After the media reported that provincial environmental protection inspectors were present at the investigation into the spill of 82,000 liters of oil in Pančevo, the Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection, in its response to a parliamentary question from a Green-Left Front MP in the Vojvodina Assembly, stated that their inspection “did not receive the report” and that “it did not act” in this case.
“This is a serious contradiction that indicates an attempt to avoid responsibility. If the inspectors were indeed on the ground, as the media and the prosecutor’s office reported, then the Provincial Secretariat is now providing incorrect information. If they were not, then the public was deceived at the time of the ecological disaster. In both cases, this is a scandalous act by institutions that are obliged to protect citizens and nature,” said MP Tamara Maksić.
As a reminder, on April 21, 2025, during the loading of oil from the Pančevo Refinery into a barge owned by the Naftahem company, approximately 82,000 liters of oil spilled into the protective barrier around the barge, and there is a suspicion that some of it ended up in the Danube. According to official reports, the investigation was carried out by the prosecutor’s office, police, republican and provincial inspectors, while the Public Health Institute took water samples.
The Green-Left Front reminds that citizens have the right to know the truth about environmental accidents, their consequences and those responsible. “Our duty is to insist on transparency, responsibility and prevention through institutions. The Green-Left Front will not give up the fight for environmental protection – neither in the parliament benches nor in the field together with citizens,” the statement said.
ZLF will continue to monitor this case and seek clear answers from all authorities, because only truthful and timely information can prevent the recurrence of similar disasters in the future.
