Serbia

Last Updated: 02 November 2011

Mine Ban Policy

The Republic of Serbia assumed the treaty commitments of the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro following the Republic of Montenegro’s declaration of independence in June 2006.[1] The former Serbia and Montenegro acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 18 September 2003, becoming a State Party on 1 March 2004.[2]

A new Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia entered into force on 1 January 2006. Articles 376 and 377 make the use, production, stockpiling, trade, and transfer of antipersonnel mines a criminal offense. These two provisions also specify penal sanctions.[3]

Serbia submitted its fifth Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report in 2011, covering calendar year 2010.[4]

Serbia attended the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in November–December 2010, as well as the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2011.

Serbia has reconfirmed the view of the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro that “mere participation” in military activities with states not party to the treaty, which engage in activities prohibited by the treaty, is not a treaty violation.[5]

Serbia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and ratified Amended Protocol II on landmines on 14 February 2011.

Production, transfer, and stockpile destruction

In 2007, Serbian officials reaffirmed that the former Serbia and Montenegro did not produce any type of landmine after 1990.[6] Serbia has stated that old facilities for mine production have been successfully transformed for production of resources for civilian purposes.[7] In the past, the former Serbia and Montenegro stated several times that mine exports halted in 1990.[8]

After Montenegro’s declaration of independence, the two countries continued the stockpile destruction process initiated by the former Serbia and Montenegro in 2005 as a project of the Ministry of Defense and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA).[9]

On 7 May 2007, Serbia completed the destruction of 1,404,819 antipersonnel mines stockpiled by both Serbia and Montenegro. An additional 10 mines were found and destroyed shortly thereafter. Of the 1,404,829 mines destroyed, a total of 1,205,442 were held in the Republic of Serbia and 199,387 in the Republic of Montenegro.[10] Destruction was completed well in advance of the treaty deadlines of 1 March 2008 for Serbia and 1 April 2011 for Montenegro.

In 2010 and 2011, Serbia reported retaining a total of 3,159 antipersonnel mines for training and development purposes under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty.[11]

Serbia initially stated in May 2007, upon completion of its stockpile destruction, that 5,565 antipersonnel mines would be retained.[12] In 2007, according to NAMSA, 1,839 of these 5,565 mines did not have fuzes.[13] In 2009, Serbia reported that it retained 3,589 mines, a decrease of 1,976 mines from the end of 2007, and stated that it had destroyed another 1,940 mines and consumed five more in training.[14]

[1] Following a referendum on independence on 21 May 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared independence on 3 June, and Montenegro was accepted as a member of the UN on 28 June. Montenegro deposited its instrument of accession to the Mine Ban Treaty on 23 October 2006.

[2] Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. See also the separate profile for Kosovo.

[3] During the State Union before Montenegro’s independence, each Republic had separate legislative authority to implement the treaty. See Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 633, for details on the penal code, articles 376 and 377, and the sanctions.

[4] Previous were submitted on 27 December 2006 (due 30 April 2006), then in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

[5] In a 30 June 2006 letter to the UN Secretary-General, Serbia stated that “all declarations, reservations and notifications made by Serbia and Montenegro will be maintained by the Republic of Serbia until the Secretary-General, as depositary, is duly notified otherwise.” Upon acceding to the treaty, Serbia and Montenegro made a Declaration that “it is the understanding of Serbia and Montenegro that the mere participation in the planning or conduct of operations, exercises or any other military activities by the armed forces of Serbia and Montenegro, or by any of its nationals, if carried out in conjunction with armed forces of the non-State Parties (to the Convention), which engage in activities prohibited under the Convention, does not in any way imply an assistance, encouragement or inducement as referred to in subparagraph 1 (c) of the Convention.”

[6] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Department for Defense Technology, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 21 March 2006; and interview with Mladen Mijovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgrade, 16 March 2007.

[7] Statement by Col. Dr. Jugoslav Radulovic, Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Ministry of Defense, Ceremony on the Occasion of Closing the Project for Destruction of Antipersonnel Landmines in Serbia, Belgrade, 16 May 2007.

[8] Letter from Maj.-Gen. Dobrosav Radovanovic, Assistant Minister of Defense, Sector of International Military Cooperation and Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense, 29 January 2003; and see also, Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 789.

[9] Interview with Zoran Dimitrijevic, Local Representative, NAMSA, Belgrade, 5 March 2007; and “Last Balkan mine stockpiles destroyed under NATO-supported project,” NATO News, 16 May 2007.

[10] The mines destroyed included: 294,823 PMA-1; 169,400 PMA-2; 307,969 PMA-3; 580,411 PMR-2A; 4,787 PMR-3; 44,083 PROM-1; and 3,356 VS-50. See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 608.

[11] All mines retained for training are held by the Ministry of Defense: 500 PMA-1, 610 PMA-2, 545 PMA-3, 504 PMR-2A, 500 PMR-3; and 500 PROM-1. Serbia reports that all fuses for the PMA-1 and PMA-3 mines have been removed and destroyed. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2010), Form B; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2009), Form B.

[12] A Ministry of Defense official told the Monitor in March 2006 that the General Staff “would probably” order all retained mines to be destroyed at the end of the stockpile destruction program. In its December 2006 Article 7 report, Serbia reported that only 5,307 mines would be retained for training, all by the Ministry of Interior. In its Article 7 report submitted in 2008, Serbia reported that same number and types of mines as being transferred for training by the Ministry of Interior (presumably to the Ministry of Defense). See Landmine Monitor Report 2008, pp. 618–619.

[13] This includes all 629 PMA-1 mines and all 1,210 PMA-3 mines. Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, 25 May 2007; and email from Graham Goodrum, Technical Officer, NAMSA, 25 June 2007.

