Serbia

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Last updated: 13 September 2021

Summary

Non-signatory Serbia acknowledges the humanitarian concerns raised by cluster munitions, but it has not taken any steps to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Serbia has participated as an observer in meetings of the convention, most recently in November 2020. However, it abstained from the vote on a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting universalization of the convention in December 2020.

Serbia possesses cluster munitions that it inherited from the break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), but has not shared information on the types or quantities stockpiled. Cluster munitions were used by the SFRY, ethnic militias, and secessionist forces during the conflicts that resulted from the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces used air-dropped cluster munitions in Serbia during the 1998–1999 conflict over Kosovo.

Policy

The Republic of Serbia has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Serbia has acknowledged the humanitarian concerns raised by cluster munitions, but has not taken any steps to accede to the convention.[1] Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has generally supported the convention, while the Ministry of Defense has rejected calls for Serbia’s accession.[2] For example, in 2015, Serbia’s Minister of Defense said the government could not consider ratifying the convention before it acquires new weapons to replace its stockpiled cluster munitions.[3]

Serbia played a leadership role throughout the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, most notably by hosting a major international conference for states affected by cluster munitions in Belgrade in October 2007.[4] Serbia actively participated in the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008 and joined in the consensus adoption of the convention text at the conclusion.

Despite playing an important role in the diplomatic process, Serbia attended the Oslo Signing Conference in December 2008 only as an observer and did not explain why it was not signing the convention. Local media reported that internal actions directed at signing the convention halted after the General Staff of the Serbian Army recommended to the National Security Council that Serbia not join it.[5]

Serbia has participated as an observer in the convention’s meetings, most recently at the first part of the convention’s Second Review Conference held virtually in November 2020.[6]

However, in December 2020, Serbia abstained from the vote on a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[7]

Civil society representatives in Serbia, and particularly cluster munition survivors, have advocated for Serbia to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions without delay.[8]

Serbia is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Production

In 2011, the Ministry of Defense stated that Serbia “is not a producer of cluster munitions.”[9] Previously, in 2009, Serbia said that it lacked the capacity to produce cluster munitions and had not produced them since the dissolution of the SFRY.[10] Serbia may have inherited some production capabilities, according to standard reference works.[11] In the past, several Serbian companies have advertised surface-to-surface rocket launchers, rockets, and artillery that could be used with either unitary warheads or submunitions.[12]

Transfers and stockpiling

The precise size and composition of Serbia’s stockpile of cluster munitions is not known, but it is comprised of air-delivered cluster bombs, ground-launched rockets, and artillery projectiles.

Serbia’s stockpile contains cluster munitions that were produced by the SFRY, and it may possess 120mm M93 mortar projectiles (containing 23 KB-2 submunitions), 152mm 3-O-23 artillery projectiles (containing 63 KB-2 submunitions), and 262mm M87 Orkan surface-to-surface rockets (containing 288 KB-1 submunitions). The KB submunitions are the dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) type. Serbia may also possess RAB-120 and KPT-150 cluster bombs.[13] In 2004, Jane’s Information Group listed Serbia as possessing BL755 cluster bombs.[14]

In 2011, Serbia’s Ministry of Economy and Regional Development told the Monitor that it had no records in its database detailing any foreign trade of cluster munitions in the period from 2005 to 2010.[15]

In 2013 and 2015, the Ministry of Defense stated that the Serbian Army had taken steps to recall from operational use “part” of its cluster munitions stockpile and initiate its disposal.[16] No further information has been provided on the quantities and types of stocks or the status of the destruction process.

Use

There has been no evidence or allegations that Serbia has used cluster munitions since the convention was adopted in 2008. Serbia’s Minister of Defense said in April 2015 that “the Army of Serbia has taken steps and implemented activities to recall from operational use a part of cluster munitions [sic] and start with its disposal.”[17] He provided several reasons for doing so, including “the ban on use, the limited shelf-life of the cluster munitions available, and the limited possibilities of the military industry in regard of repairs and [performance] enhancement” of the cluster munitions.

SFRY forces, as well as ethnic militias and secessionist forces, used cluster munitions during the conflicts resulting from the breakup of Yugoslavia starting in 1991. During the 1998–1999 conflict over Kosovo, aircraft from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, dropped cluster bombs in Serbia and Kosovo during a NATO air campaign.[18] During the Kosovo conflict, forces of the SFRY also launched several cluster munition rocket attacks into border regions controlled by Albania.



[1] In 2016, a representative said the government is interested in the convention, but is concerned about the costs of joining it. ICBL-CMC meeting with Tijana Bokic, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Serbia to the UN in New York, New York, October 2016.

