Thousands of Serbs protest 'anti-environment' laws; Vucic vows to 'solve problems', 4 December 2021

...For the second Saturday in a row, activists took to the streets over the authorities' recent moves to lower the referendum threshold and allow for swift expropriation of private property if deemed in the public interest...

President Aleksandar Vucic had said there would be no action against the protesters by lay enforcement "as long as they do not endanger the lives and property of people and institutions."

...Vucic said he had not yet signed the amendment to the law on expropriation, which was passed by his Progressive Party (SNS) allies in parliament a week ago. The deadline for his signature is December 10.

Vucic said he disagreed with the changes to the expropriation law as passed and pledged to seek changes, but he did not specify what those changes would be...

Vucic already signed new legislation eliminating the threshold for minimum participation in national referendums. He has previously pledged to hold a referendum on Anglo-Australian mining and mineral giant Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion plans for a 250-hectare underground mining complex near Loznica...

Environmental groups and civil society organizations argue recently adopted amendments to the Law on Expropriation and the Law on Referendum will pave the way for foreign companies to circumvent popular discontent over projects such Rio Tinto's...

Experts have warned the project could destroy farmland and further pollute the waters of a country already racked by severe levels of air, land, and water pollution...