[14] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2008), Form D. The difference of 31 mines (1,976 versus 1,945) is not explained, apart from a remark in the report stating “Differences of APMs due to the administrative mistake.” Five PMA-3 mines were used for testing deminers’ boots in February 2009. A total of 450 PMA-2, 490 PMA-3, 500 PMR-3, and 500 PROM-1 were transferred for destruction in April 2008 and destroyed in November 2008.

Last Updated: 30 July 2012

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

The Republic of Serbia has not yet acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, even though it played an important role in the Oslo Process that produced the convention.

In September 2011, Serbian officials informed the CMC that Serbia’s accession to the Convention on Cluster Munitions was being considered and said that Serbia would join “sooner than expected.”[1] In April 2012, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated that no new developments were expected with respect to Serbia’s accession until at least the second half of 2012 due to elections held on 6 May 2012.[2] Previously, in February 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that accession to the convention was being considered.[3]

In August 2009, local media reported that the General Staff of the Serbian Army had made a recommendation to the National Security Council that Serbia not sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions, thus stopping all further actions directed towards joining the convention. According to the media reports, Minister of Defense Dragan Šutanovac stated that the Army could not give up cluster munitions because it did not have the capacity to destroy and replace existing stockpiles.[4] Serbia played a leadership role throughout the Oslo Process, most notably by hosting a conference for states affected by cluster munitions in Belgrade in October 2007.[5] It actively participated in the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008 and joined in the consensus adoption of the convention text at the conclusion. However, Serbia attended the Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference in Oslo in December 2008 only as an observer, and did not at the time provide an explanation for not signing.

Serbia has engaged in some meetings of the Convention on Cluster Munitions since 2008. It participated in the convention’s Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011 as an observer, and while it did not make any statements at the meeting, the Serbia delegation met with the CMC to discuss its views on joining the convention. Serbia did not attend intersessional meetings of the convention held in Geneva in June 2011 and April 2012.

Serbia attended a regional workshop on the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Rakitje, Croatia in May 2012.

Civil society from Serbia, including cluster munition survivors, participated in the convention’s Second Meeting of States Parties and intersessional meetings and continue to advocate for Serbia to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions without delay.[6]

Serbia is a party to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Serbia is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). Serbia attended the CCW’s Fourth Review Conference in Geneva in November 2011, but did not actively engage in the negotiations on the chair’s draft text of a CCW protocol on cluster munitions. The Review Conference ended without reaching agreement on the draft protocol and with no official proposals to continue negotiations in 2012, thus marking the end of the CCW’s work on cluster munitions.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Cluster munitions were used by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) as well as ethnic militias and secessionist forces during the conflicts resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia starting in 1991. During the 1998–1999 conflict in Kosovo, aircraft from the Netherlands, United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) dropped cluster bombs in Serbia and Kosovo during the NATO air campaign.[7] During the Kosovo conflict, forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia also launched several cluster rocket attacks into border regions controlled by Albania.

In October 2007, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremić stated that Serbia was considering enacting a unilateral moratorium on the use of cluster munitions.[8] In February 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the proposed moratorium was no longer being discussed as it falls under general discussions on joining the convention.[9]

On 6 July 2011, the Ministry of Defense stated that the “Republic of Serbia is not a producer of cluster munitions.”[10] In 2009, Serbia stated that it does not have the capacity to produce cluster munitions and has not produced cluster munitions since the dissolution of the SFRY.[11] According to standard reference works, Serbia was thought to have inherited some of those production capabilities.[12]

As of June 2012, a number of Serbian companies were advertising surface-to-surface rocket launchers, rockets, and artillery that could be used with either unitary warheads or submunitions.[13]

The Center for Weapons Testing of Serbia’s Ministry of Defense published an article describing a “very demanding testing” of Orkan rockets on 22 March 2011 at its Nikinci firing range, but it is not known if submunitions were used as Orkan rockets are capable of firing both cluster and unitary munitions.[14]

In February 2011, the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development informed the Monitor that it has no records in its database of any foreign trade involving cluster munitions in the period from 2005 to 2010.[15]

The precise size and composition of Serbia’s stockpile of cluster munitions is not known, but it is thought to be a large stockpile including air-delivered cluster bombs, ground-launched rockets, and artillery projectiles. Jane’s Information Group lists Serbia as possessing BL-755 cluster bombs.[16] Assuming Serbia’s stockpile contains cluster munitions that were produced by Yugoslavia, it may also possess 120mm M93 mortar projectiles (containing 23 KB-2 submunitions), 152mm 3-O-23 artillery projectiles (containing 63 KB-2 submunitions) and 262mm M87 Orkan surface-to-surface rockets (containing 288 KB-1 submunitions). KB submunitions are the dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) type. It may also possess RAB-120 and KPT-150 cluster bombs.[17]

[1] CMC meeting with Zoran Vujić, Head of Department of Security Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Convention on Cluster Munitions, Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 13 September 2011.

[2] CMC meeting with Vesna Filipovic-Nikolic, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the UN in Geneva, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 19 April 2012.

[3] Email from Zoran Vujić, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sector for Security Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 February 2011.

[4]“Kasetna municija nenadoknadiva” (Cluster munitions indispensable), B92, 27 August 2009, http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=27&nav_category=11&nav_id=378365.

[5] For more details on Serbia’s cluster munition policy and practice through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 236–238.

[6] For example, to mark the first anniversary of the entry into force of the convention in August 2011, Assistance Advocacy Access–Serbia (AAA-S) in cooperation with a number of local organizations of war victims conducted a “Join the Team” campaigning action. AAA-S and Mine Aid-Croatia organized a sitting volleyball match in cooperation with sports clubs “Smeč” (Serbia) and “Sisak” (Croatia) in Belgrade on 30 July 2011. Other sporting events followed in August 2011, ending with a fishing tournament on 3 September 2011 in Kragujevac. Email from Jelena Vicentic, Executive Director, AAA-S, 19 June 2012.