[2] For example, in a 2013 letter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Serbia’s perspective as a country whose citizens had been injured and killed by cluster munitions. The letter highlighted the convention’s importance in introducing “new international values and standards in regard of the development, production, possession, use, and stockpiling of this inhumane and dangerous weapon,” but did not articulate Serbia’s views on accession. Letter from Amb. Miomir Udovicki, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Assistance Advocacy Access–Serbia (AAA-S), 15 August 2013. Translation by AAA-S, a member of the CMC. In 2011, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative informed the CMC that Serbia would join the convention “sooner than expected.” CMC meeting with Branka Latinović, Head of Arms Control Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Zoran Vujić, Head of the Department of Security Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Convention on Cluster Munitions Third Meeting of States Parties, Oslo, 12 September 2012; and CMC meeting with Zoran Vujić, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Convention on Cluster Munitions, Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 13 September 2011.

[3] Letter from Bratislav Gašić, Minister of Defense, to AAA-S, 15 April 2015. Translation by AAA-S.

[4] For more details on Serbia’s cluster munition policy and practice through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 236–238.

[5] Minister of Defense Dragan Šutanovać reportedly stated that the army could not give up cluster munitions because it did not have the capacity to destroy and replace existing stockpiles. “Kasetna municija nenadoknadiva” (“Cluster munitions indispensable”), B92, 27 August 2009.

[6] Serbia participated in the convention’s Meetings of States Parties in 2011, 2012, and 2016–2019, as well as the First Review Conference in 2015 and intersessional meetings in 2013–2015.

[7]Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 75/62, 7 December 2020. Serbia has a mixed record when it comes to supporting the non-legally binding UNGA resolution promoting the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It abstained from the vote in 2018–2019, voted in favor the resolution in 2016–2017, but abstained from the vote on the first resolution in 2015.

[8]Believe it or not Serbia only in the region to ‘approve’ cluster bombs!”, Facebookrepoter, 29 January 2015; and “Naši građani i dalje stradaju od kasetnih bombi, a Srbija još nije potpisala važnu konvenciju” (“Our citizens continue to suffer from cluster bombs, but Serbia has not yet signed an important convention”), Blic, 5 May 2017. See also, “Ein falscher Griff und man ist tot” (“A wrong move and you’re dead”), 20 Minuten, 5 December 2014.

[9] Letter from the Public Relations Department, Ministry of Defense, 6 July 2011.

[10] Letter No. 235/1 from Dr. Slobodan Vukcević, Permanent Mission of Serbia to the UN in Geneva, 9 February 2009.

[11] See HRW and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), p. 238.

[12] On its website, Engine Development and Production Serbia (EDEPRO Serbia) advertised improvements to the range of Orkan surface-to-surface rockets. Yugoimport-SDPR also advertised artillery rockets on its website that could fire cluster munitions. An upgraded version of the OGANJ, called the LRSVM (Lanser Raketa Samohodni Višecevni Modularni, Self-Propelled Multiple Modular Rocket Launcher), capable of delivering both cluster and unitary munitions, was advertised on the Military-Technical Institute’s website. Email from Jelena Vicentić, AAA-S, 26 June 2012.

[13] For information on Yugoslav production of these weapons, see Robert Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, 2004), p. 291; Terry J. Gandler and Charles Q. Cutshaw, eds., Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2001–2002 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, 2001), p. 641; Leland S. Ness and Anthony G. Williams, eds., Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2007–2008 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, 2007), pp. 598–599 and 720; and US Defense Intelligence Agency, “Improved Conventional Munitions and Selected Controlled-Fragmentation Munitions (Current and Projected) DST-1160S-020-90,” undated.

[14] Robert Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, 2004), p. 845.

[15] According to the ministry, publicly available reports on the transfer of controlled goods for 2005–2008 provide sufficient evidence that there were no imports or exports of cluster munitions. While the reports for 2009 and 2010 had yet to be published, the ministry stated that it could confirm there were no records in its database of licenses issued in 2009 or 2010 for the import or export of cluster munitions. Email from Jasmina Roskić, Director of Division for Agreements on Bilateral Promotion and Protection of Investments, Concessions, and Foreign Trade in Controlled Goods, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, 16 February 2011. See also, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development (MERD), “Annual Report on the Realization of Foreign Trade Transfers of Controlled Goods for 2005 and 2006,” 2007; MERD, “Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2007,” 2009; and MERD, “Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2008,” 2010.

