Landing the EU acquis in the Western Balkans

The conference commenced with the welcome speeches given by RERI’s founder and lead attorney Jovan Rajić and Rodoljub Šabić, a member of RERI’s Managing Board.

Dr Ludwig Kramer from the University of Bremen and a member of RERI’s Advisory Board gave the inspiring insights into the essence of protection of environment through legal means highlighting the need for transparency, rule of law, as well as stronger legal frameworks to balance the power of corporations with citizen rights, while advocating for the role of lawyers in effectively applying environmental law. 

The second session for the day was a panel discussion which tackled the application of international and national legal standards in the protection of human rights and the environment. Dr. Jerzy Jendrośka, Professor at the University of Opole and a member of the Aarhus Convention’s Compliance Committee, discussed the public participation and access to justice in environmental decision-making under the Aarhus Convention and Espoo Convention, providing opportunity for the participants to learn from extensive practical examples. Peter Vajda, a senior environmental expert in the Energy Community Secretariat, focused on the challenges and shortcomings of the enforcement mechanisms within the Energy Community, which is regarded as one of the weakest points of the Energy Community legal framework. Miloš Laković, attorney at law and partner at Moravčević Vojnović i Partneri in cooperation with Schoenher, reviewed the challenges and solutions related to integrating renewable energy sources into Serbia’s electricity grid.

Highlights:

• While other sectors benefit from strong lobbies, the environment lacks social support, and the best ally for progress shall be  effective environmental law  with high transparency requirements, strong rule of law, accessible legal remedies for all, as well as widespread public discussions. 
• The Aarhus Convention stands as a key international standard for transparency, public participation and access to justice in environmental decision-making, while multilevel engagement and early public input remain equally important despite challenges in its implementation.
• The shortcomings of the Energy Community’s dispute settlement mechanism could possibly be overcome by stronger sanctions, judicial review and long-term reforms to improve compliance and effectiveness.
• Market-based incentives, balancing support for intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar and grid capacity limitations are the challenges that must be addressed in the Serbian renewable energy sector, particularly as renewable energy production increases from 3GW to 12GW, requiring careful planning and new regulatory mechanisms to ensure grid stability and cost predictability.