[7] Human Rights Watch, “Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign,” Vol. 12, No. 1(D), February 2000; NPA, “Yellow Killers: The Impact of Cluster Munitions in Serbia and Montenegro,” 2007; and NPA, “Report on the Impact of Unexploded Cluster Munitions in Serbia,” January 2009.

[8] “Cluster Bomb Conference in Belgrade,” B92 News (Belgrade), 3 October 2007.

[9] Email from Vujic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 February 2011.

[10] Letter from the Public Relations Department, Ministry of Defense, 6 July 2011.

[11] Letter No. 235/1 from Dr. Slobodan Vukcevic, Permanent Mission of Serbia to the UN in Geneva, 9 February 2009.

[12] See Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), p. 238.

[13] On its website, Engine Development and Production Serbia (EDEPRO Serbia) advertises improvements to the range of Orkan surface-to-surface rockets. On its website, Yugoimport–SDPR also advertises artillery that could fire cluster munitions. An upgraded version of the OGANJ called the LRSVM (Self-Propelled Multiple Modular Rocket Launcher, Lanser Raketa Samohodni Višecevni Modularni), capable of delivering both cluster and unitary munitions, is advertised as “current project” at the Military-Technical Institute’s website: http://www.vti.mod.gov.rs/index.php?view=actuality&type=projects&category=1&id=75. Email from Jelena Vicentic, AAA-S, 26 June 2012.

[14] Mira Švedić, “Velika obnova” (The great renewal), Odbrana, Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defense, 1 April 2011.

[15] According to the Ministry, publicly available reports on the transfers of controlled goods for 2005–2006, 2007, and 2008 provide sufficient evidence that there were no imports or exports of cluster munitions. While the reports for 2009 and 2010 had yet to be published, the Ministry stated that it could confirm that there were no records in its database of licenses issued in 2009 or 2010 for the import or export of cluster munitions. Email from Jasmina Roskić, Head of Division for Agreements on Bilateral Promotion and Protection of Investments, Concessions, and Foreign Trade in Controlled Goods, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, 16 February 2011. See also, “Annual Report on the Realization of Foreign Trade Transfers of Controlled Goods for 2005 and 2006,” Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Belgrade, 2007; “Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2007,” Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Belgrade, 2009; and “Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2008,” Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Belgrade, 2010.

[16] Robert Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2004), p. 845.

[17] For information on Yugoslav production of these weapons see, Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2004), p. 291; Terry J. Gandler and Charles Q. Cutshaw, eds., Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2001–2002 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2001), p. 641; Leland S. Ness and Anthony G. Williams, eds., Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2007–2008 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2007), pp. 598–599, 720; and, US Defense Intelligence Agency, “Improved Conventional Munitions and Selected Controlled-Fragmentation Munitions (Current and Projected) DST-1160S-020-90.”

Last Updated: 11 September 2012

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

Serbia’s mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) problem is a legacy of the armed conflict associated with the break-up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Serbia has a relatively small mine problem confined to its southern border with Kosovo but a much larger problem of cluster munition remnants and unexploded ordnance (UXO), including aircraft bombs and rockets.[1]

Mines

A general survey completed by the Serbian Mine Action Centre (SMAC) in 2002 found minefields with a mixture of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines covering a total of 6.2km² in Sid municipality on the border with Croatia. After seven years of survey and clearance operations Serbia completed clearance of those mines on 10 November 2009.[2]

However, a survey conducted by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in 2010−2011 confirmed mine hazards at 10 locations totaling 1.39km² in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo and identified 53 suspect hazardous areas (SHAs) in the same municipalities covering about 2km². The survey is continuing.[3]

Cluster munition remnants

Serbia’s cluster munition contamination results from NATO air strikes in 1999. According to Serbia, NATO cluster munitions struck 16 municipalities (Brus, Bujanovac, Čačak, Gadžin Han, Kraljevo, Knić, Kuršumlija, Leposavić, Niš city-Crveni Krst, Niš city-Medijana, Preševo, Raška, Sjenica, Sopot, Stara Pazova, and Vladimirci).[4]

A survey started by NPA in 2007 and still in progress as of June 2012 had confirmed 165 hazardous areas totaling 11.85km² and identified 221 SHAs totaling some 5.73km². SMAC believed further investigation would reduce the extent of SHAs and the affected area would total about 13km².[5]

Other explosive remnants of war

NATO air strikes in 1999 also scattered unexploded bombs across Serbia. At the June 2011 Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, Serbia stated that some 64 unexploded aircraft bombs or rockets weighing up to 930kg can be found at 44 locations at depths of up to 20 meters in the ground, as well as in the beds of the Danube and Sava rivers.[6]

Serbia also has to deal with large quantities of naval mines and other items of UXO that were on board German World War II-era vessels which sank in the Danube river, in the vicinity of Prahovo, in 1944. The position of the sunken vessels and UXO was pinpointed in a general survey of the area in 2006, which identified 22 war vessels, finding sea mines and other items of UXO on four of them.[7]

An explosion at a Ministry of Defense ammunition storage area in Paraćin on 19 October 2006 resulted in contamination of surrounding areas with UXO and led to classification of Paraćin and Ćuprija as SHAs. At the end of 2010, SMAC estimated an area of 6km² was contaminated by UXO and by the start of 2012 some 4.5km² remained to be cleared.[8]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Body	Situation on 1 January 2012
National Mine Action Authority	None
Mine action center	Serbian Mine Action Centre (SMAC)
International demining operators	NGO: NPA Commercial: DOK-ING razminiranje, Enigma, UXB Balkans, EMERCOM
National demining operators	PMC Inzenjering, Saturnia