[16] Letter from Bratislav Gašić, Minister of Defense, to AAA-S, 15 April 2015; and Letter No. 335–7, “Response by the Ministry of Defense in connection to the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” from Miroslav Janovic, Ministry of Defense, to the CMC and AAA-S, 19 August 2013. Translations by AAA-S.

[17] Letter from Bratislav Gašić, Minister of Defense, to AAA-S, 15 April 2015. Translation by AAA-S.

[18] HRW, “Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign,” Vol. 12, No. 1(D), February 2000; Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), “Yellow Killers: The Impact of Cluster Munitions in Serbia and Montenegro,” 2007; and NPA, “Report on the Impact of Unexploded Cluster Munitions in Serbia,” January 2009.


Impact

Last updated: 15 November 2021

Jump to a specific section of the chapter:

Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country Summary

The Republic of Serbia became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty on 1 March 2004. Since then, Serbia has requested two extensions to its Article 5 clearance deadline: a five-year extension request in 2013 with a deadline of 1 March 2019, followed by a four-year extension request in 2018 with a deadline of 1 March 2023.

Serbia is contaminated by landmines as a legacy of armed conflicts associated with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s; and also as a result of mine use in 2000–2001, in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, by a non-state armed group (NSAG). Preševo has been free of mine contamination since 2014, leaving Bujanovac as the only municipality in Serbia still contaminated by landmines. Serbia has also reported contamination by cluster munition remnants, aircraft bombs and rockets, and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

Serbia reports that clearance and survey efforts have been complicated by the mine contamination being random and unrecorded.[1]

Serbia has not joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions. In 2010–2013, significant progress was made in clearing areas contaminated by cluster munition remnants, but progress has since stalled.

Risk education is coordinated by the Serbian Mine Action Center (SMAC), and a risk education training center was to be established within SMAC.

Over half of all mine/ERW casualties recorded in Serbia since 2016 were caused by unexploded submunitions. Serbia is responsible for significant numbers of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other ERW in need of support. In 2017, Serbia reported a total of 1,123 survivors (790 men and 333 women) with disabilities.[2]

Serbia’s working group on victim assistance is inactive. Local survivor associations provided psychological and peer-to-peer support to mine victims and their family members during 2020, as professional psychological support through the public health sector was insufficient. The social inclusion of persons with disabilities requires significant improvement, as many still suffer from discrimination and high levels of unemployment. Serbia has recently made efforts to develop veteran and disability protection services, social protection services, and employment opportunities in remote and rural areas. The Law on the Rights of Soldiers, Disabled Veterans, Civilian Disabled Veterans and Family Members entered into force on 1 January 2021.

Treaty Status

Treaty status overview

Mine Ban Treaty

State Party (Entry into force: 1 March 2004)

Article 5 clearance deadline: 1 March 2023

Convention on Cluster Munitions

Non-signatory

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

State Party (Ratification: 31 July 2009)

 

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline extension request

Serbia did not meet its extended mine clearance deadline of 1 March 2019, and submitted in 2018 a second request for the deadline to be extended by four years, until 1 March 2023.[3]

The challenges that prevented Serbia from meeting its first deadline included a lack of adequate financial resources; the presence of areas contaminated with cluster munitions, aircraft bombs and rockets, and other ERW; in addition to mine contaminated areas.[4]

Following reports of explosions in areas where fires occurred, indicating the presence of mines, Serbia conducted a non-technical survey in Bujanovac municipality in October 2019, and marked suspected hazardous areas (SHA). Serbia has reported that it will survey the remaining areas where landmine contamination is suspected, to provide a complete picture of the mine problem in the country.[5] However, a lack of funding for field operations prevented the survey of the remaining areas in 2020.[6] Between 2016–2020, Serbia has cleared just over 1km² of mined areas.

In its second Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline extension request, Serbia included a workplan for completing clearance of cluster munition remnants and unexploded ordnance (UXO) by 2023, at a projected total cost of €20 million (US$23.6 million).[7] However, cluster munition remnants are not disaggregated from other ERW in the workplan.[8]

In 2010–2013, significant progress was made in clearing cluster munition contaminated areas, with 5.8km² cleared. Progress has since stalled with only 1.3km² cleared between 2014–2020.

Management and Coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview[9]

Mine action commenced

2002

National mine action management actors

The Sector for Emergency Management, under the Ministry of Interior, acts at the national mine action authority

 

Serbian Mine Action Center (SMAC)

Other actors

ITF Enhancing Human Security

Mine action legislation

A decree on protection against explosive remnants of war (ERW) was in development

The scope of SMAC’s work is determined by the 2014 Law on Ministries, Article 30

Mine action strategic and operational plans

Workplan to completion provided in the Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 extension request, submitted in 2018

Mine action standards

International Mine Action Standards (IMAS)

National mine action standards under development as part of the ERW decree, as of March 2021

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

 

The Ministry of Interior acts as the national mine action authority and is responsible for developing standard operating procedures, accrediting operators, and supervising the work of SMAC.

