First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said that the security situation in Serbia is stable and that there have been no reports of any terrorist risks.

Opening the “Emergency Management – dealing with aftermath of acts of terrorism” regional conference, Dacic said that past terrorist attacks in the Ground Safety Zone in southern Serbia mainly targeted police and army personnel.

The Law on emergency situations envisages a response by state and local bodies to natural disasters as well as terrorist acts, said Dacic.

The implementation of this law will start by the middle of this year, he said.

The law is in harmony with EU regulations, said Dacic adding that the positive experiences of EU countries were taken into account while drafting the law.

He stressed that a national strategy on protecting citizens in emergency situations should also be adopted, explaining that the document implies prediction, control, response and assistance to the populace.

Dacic recalled that the Law on emergency situations mentions an integrated management system for the whole of Serbia, affirming that activities have already been taken to record all black spots in the country most likely to be the location of emergency situations.

He also recalled that terrorist acts are a global threat and are mostly linked with criminal activities, adding that state organs throughout the world must take greater care in order to protect people and property.

Assistant Minister of the Interior and Head of the Sector for Emergency Situations Predrag Maric pointed to the importance of pre-emptively defining risks and threats and preventing and removing the consequences of emergency situations.

Maric said that a great deal has been done in Serbia in this respect, recalling a number of protocols and agreements which Serbia signed, but also added that Serbia still has a lot of work to do in order to set up a system which will help us avoid the mistakes made by other countries in the region.

The regional conference was organised by the interior ministry’s Sector for Emergency Situations and the Balkan Institute for Risk Assessment and Management.