SMAC was established on 7 March 2002. The Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries passed in August 2004 identified the center as a legal independent entity (not part of a ministry), and made it responsible for humanitarian demining, the collection and management of mine/UXO-related information (including casualty data), and for surveying SHAs. It also has the mandate to plan demining projects, conduct quality control and monitor operations, ensure implementation of international standards, license demining organizations, and warn the population about mine/UXO dangers.[9]

SMAC does not conduct demining directly or employ deminers; it conducts survey of areas suspected to be contaminated by mines, cluster munition remnants, or other ERW. Demining is conducted in accordance with international standards by commercial companies and NGOs, after being selected through public tender procedures, which are executed by the International Trust Fund to Enhance Human Security (ITF).[10]

There is no separate national mine action authority. Serbia does not have a strategic plan for addressing its mine/ERW problem, but produces annual plans that are approved by the government. Planning mostly depends on available funding.[11]

Land Release

Serbia released a total of 4.69km² in 2011, mainly as a result of survey. The total is substantially more than the 1.43km² released in 2010. Clearance of cluster munition remnants and other battle area clearance accounted for a total of 1.69km.[12] In addition, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) non-technical survey resulted in the cancelation of 3.5km² of cluster contaminated land and 40,481m² of land previously suspected to be contaminated by mines.[13] No mine clearance was conducted in 2011, the same as the year before.

Five-year summary of clearance

Year	Mined area cleared (km²)	Battle area cleared (km²)
2011	0	1.69
2010	0	0.59
2009	1.68	0.53
2008	1.09	1.07
2007	1.04	0.31
Totals	3.81	4.19

Survey in 2011

NPA completed a survey of Bujanovac and Preševo municipalities, started in 2010, identifying 10 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) covering a total of 1.39km² and another 53 SHAs in a total area estimated at about 2km².[14]

Mine clearance in 2011

For the second successive year, no mine clearance took place in Serbia in 2011. In 2010, SMAC said it was because survey teams had not completed preparation of any demining tasks.[15] In May 2012, at the Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, Serbia said it had prepared demining tasks,[16] but SMAC reported there was no funding available in 2011.[17] SMAC hoped funding would become available in 2012 to allow completion of one task involving 88,032m².[18]

Compliance with Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Serbia is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2014.

Despite the lack of mine clearance in the past two years, Serbia said it expected some clearance to take place in 2012 and hoped to receive sufficient donor support to complete its Article 5 obligations within the deadline.[19]

Clearance of cluster-munition-contaminated areas in 2011

The number of organizations engaged in cluster munitions clearance dropped from four to three in 2011, but the area cleared increased by 42% in 2011 as a result of much higher clearance by NPA. Starting at the end of April and operating with 34 clearance staff, NPA had cleared 0.61km² in the Municipality of Kuršumlija by the end of the year under a three-year program for clearing Bujanovac, Kuršumlija, and Preševo municipalities, with funding from Norway. In addition to 62 submunitions, NPA destroyed 12 items of UXO.[20]

SMAC reported plans to clear a total of 0.69km² on Kopaonik mountain in 2012 with United States funding through the ITF which had been held over from the previous year.[21]

Clearance of cluster munition remnants in 2011[22]

Operator	Area cleared (m²)	Submunitions destroyed
NPA	614,038	62
PMC Inzenjering	174,705	10
UXB Balkans	363,007	19
Totals	1,151,750	91

Battle area clearance in 2011

A joint venture between Emercom of Russia and Saturnia continued operations around Paraćin, clearing a total of 0.54 km², marginally less than in 2010 (0.59 km²).[23]

Battle area clearance in 2011

Operator	BAC (km²)	No. of UXO destroyed
Emercom/Saturnia	0.54	374
Totals	0.54	374

Quality management

Quality assurance is conducted by SMAC and the police, each with two inspectors.[24]

Safety of demining personnel

No demining or cluster munitions clearance accidents were reported in 2011.[25]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

There is no risk education program in Serbia, although SMAC is responsible for warning the population about mine/UXO dangers.[26] SMAC reports that marking is conducted during survey. For that purpose, it developed a new bilingual UXO/submunition warning sign in Serbian and Albanian in 2008.[27]

^{^[1]} Statement of Serbia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 21 June 2011; and interview with Petar Mihajlović, Director, and Slađana Košutić, International Cooperation Advisor, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

^{^[2]} Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

[3] Statement of Serbia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[4] Ibid., 21 June 2011; and interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

[5] Interview with Slađana Košutić, SMAC, in Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[6] Statement of Serbia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 21 June 2011; and interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

^{^[7]} Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

[8] Interview with Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

^{^[9]} “Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries,” Official Gazette, 84/04, August 2004; and interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 26 April 2010.

[10] Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 26 April 2010.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Email from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 23 July 2012.

[13] Email from Emil Jeremic, Regional Director South East Europe, NPA, 27 July 2012.

[14] Email from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 23 July 2012.

[15] Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 26 April 2010.

[16] Statement of Serbia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[17] Interview with Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[18] Email from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, 23 July 2012.

[19] Statement of Serbia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[20] Emails from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, 23 July 2012; Emil Jeremic, NPA, 27 July 2012; and Vanja Sicirica, MAP Serbia Program Manager, NPA, 3 August 2012.

[21] Email from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 23 July 2012.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 25 March 2011.

[25] Email from Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 31 July 2012.

^{^[26]} “Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries,” Official Gazette, 84/04, August 2004; and SMAC, “Solving Mine Clearance Problems in the Republic of Serbia,” Belgrade, 26 February 2008.

[27] Interview with Petar Mihajlović and Slađana Košutić, SMAC, Belgrade, 26 April 2010.