SMAC is responsible for coordinating mine/ERW clearance, collecting and managing mine action data (including on casualties), and surveying SHAs. SMAC also has a mandate to plan demining operations in Serbia, conduct quality control and monitor operations, ensure that International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) are implemented, and conduct risk education.[10]

Serbia’s mine action program is integrated into the national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it contributes to the “achievement of goals such as development of infrastructure, environment protection and enhancement, reduction of poverty.” The municipalities affected by mine/ERW contamination in Serbia are among the poorest municipalities, and land release operations enable the implementation of development projects in these areas.[11]

In March 2020, SMAC and the Ministry of Defence signed an agreement to increase cooperation in the field of mine action, including on the training of personnel to conduct surveys and collect data, and on the implementation of clearance projects.[12]

ITF Enhancing Human Security contracts local and national commercial and NGO operators to conduct clearance in Serbia.[13]

Strategic planning

SMAC prioritizes clearance of contaminated areas in close proximity to settlements and where the contamination directly affects the local population. Priority-setting is also determined by donors.[14]

Jurisdiction

Serbia’s claim to jurisdiction over Kosovo entails legal responsibility for its remaining mined areas under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty. However, Serbia did not include areas in Kosovo in either its first or second extension request estimates of remaining contamination or plans for clearance.

SMAC reported that the Office for Kosovo and Metohija coordinated mine action activities on the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija.[15]

Information management

In 2020, SMAC was in contact with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) to discuss the possibility of installing the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).[16]

Gender and diversity

Serbia reported that there is equal access to employment in the fields of survey and clearance for qualified women and men.[17]

Risk education management and coordination

SMAC coordinates risk education activities in Serbia.[18] In 2019, Serbia approved funds for the establishment of a mine action training center within SMAC. Training will include risk education sessions and will be aimed at members of local governments, civil protection workers, hunters, and construction workers.[19] In 2020, a risk education training program was developed by SMAC and approved by the Ministry of Education.[20]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[21]

Government focal points

Sector for Protection of Veterans with Disabilities, in the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA)

Coordination mechanisms

Working Group on Victim Assistance, established in 2015, is inactive

Coordination regularity and outcomes

After meeting three times during 2015, the Working Group on Victim Assistance has not met since

Plans/strategies

None

Disability sector integration

 

MoLEVSA is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities

National Strategy to Improve the Position of Persons with Disability in the Republic of Serbia 2020-2024, adopted in March 2020

Law on the Rights of Soldiers, Disabled Veterans, Civilian Disabled Veterans and Family Members, entered into force on 1 January 2021

Survivor inclusion and participation

Due to COVID-19, public hearings on the Law on the Rights of Soldiers, Disabled Veterans, Civilian Disabled Veterans and Family Members could not take place, and were replaced with several small group meetings

Survivors were included in the provision of assistance through the activities of the national survivors’ network

 

Laws and policies

Serbian law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, including in accessing education, employment, health services, buildings, and transport. However, provisions are not effectively enforced and discrimination continues. While the law requires that all public buildings be accessible to persons with disabilities, public transportation and many public buildings remain inaccessible.[22]

The 1996 Law on the rights of civilian war invalids covers monthly financial allowances, healthcare, orthotics, rehabilitation, compensation for funeral expenses, and other financial benefits. This law ensures that the scope of protection envisaged for civilian disabled war veterans is the same as for military disabled war veterans.[23]

In March 2020, the Serbian government adopted a National Strategy to Improve the Position of Persons with Disability in the Republic of Serbia, 2020–2024.[24]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination overview (as of January 2021)[25]

Landmines

1.15km²(SHA)*

Extent of contamination: Light

Cluster munition remnants

2.09km² (CHA: 0.71km², SHA: 1.38km²)

Extent of contamination: Light

Other ERW **

18.8km² (SHA)

 

Extent of contamination: Medium

Note: CHA=confirmed hazardous area; SHA=suspected hazardous area; ERW=explosive remnants of war.

* In addition, the size of the newly discovered SHA in Bujanovac municipality is yet to be determined.

