Balkan water rights and constitutional advocacy

In Serbia, the Ecological Uprising (Ekološki ustanak) movement has launched the “Water in the Constitution” (Vodu u Ustav) initiative. The movement is campaigning for a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to water, citing concerns over drought and the fact that 80% of Serbia’s water resources are controlled by foreign companies. Their demands include amending article 74 of the Serbian Constitution, creating environmental crime units, halting small hydro-electric plants in protected areas, and suspending high-risk mining projects.

Advocacy for water rights has expanded to include discussions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While Serbian leader Aleksandar Jovanović has called on all political actors to prioritize constitutional reform to guarantee drinking water, legal experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina have addressed local supply shortages. In regions such as Banja Luka and Potkozarje, where residents faced shortages for nearly twenty days, lawyers have argued that while the right to water may not be explicitly stated in the Constitution of Republika Srpska, it is recognized through local utility laws and European Court practice.