Last Updated: 26 September 2012

Casualties and Victim Assistance

No casualties from mines, explosive remnants of war (ERW), or cluster munitions remnants were confirmed in Serbia in 2011.[1] In 2012, the media reported 11 casualties in two separate incidents. In June, two army cadets were killed and seven were injured when an item of ERW exploded. The incident occurred on a military training ground.[2] On 1 August, a cluster submunition exploded during military clearance operations on Mt. Kopaonik, killing two military deminers. This incident also occurred on military property, while the adjacent land, a ski resort which had previously had some clearance, was also found to be contaminated by submunitions.[3]

In 2010, two boys were injured in an explosion in Nis, an area known to be affected by cluster munitions remnants. The device type causing the explosion was unknown and so the incident was not included in the total of mine or ERW casualties.[4] Prior to the 2012 casualties, three ERW casualties reported in 2008 had been the last confirmed casualties in Serbia.[5] The last confirmed mine casualties were reported in 2005. Annual casualty figures have declined following a peak in 1999 and 2000.[6]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Serbia is not known. In 2004, 1,360 casualties (24 killed; 1336 injured) were reported between 1992 and 2000 by Serbia and Montenegro.[7]

At least 78 casualties occurred during NATO cluster munitions strikes in Serbia. A further 16 casualties were caused by unexploded submunitions between 1999 and 2006. Cluster munitions are estimated to have caused more than 100 unreported casualties in Serbia during strikes on Nis. In addition, unexploded submunitions are known to have caused casualties in several regions, which were not reported to the authorities.[8] A survey by Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) identified 191 cluster munitions casualties (31 killed; 160 injured) for the period between 1999 and 2008, but details were not provided and the report did not differentiate between casualties during strikes and those caused by unexploded submunitions.[9] In August 2012, two cluster munition casualties were identified through media reports.[10]

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors in Serbia is not known[11] but has been estimated to be between 1,300 and 8,000.[12]

Victim assistance since 1999

Since Monitor reporting began in 1999, progress on victim assistance in Serbia has been extremely limited. First planned in 2004 and cited as a priority for several years thereafter, a comprehensive government database of mine/ERW casualties and the needs of survivors had not been developed as of early 2012.[13] In 2012, Assistance Advocacy Access–Serbia (AAAS), a national survivors’ association founded in 2010, completed a national survivor needs assessment. Although a state victim assistance committee was formed on paper, through June 2012 Serbia lacked effective coordination among governmental bodies responsible for the provision of victim assistance and the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities as well as a national victim assistance plan. Survivors reported that the greatest progress overall was seen in the development of laws meant to protect their rights and provide access to services, though implementation was absent.

From 1999, the quality of medical and physical rehabilitation services deteriorated while government social and economic reintegration programs for survivors ended. Survivors groups reported that bureaucratic procedures over this period made it increasingly difficult to access rehabilitation services. At the same time, pensions for disabled veterans were significantly reduced. Despite equal opportunity laws, unemployment among survivors and other persons with disabilities remained high in early 2012.[14]

For several years, the local association of survivors Dobra Volja (Goodwill) provided psychosocial support and other services until its closure in 2009 due to a lack of both funds and state support. Numerous local survivor associations exist to provide peer support and advocate for members rights, though they have limited financial resources or none at all. Since 2010, AAAS worked with local survivor associations to carry out national advocacy.

Victim Assistance in 2011

For the first time, Serbia announced plans in late 2011 to begin developing a national victim assistance plan. A minimal increase in access to some services, such as emergency medical care and inclusion in education, was noted by survivor groups, mainly due to an increase in awareness of survivors’ rights following the strengthening of legal frameworks that relate to persons with disabilities.[15] However, at least one organization found that access to services in rural areas had declined in 2011.[16]

Assessing victim assistance needs

Limited efforts were made by the Serbian government in 2011 to identify survivors or assess their needs. As of the end of the year, a centralized database of veterans with disabilities, established in 2009, was being tested.[17] The data was supposed to be collected to support the work of the victim assistance focal point.[18] However, a study published in November 2011 concluded that the Serbian government lacked basic information about survivors and that estimates of casualties during the wars of the 1990s, including those caused by mines/ERW, were imprecise.[19]

AAAS followed up its 2010 survey of regional associations of civilian war victims and disabled military veterans with a national needs assessment of mine/ERW survivors through local survivor groups. The needs assessment, which began in March 2011,[20] was officially completed in April 2012. Findings of the needs assessment were planned for release in late 2012 and are expected to provide information on the services available to survivors, their needs and the challenges they face in gaining recognition of their status or receiving their entitlements. The data collected will be available to organizations that participated in the assessment and the general public.[21]

A national census conducted in October 2011 contained 10 questions on severity of disability, use of assistive devices, and employment history. Reportedly, the information collected was to be used to further develop disability policies and institutional support for social inclusion of persons with disabilities,[22] with the findings of the census to be published in 2013.[23]

Victim assistance coordination

Government coordinating body/focal point	Special Hospital for Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Prosthetics (SHROP)
Coordinating mechanism	None
Plan	None

In 2011, no meetings between the victim assistance focal point and other relevant stakeholders within the government were reported and no victim assistance plan had been developed. Throughout 2011, the position of the victim assistance focal point, appointed in 2010, had not yet been officially mandated nor its duties and responsibilities defined.[24] In December 2011, initial steps toward drafting a victim assistance plan were approved by the Ministry of Health.[25] By May 2012, the Ministry of Health agreed to request data held by the Sector for Protection of Veterans with Disability, which identifies veterans receiving disability benefits, to support the development of the plan.[26] One reason cited for minimal progress in victim assistance coordination and planning was a “lack of pressure from the neighboring countries and victim assistance experts from abroad.”[27]

No information was available from the Ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs or Labor and Social Policy regarding their coordination with the victim assistance focal point.[28] The needs of mine/ERW survivors, including civilians, were not considered to be part of the mandate of the Sector for Protection of Persons with Disabilities.[29]