** ERW contamination includes aircraft bombs, both on land and in Serbia’s internal waterways.

Landmine contamination

Serbia’s landmine contamination is the legacy of the armed conflicts associated with the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s; and also results from the use of landmines in 2000–2001, in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, by an NSAG known as the Liberation Army of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. Contamination that still remains in Serbia is a result of this later period of mine use.[26] Contamination also exists within Kosovo (see Kosovo Mine Action profile).

Serbia has reported that the remaining mine contamination does not follow a specific pattern, and is unrecorded, rendering clearance of these areas more difficult.[27]

Bujanovac is the only municipality in Serbia still affected by mines. The remaining contamination has had a severe socio-economic impact on Bujanovac, which is the least developed municipality in Serbia. Mined areas block access to roads, increase the risk of fire, and prevent the construction of solar power plants and tobacco-processing facilities. Landmine contamination also negatively impacts regional development by impeding the flow of people, goods, and services. Serbia believes that demining activities could prevent residents from moving out of the area.[28]

Cluster munition remnants contamination

Cluster munition remnants contamination in Serbia is the result of airstrikes carried out by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in 1999, after the division of the former Yugoslavia. Sixteen municipalities in Serbia were affected by these attacks.[29]

Four municipalities are still contaminated with cluster munition remnants.[30] This contamination is reported to have both environmental and socio-economic impacts, hindering wood exploitation, land cultivation, cattle breeding, mushroom picking, and the construction of vital infrastructure.[31]

ERW contamination

In 2021, Serbia estimated that it had around 18.8km² of ERW contamination, aside from cluster munition remnants.[32]

Casualties

Casualties overview[33]

Casualties

All known casualties (by end of 2020)

Unknown, but significantly more than 1,000

Casualties in 2020

Annual total

None (decrease from 3 reported in 2019)

 

Casualties in 2020

No new ERW casualties were reported in Serbia in 2020.[34]

The last confirmed landmine casualties in Serbia were reported in 2005.

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Serbia is not known. In 2004, 1,360 casualties (24 killed, 1,336 injured) were reported between 1992 and 2000 by Serbia and Montenegro.[35]

Cluster munition casualties

Over half of all mine/ERW casualties recorded in Serbia since 2016 were caused by unexploded submunitions. In June 2019, three Turkish construction workers were injured by a submunition in the city of Nis.[36] One unexploded submunition casualty was reported in 2017, and one in 2016.

At least 78 casualties occurred during NATO cluster munition attacks on Serbia in 1999. A further 19 casualties were caused by unexploded submunitions between 1999 and 2013. Cluster munitions strikes during the conflict are estimated to have caused more than 100 unreported casualties in Nis. In addition, unexploded submunitions are known to have caused casualties in several regions that were not reported to the authorities.[37]

A survey by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) identified 191 cluster munitions casualties (31 killed, 160 injured) for the period between 1999 –2008. However, the report did not differentiate between casualties during airstrikes and those caused later by unexploded submunitions.[38]

Addressing the Impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

In addition to the government bodies and NGOs listed in the table below, 13 national commercial companies and nine international commercial companies were accredited as clearance operators in Serbia by the Ministry of Interior.

Clearance operators

National

SMAC (survey)

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department, Sector for Emergency Management, in the Ministry of Interior (call-out for ERW and item demolition)

Serbian Armed Forces

International

Stop Mines

In Demining

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Clearance

Land release overview[39]

Landmine and other ERW clearance in 2020

0.27km²

Landmines destroyed in 2020

1 antivehicle mine

Landmine clearance in 2016–2020

2016: 0

2017: 0*

2018: 0.21km²

2019: 0.60km²

2020: 0.27km²

 

Total cleared: 1.08km²

Cluster munition remnants clearance in 2020

0.28km²

Cluster munition remnants destroyed in 2020

7

Cluster munition remnants clearance in 2016–2020

 

2016: 0.25km²

2017: 0.18km²

2018: 0

2019: 0.12km²

2020: 0.28km²

 

Total cleared: 0.83km²

Other ERW destroyed in 2020

1,586

Progress

Landmines

The 0.27km² cleared in 2020 was just below the projected target for clearance of 0.3km² and the planned survey of SHAs was not conducted in 2020 due to lack of funds.

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

*In 2017, 0.28km2 was reduced by technical survey.

