The Stockholm Convention in Serbia

    The Republic of Serbia is Party to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Law on ratification of the Stockholm Convention was adopted by the Serbian Parliament in 2009 (“Official Gazette of the RS – International Agreements” No. 42/2009), and in the same year the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the National Implementation Plan for Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (NIP). NIP was prepared in cooperation with United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) within Project “Enabling Activities for Development of National Plan for Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs” which was financed by Global Environmental Facility (GEF). Within the scope of this project, preliminary inventories of POPs chemicals and pesticides were prepared. On the basis of those inventories measures necessary for monitoring of POPs were defined, as well as measures for elimination i.e. risk reduction from POPs exposure which were planned to be conducted synchronised by identified stakeholders through realisation of sequences of action plans defined by NIP.

    In the period of 2009-2015, the Republic of Serbia has adopted the series of legal acts as well as articles and procedures defined by NIP, which gave legal basis for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention. Some of the most important legal acts are Law on Chemicals (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 36/09, 88/10, 92/11 and 93/12), Law on Waste Management (“Official Gazette of the RS” No. 36/2009 and 88/2010) and Law on Ratification to the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, as well as a sequence of bylaws including Manual on Identification, Keeping of Records and Safe Handling of PCB Devices and Equipment, and in that way the conditions were met for implementation of the measures necessary for monitoring of POPs, management of PCB, elimination i.e. risk reduction from POPs exposure defined by NIP. Also, Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of monitoring of POPs in environmental medium and maintenance of Registry of devices in use, which contain PCB. Accordingly, results of monitoring of POPs in air and water are regularly published through Reports prepared by the Agency, while preparation of Registry of equipment in use, which contains PCB, has started and this process is still ongoing.

    POPs chemicals are regulated in the EU by the Commission Regulation on POPs No 850/2004. Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, as the competent authority for chemicals management in the Republic of Serbia, is in charge of monitoring and harmonisation of EU legislation in the field of POPs. Republic of Serbia transposed EC Regulation on POPs No 850/2004 with amendments (EC Regulation No 756/2010 and 757/2010 on amendments to the EC Regulation No 850/2004) into Serbian national legislation.