The Sector for Protection of Persons with Disability, within the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, is the focal point for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). As of May 2012, the national working group to monitor the implementation of the CRPD had not yet been formed, although its formation had been announced in December 2010.[30]

Survivor inclusion and participation

In 2011, the government reported that cooperation had increased with the NGO sector and survivor organizations, including efforts to raise awareness about available services among survivors.[31] The development of a national plan for victim assistance was to include the participation of representatives of mine survivor associations.[32] Survivors assessed the needs of other survivors and provided legal aid, peer support, and other assistance to other survivors through local survivor and disability groups.[33]

The Office of the Ombudsman found that “in spite of the synchronization of the national legislation with the international standards for protection of persons with disabilities,” concrete actions to promote inter-sectoral cooperation and an inclusive multi-stakeholder approach to address disability issues were absent.[34] Neither persons with disabilities nor the organizations, which represent them, were involved in the process of developing accessibility regulations for new construction.[35]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[36]

Name of organization	Type of organization	Type of activity	Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2011
SHROP	Government	Physical rehabilitation	Ongoing education for prosthetists and orthotics in cooperation with Human Study and the University of Don Bosco, provision of physical rehabilitation services
Sector for Protection of Veterans with Disability, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy	Government	Support for physical rehabilitation of disabled veterans	Ongoing
Civilian War Victims Association	Local NGO	Data collection, advocacy of rights and legal assistance, peer support and social inclusion	Ongoing
Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia	Local NGO	Data collection, advocacy of members’ rights	Ongoing
Awakening	Local NGO	Mental health advocacy, peer and psychological support	Initiated cooperation with local psychiatric hospital for peer counselor training, self-help groups
Association of Persons with Disabilities and Socially Marginalized Citizens	Local NGO	Medical and social services, legal and administrative support	Reduction of staffing at local health clinic caused reduction in related services
Action and Aid	Local NGO	Psychological and support	Began psychological support training program
AAAS	National NGO	Survivor needs assessment, advocacy	Conducted survivor needs assessment; continued advocacy on survivors’ rights

Regulations for orthopedic care for disabled veterans were passed to simplify access to these services;[37] however, a veteran group reported that accessing physical rehabilitation services had instead become more complicated and time-consuming in recent years.[38]

Unemployment remains a serious problem for persons with disabilities, despite the new Law on the Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which introduced an employment quota for persons with disabilities in 2010.[39] As of March 2012, 79% of those persons with disabilities registered with the National Employment Agency since the law came into force remained unemployed.[40] It was reported that the government was not fulfilling employment quotas for persons with disabilities, though these were being better enforced in the private sector.[41] Survivors’ and disabled persons’ organizations also noted that there was limited progress in economic inclusion.[42]

There was a small increase in the availability of psychological and peer support as two local groups, Awakening and Action and Aid, began new programs in this area.[43] However, the Civilian War Victims Association faced reduced funding in 2012 that threatened their ability to continue providing these services.[44]

In March 2012, technical regulations on accessibility were passed to provide all information necessary to ensure physical accessibility of all buildings and public areas.[45] However, it was found that these standards were less stringent than those in other countries of the region and that they failed to provide standards for the modification of existing structures nor were they being used as a prerequisite for approval of new construction projects. Furthermore, the development of the new regulations lacked input from persons with disabilities or the organizations that represent them.[46] Overall, little progress was seen in the removal of physical barriers preventing the inclusion of persons with disabilities.[47]

In general, information regarding the rights of persons with disability was not widely available, relevant institutions were found to be inaccessible to the population they were mandated to serve, and legislation intended to protect them lacked a means of enforcement.[48] Other new laws were seen as positive on paper but were not yet being implemented throughout the country.[49]

Serbia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 31 July 2009.

[1] Fax from Petrovic Dragan, Officer in Charge, Bureau for Information of Public Importance, Cabinet of the Minister, Ministry of Interior, 3 May 2012; and Monitor media review 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011.

[2] R. Dragovic, “Pasuljanske meadows: A grenade killed two and injured seven cadets”, Novosti, 18 June 2012, www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/aktuelno.291.html:384699-Pasuljanske-livade-Granata-ubila-dvoje-i-ranila-sedmoro-kadeta; “Suspension of officers due to the tragedy,” B92 (Belgrade), 18 June 2012, www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2012&mm=06&dd=18&nav_category=16&nav_id=619360; and “Pasuljanske meadows: Errors were many, but whose?” Novosti, 22 June 2012, www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/aktuelno.291.html:385415-Pasuljanske-livade-Gresaka-bilo-mnogo-ali-cijih.

[3] The submunition was identified as a remnant from NATO bombing in 1999. “Army chief says cluster bomb deaths ‘his responsibility’,” B92 (Kopaonik), 1 August 2012, www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=08&dd=01&nav_id=81566; “2 Serb Soldiers Killed in Cluster Bomb Explosion,” ABCNews (Belgrade), 1 August 2012, www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/serb-soldiers-killed-cluster-bomb-explosion-16902818#.UBlyoPXeJsV; “The explosion in Kopaonik, Diković: I am responsible,” Novosti (Belgrade), 1 August 2012, www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/aktuelno.291.html:390925-Kopaonik-Poginula-dva-podoficira-Vojske-Srbije; and “News”, (“Vesti”) television program, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), 1 August 2012.

[4] “Decaci povredjeni u eksploziji u Nisu” (“Boys injured in an explosion in Nis”), Juzne vesti (Nis), 30 May 2010, www.juznevesti.com.

[5] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2009: Toward a Mine-Free World (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada: October 2009), www.the-monitor.org.

[6] Email from Srecko Gavrilovic, Ministry of Defense, 13 July 2009; and NPA, “Report on the impact of unexploded cluster submunitions in Serbia,” (NPA: Belgrade, January 2009), pp. 40–41.

