The Ministry of Environmental Protection has formally established four Working Groups within the project “Continuation of support to the implementation of Chapter 27 in the field of nature protection (Natura 2000)” in the Republic of Serbia with the following nominated members of institutions:

  • Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia
  • PE “Vojvodinašume”
  • Institute for biological research “Siniša Stanković”
  • Ministry of Environmental Protection
  • Institute for Nature Conservation of Vojvodina Province
  • Faculty of Biology
  • Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management
  • Institute for forestry
  • Faculty of Forestry
  • Natural History Museum
  • NGO HabiProt
  • PE “NP Tara”
  • PE “Srbijašume”
  • WWF Adria Serbia
  • Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia
  • Young Researchers of Serbia

These working groups are proposed as the mechanism to consult, share, standardise and agree on the interpretations of the information and the steps implemented in regard to the identification and establishment of the Natura 2000 network in the Republic of Serbia. The working groups are intended to be a forum for cooperation and participation, and the main purpose is to streamline communication between main technical bodies and Natura 2000 stakeholders in the main areas. The working groups are expected to ensure (and improve) coordination among the various institutions and organisations. A shared commitment to agreed common aims develops among the parties as they work together to clarify issues, formulate strategies, and develop action plans.

The main responsibilities of working groups will be focused on technical and scientific work with the main goal to facilitate stakeholders’ consultations and guidance in disputed technical and scientific issues related to the establishment of the Natura 2000 network in Serbia and find generally accepted solutions.

Working group meetings will be used to fine-tune work planning, assess technical progress in the development of all steps and provide technical acceptance in order to ensure the consultation process, quality of collected information, assessments made and the relevance of proposed measures. The meetings and workshops will allow the opportunity to discuss obstacles and define clear and practical possibilities for project teamwork that can help Serbia improve the Natura 2000 preparations.