In September–October 2020, SMAC organized an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Level 1 training course in cooperation with a demining company, EODEX.[40]

There were no security or safety issues for deminers, and no demining accidents in 2020.[41]

Risk education

Mine/ERW contaminated areas in Serbia are mainly mountainous, but some are close to population centers and impede safe access to forest products, cattle, and mushroom picking, which represent primary sources of income.[42] In 2020, and again in 2021, SMAC reported that it planned to conduct risk education activities in Bujanovac municipality, with a multi-ethnic risk education team.[43]

Serbia reported that women, men, and children are consulted during survey and community liaison activities. The SHAs in the multi-ethnic municipality of Bujanovac have been marked by warning signs in both Serbian and Albanian languages.[44]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance operators[45]

Type of organization

Name of organization

Type of activity

Governmental

Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA)

Coordination of assistance, benefits and services

Special Hospital for Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Prosthetics, Belgrade

Prosthetics, physical rehabilitation, psychological support

Specialized Hospital for Rehabilitation,

Vrnjačka Banja

Rehabilitation

National

Assistance Advocacy Access Serbia (AAAS)

Survivor needs assessment, advocacy, capacity-building of local survivors’ groups and organizations, awareness-raising, psychological support through sports and cultural activities

 

Major Developments in 2020

A new Law on the Rights of Soldiers, Disabled Veterans, Civilian Disabled Veterans and Family Members was adopted in 2019 and entered into force on 1 January 2021. However, victims’ organizations reported issues with the implementation of the law.[46]

Serbia reported that “hospitals and rehabilitation centres provide all necessary assistance to mine victims”, but noted that these facilities lacked “equipment, education and prostheses.”[47]

Needs assessment

Serbia has a basic system of recording of persons who exercise their rights as civilian invalids of war. Information on beneficiaries is transmitted to MoLEVSA by local governments.[48]

Medical care and rehabilitation

MoLEVSA supports rehabilitation for mine/ERW survivors with physical disabilities. Survivors receive rehabilitation services at the Special Hospital for Rehabilitation in Vrnjačka Banja, and at the Specialized Hospital for Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Prosthetics in Belgrade. Medical care and physical rehabilitation were reported to be generally satisfactory during 2020.[49]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

All municipalities in Serbia have services to protect veterans and persons with disabilities, which can be contacted by potential recipients seeking specific types of assistance.[50]

There were several organizations providing assistance to mine/ERW victims in regional towns in Serbia. Some, but not all, received funding from the state, with a large number being self-funded. The government provides regular and multiyear project funding, yet funding allocated at the local and municipal levels for local organizations was mostly insufficient and short-term. There was no sustainable support for employment opportunities for mine/ERW survivors.[51] Persons with disabilities had many opportunities to receive training, but very few were able to find a job.[52] Discrimination in employment continued despite the National Employment Agency’s employment program for persons with disabilities.[53]

Cross-cutting

Mine/ERW survivors and persons with disabilities living in rural and remote areas of Serbia faced challenges in accessing services due to a lack of accessible public transport and lack of services in these areas.[54]

Victim assistance services were equally accessible to men and women.[55]



[1] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021.

[2] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Tanja Pušonja, Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA), 29 March 2017.

[3] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018), Form C. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 6 April 2020.

[6] Ibid., 8 March 2021.

[7] Average exchange rate for 2018: €1=US$1.1817. US Federal Reserve, ‘‘List of Exchange Rates (Annual),’’ 2 January 2020.

[9] Information on mine action management and coordination obtained in Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 14 March 2018, p. 16; Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 70/13; response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021; and email from Bojan Glamočlija, Director, and Slađana Košutić, Planning and International Cooperation Advisor, SMAC, 24 September 2019.

[10] “Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries,” Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, 84/04, August 2004; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 14 March 2018, p. 17.

[11] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021.

[12] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 7. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[13] ITF, “Annual Report 2020,” 2021, pp.44-46; US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2020,” Washington DC, 2021, p.35.

[14] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 6. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 6 April 2020; and Legal Information System of the Republic of Serbia, “Law on Ministries,” Article 30.

[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 6 April 2020.

[20] Ibid.; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 6. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[21] European Commission (EC), “Serbia 2020 Report,” 6 October 2020, p. 37; and email from Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, Assistance Advocacy Access Serbia (AAAS), 25 May 2021; and “National Strategy to Improve the Position of Persons with Disability in the Republic of Serbia 2020-2024,” Republic of Serbia, 2020.

[22] US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Serbia,” 30 March 2021.

[23] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[25] An area of 856,030m² was contaminated with antipersonnel mines in Bujanovac, while 298,700m² was affected by ERW and mines. In addition to the 1.15km2 SHA, a separate SHA of an unknown size was discovered in Bujanovac. Mine contamination data from Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021. Data on cluster munition remnants and ERW provided in response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021 and 28 April 2021.

[26] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 14 March 2018, p. 5; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2014), Form C. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[27] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[28] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 14 March 2018, pp. 7, 11, 25, and 27; and email from Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 12 April 2018.

