Thousands in Serbia Push for Environmental Protection

The pro-environmental protests took place in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade (Guerrilla Foundation).

Several thousand protestors rallied outside the parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, on April 10 in what participants dubbed an “ecological uprising.” The protest, organized by the Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina movement, included 45 organizations with a list of 70 demands for government action on air, water, and land quality.

The protestors claimed that Serbian leadership has ignored nationwide environmental destruction due to poor garbage management and an over-reliance on coal, resulting in air and water pollution and toxic industrial waste. Major cities, including Belgrade, also rely on inadequate sewage and wastewater management systems.

Organizers spoke out against the Serbian government’s planned mining projects, including lithium extraction that participants worried may interfere with natural habitats. Serbia has also sold its mining resources to foreign companies in recent years, despite local opposition and concerns over increased pollution.

More than 100 hydroelectric power plants had been built in Serbia by 2019, and 18 were located in areas that were meant to be protected. Concerns over environmental degradation grew after the European Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019 report found that the air in several Serbian cities exceeded the healthy limit of suspended particles. Moreover, the Institute of Public Health found in 2019 that 50 urban drinking water supply systems were contaminated.

The protestors’ demands included improved environmental education, the protection of green urban areas, and a ban on the construction of hydroelectric plants. The Serbian Environment Ministry criticized the organizers as seeking “quick political gains” instead of long-term solutions and defended the government’s attempts at environmental reform thus far.

Aleksandar Panić, one of the organizers, defended the protest, saying, “Serbia’s environmental problems have outgrown the local activities of all organizations.” Protestors also highlighted government corruption and called for constitutional reforms to take into account environmental protection.

The protest included activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where environmental degradation is a similar concern for activists. Bosnia and Serbia, both potential candidates for European Union (EU) membership, have drawn backlash for their overflowing landfills and illegal garbage sites. To meet the EU standards for environmental protection, Serbia would need to dramatically adapt its environmental resources and contribute billions of euros into green investment.