THE LAW ON HYDROGRAPHIC ACTIVITY

On 3 February 2020, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Law on hydrographic activity (“Law”). The Law entered into force on 12 February 2020.

The reason behind introducing this Law lies in the need for legal framework for preforming hydrographic activity ( hydrographic and topographic measurement in inland waters, cartography, navigation, geology of river soil, production, issuance maintenance of navigation charts, etc.), and all for the purpose of safe navigation and support for other navigation activities, including economic development, scientific research and environmental protection.

The law prescribes what conditions a legal entity must meet to perform hydrographic diameter operations on inland waterways. In terms of staffing capacity, the law stipulates that at least one person with a university degree or specialist studies in the field of civil engineering, a hydro-technical major, one person with a license of a responsible designer of geodetic projects, two persons with a license to perform hydrographic work issued by International Hydrographic is required an organization or institution recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization.

In relation to the disposal of navigational charts, the Law prescribes a restriction on the prohibition of scanning and reproduction, without the written approval of the Directorate for Waterways.

In order to implement modern systems in this field, it is stipulated that the Directorate for Waterways will establish and operate the Central Hydrographic Database as an integrated information system, which will, on the basis of systematic data collection, produce and exchange safety information for navigation.