GREENS OF SERBIA

PROGRAM
Cleared and adopted text of the Program, confirmed on May 21, 2011 by the Greens of Serbia Assembly

A Green Contract with Serbia A Contract for the Future

We believe the state is where the people are, just as the people are where they can find work and a healthy and safe future for their children. The Republic of Serbia is the only country we the citizens have, and we are the only people our country can count on, today and in the future. We can stop the decline of our state and offer a new contract for the future of Serbia and Southeastern Europe. Ecology Environment protection air, water, land pollution, protection and sustainable development Food GMO vs. organic food, genetic resources in food production Health Care public health, physical culture, healthy life-styles and prevention Energy energy strategy. efficiency/resources/price Recovery of the land, re-planting, and a long term solution for communal and industrial waste Transport road, water and railroad infrastructure Renewable source vs. nuclear plants introduction of a ban on new nuclear plants Ministry for Protection and Natural Resources Management protection, management water (surface, subsurface, industrial, water management) air, land, mineral resources, mining, forestry.

Economy Reaffirming work as the basic value Stopping the negative trends influencing economic growth material, social and spiritual Economic growth Right to a dignifying life, right to work and protection of workers rights Immediate fight against poverty micro loans, enabling access to local and EU funds Short-term measures public works in infrastructural development and agriculture, opening new jobs, support for self employment programs, support funds Long term measures general and vocational education, linking the labor market and knowledge introduction of education for new professions and for the new time investments in science, research and higher education self sustainable development support for agriculture, green industries (food, tourisms, energy, transport, recycling) and green and renewable energy Equal treatment for state and private property supporting public/private partnerships Taxation progressive rate taxation, tax on financial transactions and subventions for green economy and agriculture Fight against corruption and organized crime Conclusion of the privatization process

Europe Serbia Social contract with citizens on the scope of necessary changes New organization of the state Regional development solidarity Underdeveloped municipalities and rural communities a more just redistribution of funds Agriculture and green energy Youth and brain drain Demographic policies and support for families with children Europe as a union of common values Democracy and human rights, protection of privacy rights Fight against any form of discrimination Free press and the liberalization of the media industry with redefining the role of the public broadcasting system Fight against the corruption and limiting the influence of political parties based on the principle of transparency Fight against organized crime and extremism Limiting monopolies and protecting the consumers Regional cooperation in the Balkans with exYu republics Kosovo, reconciliation, processing war criminals, disarmament for the benefit of all citizens

A green vision for Europe Actions and plans of the Serbian Greens lean on the experience of other green parties throughout Europe and the world. This means we have adopted environment protection, promotion of the sustainable development of the society, development of the new perspectives in the European Union, support for the dialogue and conflict prevention and participation in the development of the alternative global cooperation forums together with other green parties. Serbia needs a new course. Financial crisis and the failure of existing economic and social policies have produced a complex political crisis affecting every aspect of our lives. The crisis is a signal to transform the economic and social system in the country and replace it with a system that would offer a lasting foundation for the future. A future based on sound principles with good economic and social progress, sustainable use of resources, enhanced public health and the ability of the state to preserve its national identity while working in partnership with the wider international community. Working together to increase the life chances and prosperity of our citizens today while at the same protecting the environment and preserving our heritage for future generations.

Ecology There are no local issues in the 21st century. All problems can easily become global and every act or failure to act can influence the lives of all people on the planet. Resources like coal and oil are almost depleted and it is of paramount importance to replace them with quality and healthy alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. The Serbian moratorium on building nuclear power plants is soon to expire and we have to engage the general and expert public in a discussion to prevent corrupted political establishment from making wrong decisions. Nuclear energy cannot be the way forward. Serbian Greens stand for a concept of production and resource management and commercialization which allows reduced pressure on environment, and prevents climate changes and further degradation of our planet. Energy problems should be tackled at the consumer end too, and we need to promote energy efficiency and savings. Our country must pay close attention on the world energy market and adjust its foreign policy according to its interest. Energy dependency forces us to be very careful in crating our foreign policy and towards membership in large energy systems. Mineral resources as in total amount of mineral reserves and mining infrastructure, is the economic base of every country. Exploitation of mineral resources can be sustainable only if it is legal and regulations strict. Using the resources must be according to the EU norms and regulations while taking care of environment protection (complete re-planting and restoration of the land to its original condition). We cannot allow environmental catastrophes such as Bor, Majdanpek, Pancevo and Obrenovac to happen again. Serbian Greens will pay special attention to the development of the new waste water management strategy. We have to redefine our waste management strategy and solve once and for all the problem of waste disposal sites, Development of the road and railroad infrastructure must become a priority for Serbia, as there is a need to ensure good communication links which interconnect with all parts of our country and enable decentralization and protect environment. Modern roads and railroads enable better and faster public transport and help reducing the number of cars. Citizens must be the principle concern in every decision making process. Environment protection is the main topic of Serbian Greens because of our concern for the welfare of our future generations. But the aim is far from being strictly limited to environment its main focus is our people. Promotion of healthy life styles and improvements of our health care system are extremely important topics. We have to change and introduce new school curricula to introduce health risks issues to all young people.