[29] SMAC, “Mine Situation,” updated July 2021.

[30] The four municipalities with cluster munition remnants contamination are Bujanovac, Sjenica, Tutin, and Užice.

[31] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Unless otherwise indicated, casualty data for 2020 is based on Monitor media monitoring from 1 January–31 December 2020.

[34] No mine/ERW casualties were recorded in 2018.

[35] This figure includes 260 mine survivors registered in Montenegro. Presentation of Serbia and Montenegro, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 10 February 2004; and Serbia and Montenegro Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, 25 October 2004, Form J. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[37] NPA, “Yellow Killers, the Impact of Cluster Munitions in Serbia and Montenegro,” January 2007, pp. 39 and 56.

[38] NPA, “Report on the impact of unexploded cluster submunitions in Serbia,” January 2009, p. 10.

[39] Clearance data obtained in Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D and Annex III. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021; and ITF Enhancing Human Security, “Annual Report 2020,” 29 March 2021, p. 45. ITF reported an additional 4 mines cleared during cluster munition remnants clearance but did not specify if antivehicle mines or antipersonnel mines or the timeframe during which the items were cleared. Data on landmine clearance progress obtained in Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database; updated information submitted by Serbia at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings (virtual), 30 June–2 July 2020; Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018), Form C. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database. For cluster munition remnants clearance progress, see ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Serbia: Mine Action,” 11 December 2017; “Country Profile: Serbia: Mine Action,” 3 November 2018; and “Country Profile: Serbia: Mine Action,” 1 December 2020. Serbia provided revised clearance projections and projected the clearance of 0.3km² in 2020. See Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), p. 3. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[40] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 6. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[41] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 5. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[42] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 14 March 2018, pp. 7, 11, 25, and 27; email from Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 12 April 2018; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 8 March 2021.

[43] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Slađana Košutić, Senior Advisor for Planning, International Cooperation and European Integrations, SMAC, 6 April 2020; and 8 March 2021.

[44] Ibid.; and Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2020), Form D, p. 5. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[45] Information on MoLEVSA obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by Igor Simanic, Director, Specialized Hospital for Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Prosthetics, 16 May 2019. Information on AAAS obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, AAAS, 25 June 2020.

[46] Email from Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, AAAS, 25 May 2021.

[47] This was reported by Serbia in a questionnaire response to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). See, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, ‘‘Response by the Delegation of Serbia to the Questionnaire on Anti-Personnel Mines and Explosive Remnants of War,’’ 24 December 2020.

[48] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[49] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, AAAS, 25 June 2020.

[50] Serbia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018). See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database.

[51] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, AAAS, 8 March 2019.

[52] Ibid., 25 June 2020.

[53] US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Serbia,” 30 March 2021.

[54] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Dejan Ivanovic, Executive Director, AAAS, 25 June 2020.

[55] Ibid.


Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 18 December 2019

Policy

The Republic of Serbia assumed the treaty commitments of the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro following the Republic of Montenegro’s declaration of independence in June 2006.[1] The former Serbia and Montenegro acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 18 September 2003, becoming a State Party on 1 March 2004.[2]

A new Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia entered into force on 1 January 2006. Articles 376 and 377 make the use, production, stockpiling, trade, and transfer of antipersonnel mines a criminal offense. These two provisions also specify penal sanctions.[3]

Serbia regularly attends meetings of the treaty, including the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. More recently, Serbia attended the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2018, where it submitted an Article 5 mine clearance deadline extension request.[4] Serbia regularly submits annual Article 7 transparency reports.

Serbia has reconfirmed the view of the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro that “mere participation” in military activities with states not party to the treaty, which engage in activities prohibited by the treaty, is not a treaty violation.[5]

Serbia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and ratified Amended Protocol II on landmines on 14 February 2011. Serbia is not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, transfer, and stockpile destruction

In 2007, Serbian officials reaffirmed that the former Serbia and Montenegro did not produce any type of landmine after 1990.[6] Serbia has stated that old facilities for mine production have been successfully transformed for production of resources for civilian purposes.[7] In the past, the former Serbia and Montenegro stated several times that mine exports halted in 1990.[8]

After Montenegro’s declaration of independence, the two countries continued the stockpile destruction process initiated by the former Serbia and Montenegro in 2005 as a project of the Ministry of Defense and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA).[9]

On 7 May 2007, Serbia completed the destruction of 1,404,819 antipersonnel mines stockpiled by both Serbia and Montenegro. An additional 10 mines were found and destroyed shortly thereafter. Of the 1,404,829 mines destroyed, a total of 1,205,442 were held in the Republic of Serbia and 199,387 in the Republic of Montenegro.[10] Destruction was completed well in advance of the treaty deadlines of 1 March 2008 for Serbia and 1 April 2011 for Montenegro.

