Three months after protests by citizens and activists erupted in Ušće Park following the erection of fencing by the company contracted to build the aquarium in preparation for construction works, the Ministry of Finance requested that the Secretariat for Environmental Protection assess whether an Environmental Impact Assessment Study is required for the project.
“The Ministry of Finance, as the project developer, has submitted a request to the Belgrade Secretariat for Environmental Protection seeking a decision on the need for an environmental impact assessment for the construction of a public aquarium on Nikola Tesla Boulevard,” states the notice published on the website of the Belgrade government.
Detailed information regarding the aquarium project and its planned facilities was also published alongside the request. If the Secretariat determines that an environmental impact assessment is unnecessary, the project may proceed with further procedures and preparations for construction.
However, should it decide that such an assessment is required, the investor will have to prepare a full Environmental Impact Study, which includes a period of public consultation and the opportunity for citizens to submit objections.
Interviewees speaking to Danas daily assessed that, in the case of the aquarium planned for Ušće, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Study is absolutely essential, warning that any different decision would represent a serious undermining of environmental protection procedures. Among other things, they demand that the Secretariat make its decision in accordance with the law and professional standards, rather than under political pressure.
At the same time, they point out that the preparation of the study could delay the completion deadline for the aquarium, whose opening has been announced for May 2027, coinciding with the start of the specialised exhibition EXPO 2027. Nevertheless, the interviewees underline that the speed of project implementation cannot take precedence over legality and the protection of the public interest, adding that it is far more costly to make decisions that later result in permanent damage to public space and quality of life in the city.
“We demand that the Secretariat decides in line with the law and professional standards”
Asked whether this so-called “green permit” represents the final step before construction begins – despite some preparatory works already having started in February, triggering public protests – Đorđe Miketić from the Beograd Ostaje initiative responded that it is not the final step, but that it constitutes a very important part of the procedure.
“That is precisely why it is problematic that preparatory works and interventions on the site began before the public received answers to key questions regarding the project’s impact on the environment and public space. Citizens reacted with protests entirely justifiably, because this concerns one of the most valuable and sensitive areas in Belgrade – the famous confluence area, riverbank, and green belt along the rivers,” Miketić told Danas.
According to him, the manner in which the project is being implemented creates the impression that institutions are being used merely to retroactively legitimise political decisions that have already been made, instead of conducting a serious and transparent procedure. Asked what kind of decision they expect from the Secretariat, Miketić replied that the Belgrade Ostaje initiative strongly believes in citizen participation in decision-making processes concerning urban development.
(Danas, 20.05.2026)
https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/studija-uticaja-na-zivotnu-sredinu-akvarijum-usce/