It is clear now that the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way we go about our daily lives. The expression “new normal” is a hark back to the global economic crisis. However, it seems to have “come to the fore” once again as the global pandemic forces us all to learn how to live in new, vastly different circumstances. 2020 – “Year of the Virus” The world has become a “global village” [1] where it takes just a few hours to travel thousands of kilometers, or for “a trip around the globe”. With humans the main transmitters of infectious […]
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With no end to the COVID-19 pandemic insight and with many measures from the state of emergency having been relaxed, there has been a growing need for these measures to be strictly adhered to in order to prevent a fresh wave of infection. This has prompted the legislator to tweak the regulatory framework. In order to institutionalize protection and punitive measures and encourage citizens to take preventative care against coronavirus infection, on November 12, 2020, the Serbian Parliament adopted the Protection of the General Public from Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Act (“the Act“). The Act sets down the conditions under which […]
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In case you are planning a trip to any of the EU countries, we have news for you. On June 11, 2020, European Commission (“Commission”) published a Communication on the third assessment of the application of the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU strongly encouraging the remaining Member States (those which have not lifted the ban yet) to lift the internal border controls and restrictions to free movement within the EU by June 15, 2020. This is the third sequel of the Commission’s prolongation of travel restrictions into the EU+ area for travelers coming from third countries, however, […]
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On March 18, 2020, North Macedonia declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which was accompanied by numerous measures, including bans on mass gatherings and movement, as well as imposition of self-isolation. The development of the epidemiological situation in this country allowed temporary relaxation of measures, while the state of emergency has remained in force to this day. The latest decision to extend the state of emergency was made on May 30. According to that decision, the state of emergency should last until June 14, which is the third extension of the state of emergency in […]
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Serbia – full border liberalization With the public health situation improving, the Government of Serbia decided on May 19, 2020 that, as of May 22, neither Serbian nor foreign nationals will be required to be in possession of a negative PCR test or a special permit for entry into Serbia. The Government also rescinded the self-isolation measures that were mandatory upon arrival to Serbia, and passengers coming from abroad will instead be handed a memo informing them that the virus is still at large and instructing them how to prevent infection. Additionally, though negative PCR tests are no longer required […]
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After the state of emergency was introduced on March 15, 2020, the Government decided to seal the borders to virtually all passenger transit. However, those temporary restrictions did not apply to Serbian citizens, foreign nationals with approved temporary residence or permanent residence in Serbia, nor to accredited staff of foreign diplomatic and consular missions, staff of international organizations and their families, subject to 28 days mandatory isolation following entry. With the situation improving and the state of emergency now lifted, the Government has decided to relax measures and gradually reopen border crossings, mainly for Serbian citizens coming from abroad. […]
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Since the introduction of the state of emergency in Serbia on March 15, 2020, the Government issued a number of decrees restricting certain human rights and freedoms, such as freedom of assembly, and providing novel regulatory framework for functioning of the public sector, economy and judiciary during the state of emergency. While the primary goal of those measures was to protect public health, they also had the broader economic protection of citizens in mind, be it employees, unemployed persons or senior citizens. However, the favorable epidemiological situation in Serbia enabled – and the needs of the economy necessitated – […]
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Due to the state of the emergency introduced as a result of the largest pandemic in modern times, all countries and economies of the world found themselves in challenging times. Food and grocery retailers inevitably found themselves under pressure to meet requirements of all customers and supply enough quantities of goods. As it happens whenever there is a crisis in history, some retailers try to profit from it by increasing prices of basic foodstuffs. Therefore, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (“FBiH”) issued a Decision to establish conditions for listing direct price control measures in the territory […]
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The Government of the Republic of Serbia invalidated its Conclusion 05 no. 53-2928/2020 (“Conclusion“) which centralized the publication of information on the current state and consequences of the infectious disease COVID-19 through the Crisis Staff for suppression of the Infectious Disease (“Crisis Staff“) headed by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić,. The Government announced the Conclusion on March 28 and it was published on March 31 in the Official Gazette of RS no. 48/2020. On April 3, the Government invalidated the Conclusion (by adopting new Conclusion 05 no. 53-3010/2020, published in Official Gazette of RS no. 50/2020). Let us first remind you […]
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Parallel to the COVID-19 pandemic, another problem spreading through society is a sort of pandemic of misinformation in the media, social networks, as well as in the form of text and voice messages circulating on mobile networks. The most effective measures against the spread of the virus – self-isolation, curfews and border closures – are powerless in stopping the movement of misinformation globally and nationally. The activity of carriers of misinformation must be stopped by different measures. The Government of the Srpska Republic has, at the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior, announced the Decision on Prohibition of Spreading […]
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The state of emergency has witnessed more than 320,000 Serbian nationals return to the Republic of Serbia (“RS”) from abroad. To prevent an onslaught of arrivals and in turn any exacerbation of the existing public health crisis, as of March 20, 2020 the authorities have sealed all borders to travelers, Serbian and foreign nationals alike. Serbian citizens returning from abroad who entered the RS prior to the border closures must self-isolate for 14 or 28 days and are subject to isolation order spot checks by police. Many foreign nationals are “stuck” in the RS following global airport closures, and because […]
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