{"id":14143,"date":"2025-06-30T17:51:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/breathe-at-your-own-risk\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T18:52:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:52:36","slug":"breathe-at-your-own-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/breathe-at-your-own-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Breathe at your own risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"14143\" class=\"elementor elementor-14143 elementor-14060\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fa9ae6b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fa9ae6b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ef0d4e9 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\" data-id=\"ef0d4e9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70d4221 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"70d4221\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"123\" src=\"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-768x123.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-14064\" alt=\"EU za tebe\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-768x123.png 768w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-400x64.png 400w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-370x59.png 370w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-790x128.png 790w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-760x122.png 760w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-387x62.png 387w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom-500x80.png 500w, https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/LOGO-EU-sa-izjavom.png 796w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4ee57c45 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4ee57c45\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3193f82d sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\" data-id=\"3193f82d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27ec520d sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"27ec520d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Detailed analysis of air quality in the Republic of Serbia for 2024 reveals alarming exposure levels and legal non-compliance<\/b><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An in-depth analysis of the number of days in 2024 in which the legal annual limit of <\/span><b>35 days<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for <\/span><b>PM10 particles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was exceeded highlights the <\/span><b>serious degree of air pollution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> affecting the population. The data point to <\/span><b>continuous breaches of legal provisions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a persistent failure to implement effective public health protections.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>Popovac<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a settlement in eastern Serbia, a total of <\/span><b>174 days<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with PM10 levels above the legal limit were recorded\u2014representing an <\/span><b>excess of 497%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or roughly every other day of the year. Similar conditions were reported in several other cities:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Valjevo:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 132 days (377%)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Novi Pazar:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 128 days (366%)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>U\u017eice:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 117 days (334%)<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Kosjeri\u0107:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 113 days (323%)<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A review of government responses conducted by RERI reveals that <\/span><b>most of the planned measures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> outlined in the <\/span><b>Air Protection Program Action Plan (2022\u20132030)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were not implemented within the prescribed deadlines. This Program, which stipulates concrete actions, responsible institutions, and timelines, has not yielded results due to poor implementation. Although the adoption of a <\/span><b>new Law on Air Protection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was planned for the end of 2024, it was <\/span><b>not enacted<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, rendering key measures inapplicable. Ministries continue to delay their activities, citing the absence of a legal framework, while the government prolongs deadlines through the <\/span><b>National Programme for the Adoption of the EU Acquis (NPAA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This practice <\/span><b>undermines the planning system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and leaves the Program <\/span><b>without any operational effect<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in reducing pollution.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, the <\/span><b>new Law on Air Protection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> remains <\/span><b>unharmonized with Directive (EU) 2024\/2881<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 October 2024 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. As a result, Serbia remains:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without <\/span><b>binding targets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to reduce pollutant concentrations by 2030;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without <\/span><b>mandatory clean-up roadmaps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the most polluted zones;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without a <\/span><b>publicly accessible and comprehensive air quality monitoring system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without <\/span><b>guarantees of citizens\u2019 rights to legal protection and compensation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in case of health impairment;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without <\/span><b>deterrent and proportionate penalties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for polluters;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and out of alignment with <\/span><b>Chapter 27 \u2013 Environment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which governs EU accession obligations.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Law on Health Documentation and Records<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requires that all air pollution data be electronically available and verified by accredited laboratories. Yet in <\/span><b>Ni\u0161<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, this system is <\/span><b>non-functional<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The city stands as an example of <\/span><b>institutional collapse<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with non-existent data sharing, minimal monitoring, and <\/span><b>a completely unimplemented 2024 local air quality plan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This means that nearly <\/span><b>a quarter of a million people<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are breathing air of <\/span><b>unknown composition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on a daily basis, with <\/span><b>no guarantees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that what they inhale is not harmful. Moreover, instead of ten measuring stations, air quality is now monitored at <\/span><b>only two locations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the <\/span><b>City Administration of Ni\u0161 has admitted<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the 2024 Air Quality Control Program was not implemented because <\/span><b>no public procurement was initiated to contract a laboratory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><b>latest report by the European Environment Agency (2024)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, average annual concentrations of <\/span><b>PM2.5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Serbia were nearly <\/span><b>four times above the WHO guidelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, accounting for over <\/span><b>10,000 air pollution-related deaths<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and placing Serbia <\/span><b>among the worst-performing countries in Europe<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Republic of Serbia must recognize that <\/span><b>combating air pollution is no longer a sectoral issue<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but a <\/span><b>fundamental challenge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for public health, social justice, sustainability, and community safety. At a time when Europe clearly defines <\/span><b>air pollution as a public health priority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Serbia continues to <\/span><b>breathe in a legal vacuum<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, lacking both protection mechanisms and the political will to enact change. The <\/span><b>new EU Air Quality Directive (2024)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sets unequivocal standards: by 2030, <\/span><b>both EU Member States and candidate countries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> must adopt stricter limits for <\/span><b>PM2.5, PM10, and NO\u2082<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, establish <\/span><b>mandatory clean-up roadmaps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>strengthen access to justice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>ensure transparency of air quality data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. At present, Serbia is <\/span><b>unprepared\u2014legally, institutionally, and politically\u2014to meet these obligations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In light of the alarming air pollution data, the Republic of Serbia must:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">urgently adopt a <\/span><b>reformed legal framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in line with <\/span><b>Directive (EU) 2024\/2881<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">establish an <\/span><b>independent oversight body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to monitor air policy implementation;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">integrate <\/span><b>health risk assessment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into local environmental plans;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and ensure <\/span><b>digital transparency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in air quality monitoring systems.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Public health must no longer be collateral damage of slow and irresponsible policymaking.<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Download the full report:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Analiza-stanja-kvaliteta-vazduha-u-Republici-Srbiji-za-2024.-godinu.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>\u201cAir Quality Status Analysis in the Republic of Serbia for 2024\u201d<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Detailed analysis of air quality in the Republic of Serbia for 2024 reveals alarming exposure levels and legal non-compliance \u00a0\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":14076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1545],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14143"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14143"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14147,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14143\/revisions\/14147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reri.org.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}