Serbia NGOs Condemn Push to Allow Construction on Fire-Damaged Land

A firefighter battles a wildfire in the Deliblato Sands, Serbia, August 2026. Photo: Government of Serbia Two non-governmental organisations, Transparency Serbia and the Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute, RERI, on Wednesday criticised newly adopted law amendments that may allow construction on sites where forest has been destroyed by wildfires. The amendments to the Law on Planning and Construction, adopted by parliament on August 31, allow for the construction of public infrastructure facilities, or facilities for which a public interest has been established. “All of this took place during the horrific and unprecedented wildfires that engulfed Deliblatska Pescara (Debilato Sands), the largest sandy area in Europe, an invaluable reservoir of biodiversity that is a protected area of exceptional (Category I) and national importance, as well as a Special Nature Reserve,” the organisations said in a press release. The amendments stipulate that “forest land where the forest has been damaged or destroyed by fire” retains the designation assigned to it by the planning document in force prior to the fire. But they also state that an exception to this rule allows a change of land use where it is necessary to implement a project for which a public interest has been established, or for the construction of public infrastructure facilities. Transparency Serbia and RERI also noted that the provisions concerning construction on forest land damaged by fire were not included in the original draft law submitted by the government to parliament but were introduced through amendments adopted at a session of the parliamentary committee. This further reduced the transparency of the legislative process, they said. “The lack of transparency in the authorities’ handling of these legislative amendments, rather than reassuring an alarmed and concerned public, has instead opened the door to further suspicions regarding the future fate of the land affected by the fires,” their press release added. More than 3,500 hectares of Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve in northern Serbia were impacted by severe wildfires in August. There have been active wildfires in other parts of Serbia. The wildfires affecting the Deliblato Sands and other areas have burned around 13,920 hectares, according to Copernicus data as of 26 August.