operate in accordance with high environmental standards through the issuance of integrated permits, so that the domestic economy could be competitive on the international market, and natural resources such as air, water, and land are protected.

To fully align the domestic legal framework with EU acquis in this area, a new law is being drafted that will transfer the EU directive on industrial emissions into our legislation. The new law will better regulate integrated permits, as well as monitoring emissions of pollutants, waste management, and responsible use of natural resources.

At the first meeting, an overview of the key provisions of the law and the process for aligning it with the EU Directive on Industrial Emissions were presented, along with the first two chapters covering Basic Provisions and Integrated Permits. Two more meetings of the Working Group are planned, during which the remaining chapters of the law will be discussed, so that the final draft of the law can be prepared by the end of 2025.

The project “EU for Green Agenda in Serbia” is implemented with technical and financial support from the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with Sweden and the European Investment Bank, with additional funding from the governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.