National Convent on the EU Requests Withdrawal of Draft Amendments to Expropriation Law from Government of Serbia

The National Convent on the European Union has announced that it requests the withdrawal of the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Expropriation from the Government of Serbia, and the removal of that draft from the agenda of the session scheduled for November 23 from the National Assembly of Serbia.

– This Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Expropriation is an inexcusable attack on the private property of citizens, counter to the Constitution of Serbia and the principle of legal security, which jeopardizes the constitutional right to a peaceful use of the property – the press release says.

The Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Expropriation envisages for all the procedures to be carried out in a summary procedure.

The press release adds that “the potential implementation of the law amended this way would not contribute to the creation of a good business environment for all the participant in the Serbian economy and the stable conditions of doing business, nor does it meet the Copenhagen criteria on economic freedoms and market development”.

As said, the amendments will enable private companies too to be beneficiaries of an expropriation, because the law says that the list of the beneficiaries of an expropriation can also be “in line with a special law”.

As pointed out, this can especially be used in the field of mining, considering that the Law on Mining enables private mining companies to be beneficiaries of an expropriation too.

The draft amendments, as said, mention, for the first time, the expropriation of land per international contract, including even private land and private property, which also includes private agricultural land, which means that “any property belonging to anyone can be subject to an expropriation”.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Narodna skupština Republike Srbije

National Convent on the European Union

Government of Serbia

National Assembly of Serbia

Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Expropriation

Law on Expropriation

Copenhagen criteria on economic freedoms and market development

expropriation

Law on Mining

mining

international agreement