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Sep 26 2019

NATO Trust Funds - NSPA helps Serbia to create a safer environment

On Wednesday, 25th of September, officials from Serbia, NATO and donor countries gathered in the Serbian town of Kragujevac to celebrate the reopening and expansion of the country's main demining facility.

Serbia possesses significant stocks of outdated and unstable munition that can pose major risks for the local population and the environment. To date, approximated 255 gross tonnes of ammunition have been destroyed at the site. A serious industrial incident in February 2017 significantly paused the activity. Now, the facilities are back to full operational capacity and the Technical Overhaul Facility (TRZ) in Kragujevac recently opened up additional capacities with the support of the NATO Trust Fund (NTF) project carried out by the Agency.

"Demilitarization of surplus ammunition is key to reducing the risks of accidental explosions of aging ammunition and to assisting the MoD in closing old storage depots. NATO has been entrusted with this and thereby we have placed the highest priority on the safety of people to avoid unfortunate incidents such as the ones faced in the past," assured Dan Dorrington, NSPA Trust Funds Focal Point, adding that this is a concrete example of what the partnership between NATO and Serbia can achieve.

NSPA is responsible for implementing the project under the NATO Trust Fund framework. The project started in October 2016 and is worth EUR 4.15 million.