It is commonplace to think that citizens and political leaders in Serbia are too “green” for there to be a need for the emergence of a Green Party. However, public opinion surveys and the activities of both ruling and opposition political parties show that everyone is trying to earn nature protector merit badges and pin them on their lapels. Those who are least involved in this are environmental leaders, who have voiced the dissatisfaction of citizens and carry authentic political capital. Will all the potential for serious political action on the environmental front end up on the dump of populism?
It sometimes seems that minor and major battles for environmental protection are being fought in hundreds of places in Serbia – from the struggle to save every tree, to major topics like the start of lithium mining. Does the visible dissatisfaction of citizens and their activism indicate that a Green Party could be born in Serbia, or is that an illusion?
How realistic is it to be able to make political capital out of this topic, and who is closest to validating it? Our interlocutors deconstruct this topic step by step and guide readers, voters, political parties and environmental leaders through a labyrinth leading to the political articulation of the feelings of citizens on both sides of the political spectrum.