"Is he still alive - I don't know where that man is": President asks PM about environment minister

"I asked Ana, 'Is your minister responsible for the environment alive?'," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today, when asked about air pollution in Serbia. He was attending the opening of a Knott Autoflex Yug plant in Becej when he made the comments.

"I don't know where that man is," said Vucic, referring to Minister Trivan, and pointing out that he was urging the minister to "liven up a bit."

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He recalled that an urgent meeting dedicated to air quality and the measures being taken regarding this issue has been called by Prime Minister Brnabic for today.

About the lowering of electoral threshold

Answering questions from the media about introducing higher electoral threshold for coalitions, the Serbian president said that would not happen.

FotoPhoto Tanjug/Dragan Kujundzic

Recalling that European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia and delegation member in the inter-party dialogue Vladimir Bilchik said that he found the move to reduce the threshold questionable, a journalist asked why the president had not presented this idea a month earlier.

He said he thought it was a democratic measure and reiterated that it affected the party with the highest rating the most.

"All parties that are in parliament and want to go to elections have spoken in favor of this measure, of reducing the threshold. Those who who are against don't want to participate in elections," said the president of Serbia.

About his conversation with Borrell

The president of Serbia said he and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell didn't have much to say to each other about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue during today's telephone conversation.

Photo: Profimedia

"I told him that Serbia is ready to - after the abolishing of (Pristina's) taxes, which are an anti-civilization measure - talk with Pristina and that we are always ready to talk about peace and compromise," Vucic told reporters, asked what he said regarding the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.

He said that he spoke with the EU official about two topics - the situation in the region and, with special regard, relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

The president confirmed that he expects Borrell to visit Belgrade at the end of the month.

(Telegraf.rs)