Without healthy citizens we cannot have a prosperous country. Pollution is bad for public health. We can and are willing to do more to do more to recover polluted waters, land, air and food. Serbian Greens want to enable access to healthy food under fair prices and establish a balance between agriculture, cattle farming, fishing and food industry. We need to encourage all participants in the chain to act responsibly towards food production. The future of Serbian agriculture is in organic farming and fair trade, as these are the future of world agriculture. Our country must remain free of genetically modified organisms. This is the way to guarantee quality and healthy nutrition of our citizens. Serbian Greens do not accept delays or postponements in applying the latest safety standards. Regardless of the problem in question peace, public health, energy policies, food and agriculture, natural sciences, transport, technology or medicine decisions and actions must be made strategically and produce the least possible amount of damage. Economy It is of paramount importance to pause for a moment, look around and look in to the future and give a realistic and honest answer to the question: What are our strengths and advantages, and what are our threats and weaknesses? This will make it easier to stop the two decades long economic decline of our country and make way for the return of enthusiasm and optimism. The Greens of Serbia will put forward only those economic policies that support the accomplishment of our social and environment protection goals and serve in the interest of social and economic justice. Every citizen has an equal right to use the resources but at the same time an equal responsibility to provide future generations the same right. Sustainable development can be achieved only if people act together across the community. This is the way to eradicate the imbalance in economic development and support further economic development in line with strengths and advantages of all of our regions. The aim is to support the least developed regions through improving conditions for economic development and employment. The foundation lies in investments in human resources, innovations, knowledge, adjustments to change, environment protection and efficiency of administration The basic goal is to increase the competitiveness and employment in the most underdeveloped regions. We need to provide a certain amount of economic activity in every rural area to protect the rural identity as an important part of collective identity of Serbia. Green economy is rooted in green and social democratic values which guarantee the right to work and a dignified life. The state must guarantee all social and ecological rights, support education, make health care universal and provide for the decent life of pensioners. We have to start with support programs for the poorest but in a way to target causes of their problems.

We need to organize public works on agricultural and infrastructural projects. Without the infrastructure we cannot count on further economic development. We need high quality programs to open new workplaces and support self-employment. We need to provide support mechanisms for green business start-ups such as recycling, alternative or renewable energy sources, organic food production, spa and eco-tourism. In the long run, we have to make sure the educational system meets the requirements of the industry. Science must also be linked with industry and investments in science must be at least three times higher than what they are now. These must come from both the state and industry. This is an issue that calls for the establishment of a special ministry or an independent body capable of leading strategic development of science, research and technology. Europe We have a common future with the European nations. Entry into European Union is therefore not an end goal. The accession process is much more important than the accession itself. It allows us to change ourselves, our laws and our society in order to synchronize with modern European societies. The moment we fulfill these conditions will be the moment when actual EU accession will no longer be important as we will be a modern, civic European state. Democracy and respect for human rights are our core values. Despite the existing laws there are still numerous cases when the state fails to uphold the human rights and discrimination can be seen throughout our society. Social stratification has made the rich privileged in business, healthcare, education and left them in total control over the culture and media and the value system they create. Ordinary citizens become invisible and powerless to tackle the obstacles in their daily activities. Prejudices, xenophobia, homophobia and sexism are putting additional burden on all minorities women, children, sick, people with special needs, LGBT population, Roma etc. Lack of tolerance breeds violence as its consequence and our society has became a society full of verbal, emotional and physical violence as well as economic and political violence. Serbian Greens are determined to fight for every man, woman or child for their right to a lifestyle of their choice through promoting a different set of values based on the idea that everyone has a right to a dignified life, to work and to a tolerant social environment. Serbian Greens stand for free media. Without free media there can be no productive economy, democracy or a chance to uphold human rights. Our national media promote a culture of superficiality, intolerance, violence and serfdom in every walk of life, from family life to business and politics. The life style currently promoted marginalizes individual freedom and creativity and the Serbian Greens cannot accept this as a model. We have to work with journalists and journalist associations to gradually change the appalling condition our media is in. We urgently need to redefine the role of the public broadcasting system and to liberalize our media.

The example we have in the EU as a regional union of states and nations should be also applied in South Eastern Europe. We cannot become a part of a wider community if we cannot live first with our immediate neighbors in the West Balkans. We need to improve regional cooperation for the benefit of all the citizens. Serbia Serbian Greens believe that chauvinism and ultra-nationalism have never nor will ever be a way forward for Serbia. The concepts should not be in the matrix of Serbian politics. The current democratic establishment has no moral authority or new ideas to oppose them. Serbian Greens see the Republic of Serbia as a part of the European Union. We stand for cooperation with international organization and fulfillment of all international obligations. We need to engage NATO in a dialogue but respect the opinions of our citizens when it comes to the level of cooperation with NATO. We consider the Partnership for Peace to be the appropriate level of cooperation with the NATO. All Serbian citizens must be aware of the necessity to change our society. We need to engage people in discussion on the model of decentralization we need not just geographical but also economic and political. We need to bring the decision making process closer to citizens and empower them to control elected officials. This calls for a new model of decentralization with clearly outlined competences of the new institutions such as the community, municipality, city, county or region. We need to improve mechanisms on the national level to manage balanced local development and start national solidarity funds to support the underdeveloped regions. To have a prosperous society we have to develop the economy and industry. Serbian Greens stand for green economy which means adjusting our current economy to our environmental capabilities. The aims of our new economy are ecological self-sustainability, equality and social justice as well as decentralized local and regional economies. Economic development in Serbia should be based on democracy, transparency of elected offices, equality of sexes and the right of people to voice their opinions during the decision making process. In the age of Internet we need to come up with a different policy of reducing the brain drain and encourage those who have left to return home. It is of paramount importance to find a mechanism to benefit from the cyber world capabilities and connect all those who can help the development of Serbia. This would help us create new generations of qualified and educated people at the same time driving our science, economy and technology forward. The state does not exist without its citizens and we need to redefine our demographic policies. Serbian Greens will promote policies to support families with children and improve social and economic conditions to allow better access to pre-schools and education programs for all.