[7] This figure includes 260 mine survivors registered in Montenegro. Presentation by Serbia and Montenegro, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 10 February 2004; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 25 October 2004.

[8] NPA, “Yellow Killers, the Impact of Cluster Munitions in Serbia and Montenegro,” (NPA: Belgrade, January 2007), pp. 39, 56.

[9] NPA, “Report on the impact of unexploded cluster submunitions in Serbia,” (NPA: Belgrade, January 2009), p. 10.

[10] “Army chief says cluster bomb deaths ‘his responsibility’,” B92 (Kopaonik), 1 August 2012, www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=08&dd=01&nav_id=81566; “2 Serb Soldiers Killed in Cluster Bomb Explosion,” ABCNews (Belgrade), 1 August 2012, www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/serb-soldiers-killed-cluster-bomb-explosion-16902818#.UBlyoPXeJsV; “The explosion in Kopaonik, Diković: I am responsible,” Novosti (Belgrade), 1 August 2012, www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/aktuelno.291.html:390925-Kopaonik-Poginula-dva-podoficira-Vojske-Srbije.

[11] Statement of Serbia, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.

[12] Presentation by Serbia and Montenegro, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 10 February 2004; and “Zaboravljene zrtve mina” (“Mine Victims Forgotten”), Politika (Daily newspaper), 3 September 2009.

[13] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 25 October 2004; Statements of Serbia at the Eighth Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Jordan, 21 November 2007; Ninth Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 28 November 2008; Tenth Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 1 December 2010; Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011. In each statement Serbia has made since 2007, gathering information on survivors and their needs has been cited as a priority.

[14] “Osobe sa invaliditetom teško do posla” (“Hard to get employed for persons with disabilities”), Zoran Glavonjić, Slobodna Evropa, Belgrade, 12 March 2012.

[15] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Secretary, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012, and Jovica Pavlovic, Secretary, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011; telephone interview with Jelena Vicentic, Executive Director, AAAS, 15 May 2012.

[16] Emails from Milena Zivkovic, Administrator, Association of Persons with Disabilities and Socially Marginalized Citizens, Gadzin Han, 16 May 2012, and from Milena Zivkovic, Association of Persons with Disabilities and Socially Marginalized Citizens, Gadzin Han, 16 May 2012.

[17] Statement of Serbia, Mine Ban Treaty, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 23 May 2012; “Izveštaj o radu Ministarstva rada i socijalne politike za period, 1 Januar-31 Decembar 2011,” (“Report on activities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy for the period 1 January-31 December 2011”), January 2012, Belgrade, www.minrzs.gov.rs/cms/; Meeting between Petar Bulat, Deputy Minister of Health, Igor Simanić, SHROP Victim Assistance Focal Point and Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 16 May 2012, Belgrade: notes from the meeting provided via email from Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 17 May 2012.

[18] Meeting between Petar Bulat, Deputy Minister of Health, Igor Simanić, SHROP Victim Assistance Focal Point and Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 16 May 2012, Belgrade: notes from the meeting provided via email from Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 17 May 2012.

[19] “Srbija jedina u regionu nema podatke o broju poginulih u ratovima devedesetih” (“Serbia the only country in the region with no data on persons killed in the wars of the nineties”), Nadežda Radović, newspaper Danas, 18 November 2011,www.danas.rs/dodaci/vikend/srbija_jedina_u_regionu_nema_podatke_o_broju_poginulih_u_ratovima_devedesetih.26.html?news_id=228383.

[20] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012; and Jovica Pavlovic, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011; interviews with Svetlana Bogdanovic, Administrative Officer, and Aleksandar Sekulic, Finance Officer, AAAS, Belgrade, 4 April 2011.

[21] Telephone interview with Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 15 May 2012.

[22] “Redovan godišnji izveštaj zaštitnika građana za Redovan godišnji izveštaj zaštitnika građana za Godinu 2011 (“Annual Report of the Ombudsman for year 2011”), Belgrade, 15 March 2012, www.ombudsman.rs/attachments/Redovan godisnji izvestaj Zastitnika gradjana za 2011 godinu.pdf.

[23] Popis – Srbija 2011- Kalendar publikacija, (Census – Serbia 2011 – Calendar of publications) official website of the national census in Serbia, 16 March 2012, www.popis2011.stat.rs/?lang=cir.

[24] Email from Igor Simanić, SHROP, 8 April 2011; Interview with the Serbian Delegation at the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Meeting between Petar Bulat, Igor Simanić, SHROP Victim Assistance Focal Point and Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 16 May 2012, Belgrade: notes from the meeting provided via email from Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 17 May 2012.

[27] Interview with the Serbian delegation to the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011. In response to queries about developing the victim assistance plan, Dr. Simanić replied that now it is “maybe too late to do so, as Serbia’s obligations are expiring soon.”

[28] Email from Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 10 May 2012.

[29] Telephone interview with Zorica Grujevski, Representative, Sector for Protection of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, 18 March 2011.

[30] Gordana Rajkov, Serbian Parliamentarian, at the opening of the Regional Center for Monitoring of Implementation of the CRPD, Belgrade, 10 December 2010.

[31] Statement of Serbia, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.

[32] Mine Ban Treaty, Article 7 Report, form J, for period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011.

[33] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012 and Sanja Ignjatović, Project Manager, Action Aid, Niš, 16 May 2012; email from Milena Zivkovic, Association of Persons with Disabilities and Socially Marginalized Citizens, Gadzin Han, 16 May 2012; and telephone interview with Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 15 May 2012.

[34] Redovan godišnji izveštaj zaštitnika građana za Redovan godišnji izveštaj zaštitnika građana za Godinu 2011 (Annual Report of the Ombudsman for year 2011), Belgrade, 15 March 2012, www.ombudsman.rs/attachments/Redovan godisnji izvestaj Zastitnika gradjana za 2011 godinu.pdf.