Serbia initially stated in May 2007, upon completion of its stockpile destruction, that 5,565 antipersonnel mines would be retained.[11] In 2007, according to NAMSA, 1,839 of these 5,565 mines did not have fuzes.[12] At the end of 2018, Serbia retained 3,134 mines for training and research, of which 1,034 did not have fuzes.[13]



[1] Following a referendum on independence on 21 May 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared independence on 3 June, and Montenegro was accepted as a member of the UN on 28 June. Montenegro deposited its instrument of accession to the Mine Ban Treaty on 23 October 2006.

[2] Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. See also the separate profile for Kosovo.

[3] During the State Union before Montenegro’s independence, each Republic had separate legislative authority to implement the treaty. See, Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 633, for details on the penal code, articles 376 and 377, and the sanctions.

[4] Statement of Serbia, Mine Ban Treaty Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 26 November 2018.

[5] In a 30 June 2006 letter to the UN Secretary-General, Serbia stated that “all declarations, reservations and notifications made by Serbia and Montenegro will be maintained by the Republic of Serbia until the Secretary-General, as depositary, is duly notified otherwise.” Upon acceding to the treaty, Serbia and Montenegro made a Declaration that “it is the understanding of Serbia and Montenegro that the mere participation in the planning or conduct of operations, exercises or any other military activities by the armed forces of Serbia and Montenegro, or by any of its nationals, if carried out in conjunction with armed forces of the non-State Parties (to the Convention), which engage in activities prohibited under the Convention, does not in any way imply an assistance, encouragement or inducement as referred to in subparagraph 1 (c) of the Convention.”

[6] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Department for Defense Technology, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 21 March 2006; and interview with Mladen Mijovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgrade, 16 March 2007.

[7] Statement by Col. Dr. Jugoslav Radulovic, Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Ministry of Defense, Ceremony on the Occasion of Closing the Project for Destruction of Antipersonnel Landmines in Serbia, Belgrade, 16 May 2007.

[8] Letter from Maj.-Gen. Dobrosav Radovanovic, Assistant Minister of Defense, Sector of International Military Cooperation and Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense, 29 January 2003; and see also, Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 789.

[9] Interview with Zoran Dimitrijevic, Local Representative, NAMSA, Belgrade, 5 March 2007; and “Last Balkan mine stockpiles destroyed under NATO-supported project,” NATO News, 16 May 2007.

[10] The mines destroyed included: 294,823 PMA-1; 169,400 PMA-2; 307,969 PMA-3; 580,411 PMR-2A; 4,787 PMR-3; 44,083 PROM-1; and 3,356 VS-50. See, Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 608.

[11] A Ministry of Defense official told the Monitor in March 2006 that the General Staff “would probably” order all retained mines to be destroyed at the end of the stockpile destruction program. In its December 2006 Article 7 report, Serbia reported that only 5,307 mines would be retained for training, all by the Ministry of Interior. In its Article 7 report submitted in 2008, Serbia reported that same number and types of mines as being transferred for training by the Ministry of Interior (presumably to the Ministry of Defense). See, Landmine Monitor Report 2008, pp. 618–619.

[12] This includes all 629 PMA-1 mines and all 1,210 PMA-3 mines. Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, 25 May 2007; and email from Graham Goodrum, Technical Officer, NAMSA, 25 June 2007.

[13] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 2019.


Support for Mine Action

Last updated: 16 November 2020

In 2019, the United States contributed US$1 million to clearance activities in the Republic of Serbia.[1]

In 2012, Serbia reported, for the first time, that it supported its mine action program through an annual contribution for that year of €150,000 ($192,885).[2] In 2017, Serbia contributed €100,000 ($113,010) to its mine action program,[3] but no national support was reported by Serbia in 2015–2016 nor 2018–2019.

Since 2015, annual international contributions to mine action in Serbia fluctuated from less than $140,00 to more than $1.6 million, totaling about $4.3 million in the 2015–2019 five-year period.

Summary of international contributions: 2015–2019[4]

Year

Amount (US$)

2019

1,000,000

2018

1,624,982

2017

1,250,000

2016

350,000

2015

134,872

Total

4,359,854

 


[1] US Department of State Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA), “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2019,” 2 April 2020.

[2] Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 27 March 2013, p. 24. Exchange rate for 2011: €1.3931=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2012.

[4] See previous Monitor reports.