Serbia: Green funds under political influence
Originally published for the French media "Le Courrier des Balkans" on May 15 2026.
5/15/2026
Originally published in French
Conflicts of interest, opacity and favouritism. Some 50 million dinars in public grants intended for environmental projects in Serbia have gone to organisations close to the authorities and associations with no identifiable activity.
A call for projects launched in September 2025 by Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection was intended to provide financial support for initiatives led by groups working on environmental protection and sustainable development. But according to a detailed report on the allocation of the grants, drawn up by the NGO Beogradska otvorena škola (BOS), nearly 50 million Serbian dinars - around €425,000 - were allegedly distributed under opaque conditions. Of the 71 beneficiary organisations, nine are reportedly openly close to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), while the applications of 17 others allegedly failed to meet the eligibility criteria.
IRREGULARITIES IN APPLICATIONS
Some associations reportedly failed to meet the application deadlines, while others were unable to prove that they had been operating for more than two years or demonstrate experience managing projects worth more than 500,000 dinars, as required by the competition rules. Others were reportedly not even registered with the Business Registers Agency, despite this being a requirement for associations and NGOs. Nevertheless, these organisations allegedly received nearly 14 million dinars.
The same report also identifies 19 beneficiaries as suspected shell organisations: although registered with the authorities and legally recognised, no concrete evidence of their activities could be found. They have neither websites nor a social media presence and are unknown to other organisations working in the environmental sector. Yet they were allegedly awarded more than 20 million dinars, nearly half of the total funds available under the call.
The investigative network Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) revealed in a separate investigation that a senior ministry official - who also chaired the commission responsible for awarding the grants - allegedly approved funding for an association headed by a former colleague. The two men had previously worked together at two associations, before the latter succeeded him as their director. The findings raise questions about a possible conflict of interest within the commission. Contacted by BIRN, the individuals concerned did not respond to the allegations.
Student associations with no apparent connection to environmental issues also received grants. According to the investigation, these groups were headed by people close to the SNS and did not represent the student body as a whole.
CITIZEN GROUPS UNDER PRESSURE
Several associations whose applications reportedly met all the requirements but received no funding have denounced what they describe as a biased and opaque process. They filed an appeal with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which rejected it. These organisations are particularly vulnerable because they have already been facing significant financial difficulties since the Trump administration suspended USAID funding in 2025. A substantial share of the resources available to Serbian non-profit organisations comes from foreign donors, particularly from the United States and Europe.
The allegations come against a backdrop of persistent environmental concerns in Serbia, which is grappling with severe air and water pollution and has some of the worst air quality in Europe. Ana Pecarski, a member of the Tim 42 collective, told BIRN that “there is no political will to address environmental protection. Serbia has some of the most polluted air in Europe, and organisations that raise these issues and expose the problems are punished and have their work obstructed, while organisations whose activities have no real impact on improving the environment receive funding.”
This is far from an isolated case. During the previous call for projects, in 2021, a report by the civic coalition Otvoreno o konkursima, which campaigns for greater transparency in public funding calls, had already pointed out that several selected organisations did not meet the eligibility requirements. In 2023, BIRN also revealed the misappropriation of five million dinars under a call for projects launched by the Ministry of Family and Demography for disadvantaged young people. Together, these cases point to systemic shortcomings in the management of public funds, without prompting any significant response from the authorities.