[35] “Opet bez ucesca organizacija osoba sa invaliditetom” (“Again with no participation by the DPOs”), Vidan Danković, Center for Development of the Non-profit Sector (Centar za razvoj neprofitnog sektora), 26 March 2012, www.crnps.org.rs/2012/opet-bez-ucesca-organizacija-osoba-sa-invaliditetom.

[36] There are numerous service providers and disabled persons organizations delivering assistance to and/or representing persons with disabilities in Serbia. The organizations listed here have some specific focus on mine/IED/ERW survivors and/or responded to Monitor requests for information. Statement of Serbia, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011; responses to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012, Jovica Pavlovic, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011, and Sanja Ignjatović, Action Aid, Niš, 16 May 2012; interviews with Svetlana Bogdanovic and Aleksandar Sekulic, AAAS Belgrade, 4 April 2011; emails from Pavle Todorović, Director, Awakening, 16 May 2012, and Milena Zivkovic, Association of Persons with Disabilities and Socially Marginalized Citizens, Gadzin Han, 16 May 2012; and telephone interview with Jelena Vicentic, AAAS, 15 May 2012.

[37] Statement of Serbia, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Mine Ban Treaty, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.

[38] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jovica Pavlovic, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011.

[39] US Department of State, “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Serbia,” Washington, DC, 8 April 2011; and “Posao za 2.500 osoba sa invaliditetom” (“Jobs for 2.500 persons with disabilities”), Danas, 29 September 2010, www.danas.rs; and “Izvestaj o radu nacionalne sluzbe za zaposljavanje za 2010. godinu” (“Report on activities of the National Employment Agency for 2010”), Belgrade, February 2011, www.nsz.gov.rs.

[40] European Commission, “Serbia 2010 Progress Report,” Commission staff working document, Brussels, 9 November 2010, p. 36; “Osobe sa invaliditetom teško do posla” (“Hard to get employed for persons with disabilities”), Zoran Glavonjić, Slobodna Evropa, Belgrade, 12 March 2012.

[41] “Zapošljavanje osoba sa invaliditetom u Republici Srbiji 2011” (“Employment of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Serbia 2011”), Centar za orijentaciju društva – COD, Belgrade, January 2012. See also, “Obavezno zapošljavanje invalida” (“Obligatory to employ the disabled”), RTS, 24 May 2010, www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/125/Dru%C5%A1tvo/713456/Put+do+posla+za+osobe+sa+invaliditetom.html.

[42] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012; and Jovica Pavlovic, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011.

[43] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Sanja Ignjatović, Action Aid, Niš, 16 May 2012; and email from Pavle Todorović, Awakening, 16 May 2012.

[44] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012.

[45] “Pravilnik o tehničkim standardima pristupačnosti” (“Regulations on Technical Accessibility Standards”), Official Gazzette, no. 19/2012, 13 March 2012.

[46] “Opet bez ucesca organizacija osoba sa invaliditetom” (“Again with no participation by the DPOs”), Vidan Danković, Center for Development of the Non-profit Sector (Centar za razvoj neprofitnog sektora), 26 March 2012, www.crnps.org.rs/2012/opet-bez-ucesca-organizacija-osoba-sa-invaliditetom.

[47] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Katarina Pasic, Civilian War Victim Association of Kolubarski, 2 February 2012; “Again with no participation by the DPOs” (“Opet bez ucesca organizacija osoba sa invaliditetom”), Vidan Danković, Center for Development of the Non-profit Sector (Centar za razvoj neprofitnog sektora), 26 March 2012, www.crnps.org.rs/2012/opet-bez-ucesca-organizacija-osoba-sa-invaliditetom.

[48] Redovan godišnji izveštaj zaštitnika građana za Godinu 2011 (Annual Report of the Ombudsman for year 2011) Belgrade, 15 March 2012, www.ombudsman.rs/attachments/Redovan godisnji izvestaj Zastitnika gradjana za 2011 godinu.pdf.

[49] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Jovica Pavlovic, Association of Veterans with Disabilities of Serbia, 16 May 2011.

Last Updated: 28 June 2013

Support for Mine Action

In 2011, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, the Kingdom of Norway, and the United States of America (US) contributed US$3,222,568 to mine action in the Republic of Serbia, approximately the same amount as in 2010.[1] Norway (NOK9,740,000/$1,738,603) and the US ($1,275,000) provided the largest contributions.

Serbia did not report any contributions to its mine action program in either 2010 or in 2011.

International contributions: 2011[2]

Donor	Sector	Amount (national currency)	Amount ($)
Norway	Clearance	NOK9,740,000	1,738,603
US	Clearance	$1,275,000	1,275,000
Germany	Clearance	€90,000	125,379
Ireland	Clearance	€60,000	83,586
Total			3,222,568

From 2007 to 2011, international contributions towards mine action in Serbia averaged $2,650,387 per year.

Summary of contributions: 2007–2011[3]

Year	Amount ($)
2011	3,222,568
2010	3,107,846
2009	1,376,245
2008	2,831,668
2007	2,713,610
Total	13,251,937

[1] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Lt.-Col. Klaus Koppetsch, Desk Officer Mine Action, German Federal Foreign Office, 20 April 2012; Ireland Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2012; response to Monitor questionnaire by Ingunn Vatne, Senior Advisor, Department for Human Rights, Democracy and Humanitarian Assistance, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2012; and US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2011,” Washington, DC, July 2012.

[2] Average exchange rates for 2011: €1.3931=US$1; NOK5.6022=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2012.

[3] See previous editions of Landmine Monitor; and ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Serbia: Support for Mine Action,” 29 August 2011.