Third meeting of National Anti-Corruption Council focuses on illegal forest exploitation

The National Anti-Corruption Council convened today to discuss the issue of illegal forest exploitation. Council members unanimously agreed that the problem of illegal forest exploitation extends beyond that of gravel and concluded that it is imperative to establish an interdepartmental team comprising representatives from the Directorate for Inspection Affairs, the Police Directorate, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, the Prosecutor's Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forestry Directorate, the Tax and Customs Administration, as well as non-governmental organizations. This team will be deployed immediately to investigate irregularities related to illegal tree felling.

Regarding the third agenda item, Deputy Council President Zoran Miljanić provided detailed information to council members about the ongoing development of a National Anti-Corruption Strategy in collaboration with the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and UNDP.

The following members attended the meeting of the Council: Dritan Abazović, Prime Minister, Council President; Zoran Miljanić, Minister without Portfolio, Deputy Council President; Vladimir Joković, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management; Filip Adžić, Minister of the Interior; Aleksandar Damjanović, Minister of Finance; Ana Novaković Đurović, Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism; Miomir Vojinović, Minister of Education; Dragoslav Šćekić, Minister of Health; Jelena Perović, Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency; Boris Milić, Acting Director of the National Security Agency; Koča Đurišić, Director of the Cadastre and State Property Administration; Nikola Terzić, Director of the Police Directorate; Ana Vujošević, Director of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs; Maja Jovanović, Supreme State Prosecutor; Vladimir Novović, Chief Special Prosecutor; Vesna Vučković, Acting President of the Supreme Court; Vladimir Otašević, NGO Representative; Mišela Manojlović, General Secretary of the Association of Municipalities.

Additionally, the following individuals were also in attendance: Vuk Vujisić, Civil Activist and Journalist; Milan Gazdić, Environmental Protection Agency; Aleksandar Dragićević, Environmental Activist; and Tufik Softić, Journalist.