The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, published on 30 June a Public Call for civil society organizations to propose candidates for participation in the Working Group for the Draft Nature Protection Law.

A majority of civil society organizations with proven experience in the fields of environment, nature protection and biodiversity did not apply for membership in the Working Group, considering that the current socio-political circumstances do not allow for a transparent, inclusive, and fair process of drafting the Law.

Only one organization, falling under the jurisdiction of the Civil Society Sector of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, the Center for Inclusion and Sustainable Development, registered in New Belgrade, applied in response to the Call for participation in the Working Group for the Draft Nature Protection Law.

The Ministry Commission proposed a representative of this organization as a member of the Working Group.

The Call specified the conditions that organizations must meet in order to participate in the work of the Working Group. Among the criteria listed were that the organization must be registered in the association register for at least five years before the publication of the call, that the organization’s statute or founding act clearly defines objectives in the field of environmental protection, nature protection, and biodiversity conservation, and that organizations must possess project expertise in the areas of nature and environmental protection.

An analysis of publicly available data indicates serious inconsistencies in the application of the prescribed criteria.

The Center for Inclusion and Sustainable Development, proposed for membership in the Working Group, has an active status in the Business Registers Agency, and its objectives include environmental protection, sustainable development, and protection and improvement of the position of vulnerable and marginalized social groups. However, this association lists as its official website the internet portal www.haninfo.rs , which covers local topics from Vladičin Han, making it impossible to determine the organization’s project experience or expertise in the fields of environmental protection, biodiversity, and nature.

Belgrade Open School expresses concern over irregularities in the process of selecting members of the Working Group for the Draft Nature Protection Law and calls on the Ministry of Environmental Protection to reconsider the Commission’s proposal. By inconsistently applying procedures and selection criteria, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue sends a message that civil society participation in decision-making is treated as a formality, without genuine intention to effectively involve organizations in decision-making.

We remind that, in previous months, civil society organizations unanimously decided to freeze their membership in the Council for Cooperation and Civil Society Development  of the Government of Serbia, and that numerous organizations suspended their activities in other working bodies due to threats to civil society functioning, violations of domestic and international regulations, and the general deterioration of the position of civil society. With this selection of Working Group members, the Ministry further undermines the already existing distrust between civil society and public authorities.

This activity is part of the “Green Agenda Navigator” project, co-funded by the European Union. The project is implemented by Belgrade Open School in cooperation with six regional partners: the Aarhus Center Association, Eco-Team organization, Eco-Zone organization, the Center for Research and Environmental Information Eko-svest, the Organization for Nature Protection and Conservation in Albania, and the CEE Bankwatch Network.