The Republic of Serbia largely meets its electricity needs
through production in thermal power plants that use coal as
fuel. As the coal-lignite deposits in the Kolubara and
Kostolac basins are limited, and the reserves in Kosovo and
Metohija are not under the control of the Government of the
Republic of Serbia, it is necessary to find a solution to
ensure the country's energy security and stability. At the
end of 2024, amendments to the Law on Energy lifted the
moratorium on the use of nuclear energy for peacetime
purposes. With this change, the Republic of Serbia gained
the opportunity to start a nuclear programme and, with the
potential construction of a nuclear power plant, meet its
basic energy needs. In this paper, we will analyse the
current energy capacities of our country, the possibilities
for replacing coal-fired thermal power plants with nuclear
power plants, the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear
power plants, the experiences of countries in the region,
and the obstacles and challenges to building a nuclear
power plant.

Nuclear law is a complex and highly specialised branch of
law that regulates all activities involving fissile
materials, ionising radiation, and exposure to natural
sources of radiation. Its primary purpose is to establish a
rigorous legal framework that ensures comprehensive
protection of individuals, society, and the environment
from the potentially harmful effects of radiation, while
also creating the necessary legal prerequisites for the
peaceful use of nuclear energy. Due to the specific and
far-reaching risks inherent in nuclear activities, this
field requires continuous harmonisation of national
legislation with international standards.
This paper critically analyses the definition and
legislative scope of nuclear law, examining its sources and
the hierarchy of legal instruments in detail. Special
attention is given to the role of key actors in this field,
as well as the historical evolution of legal norms directly
prompted by major nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and
Fukushima. Through the analysis of these events, the paper
demonstrates the shift from strictly national regulations
to a transnational approach to safety, emphasising the
importance of international cooperation and constant
oversight to maintain global nuclear security.

In the contemporary security environment, the perception of
nuclear energy is increasingly shaped not only by
historical experiences but also by current media reporting
on crises and conflict situations. In particular, reporting
on military operations in countries with developed nuclear
infrastructure, such as Ukraine and Iran, often contributes
to the spread of fear and public panic, whereby the risks
of nuclear incidents are frequently presented without
adequate fact-checking or sufficient expert context. In
this regard, the securitization of the nuclear threat can
be observed, through which potential risks are framed as
immediate and existential dangers. Such narratives may lead
to a distortion of risk perception and further undermine
public trust in nuclear energy as a safe and controlled
energy source.
At the same time, historical events such as the Chernobyl
disaster and the Fukushima nuclear disaster have left a
strong imprint on collective memory, with media reporting
significantly contributing to the formation of long-lasting
narratives of nuclear energy as a high-risk technology.
This paper analyzes the role of the media as a key actor in
the process of shaping risk perception, drawing on
theoretical approaches such as Framing Theory and the
Social Amplification of Risk framework. Particular
attention is given to the ways in which media frames,
source selection, and reporting tone influence the level of
public trust in institutions and nuclear projects.
Through a comparative analysis of communication practices
in different countries, the paper identifies key
challenges, including sensationalism, lack of expert
interpretation, and the dominance of crisis-driven
narratives. Based on the conducted analysis, concrete
strategies are proposed for improving communication on
nuclear energy in Serbia, with a particular emphasis on
transparency, a proactive relationship with the media, and
the development of a dialogical communication model, in
order to build an informed and trust-based public opinion.

In order for radiation protection experts to be as well
trained as possible to respond to emergency situations, in
addition to studying literature and attending courses,
participation in nuclear accident exercises is a
significant factor affecting the readiness of personnel.
This paper presents the course of one such exercise
(ConvEx-3), available data, target values, and the
procedure in which the values were determined by the
Radiation and Environmental Protection Department,
Institute "Vinča". The task of the exercise was to detect
the emitted radionuclides and determine their activities
within 24 hours, based on the obtained gamma radiation
spectrum and relevant sampling and measurement data. The
radionuclides identified were: I-131, I-132, Cs-134,
Cs-136, Cs-137, Te-129m, Te-129, Te-132 and all reported
results were in good agreement with the target values.

Environmental radioactivity monitoring represents one of
the key components of public health protection and
environmental safety, particularly in areas potentially
influenced by nuclear facilities. Continuous monitoring of
surface waters, soil, and air enables the timely detection
of artificial radionuclides, as well as the assessment of
possible radiological impacts on the environment. Special
attention is given to river systems that may be exposed to
transboundary influences originating from nuclear power
plants located along major watercourses.
Due to the geographical position of the Republic of Serbia
downstream from Nuclear Power Plant Krško and Nuclear Power
Plant Paks, surface water radioactivity monitoring
constitutes an important part of the national radiological
surveillance system. Within the framework of bilateral
cooperation between Serbia and Hungary, radioactivity
monitoring of the Danube River has been established in the
transboundary region at monitoring stations located in
Bezdan and Mohacs, with the aim of assessing potential
radiological impacts and preserving the quality of this
international watercourse.

Coal remains one of the dominant global energy sources,
accounting for approximately 35% of global electricity
generation. According to recent reports by the
International Energy Agency global coal demand reached a
record high of approximately 8.79 billion tones in 2024,
while coal-fired electricity generation exceeded 10,700 TWh
worldwide. As a fine powder by-product generated during
coal combustion, coal fly ash constitutes approximately
65–95% of the total ash produced and is recognized as one
of the largest industrial solid wastes worldwide. The
annual generation of coal fly ash is estimated to be around
one billion tons. In this study, measurements of the
ambient gamma dose equivalent rate were conducted in the
near-ground atmospheric layer at a height of 1 m above the
surface. The investigation focused on active and passive
ash and slag disposal sites in the coal fired power plants
TENT A and Kolubara, with the aim of assessing the
radiological impact of coal combustion by-products on the
surrounding environment.

Coal while burning , as well as slag and ash as coal
combustion byproducts, can affect the state of the
radioactivity in the environment since those combustion
byproducts contain natural radionucledes. Therefore, the
importance of monitoring radionuclides in those samples are
of a great significance. To ensure the accuracy and
precision (reliability) of the obtained measurement
results, quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA)
program were established, which include checking of the
HPGe spectrometer characteristics. Two point sources (60Co
and 137Cs) were used for checking detectors characteristics
recommended by ISO and IAEA documents.
The paper presents the results of the QA/QC program of the
HPGe spectrometer used for measurements of coal, ash and
slag samples obtained from the “Nikola Tesla” and
“Kolubara” thermal power plants. These results confirm both
accuracy and precision of measurement results, as well as
the long-term stability of the spectrometer.

Calibration of radiation protection dosimeters is performed
in reference fields (radiation qualities) realized in
accordance with ISO 4037-1:2019. This standard specifies
the requirements for parameters influencing these radiation
qualities, including the X-ray tube voltage, which defines
the maximum photon energy of the beam. The recommended
method for determining the X-ray tube voltage is invasive,
using a voltage divider. However, alternative approaches
are being explored, such as X-ray spectrometry methods,
where the tube voltage is derived from the recorded X-ray
spectrum. One such approach, the linear extrapolation
method, determines the spectral end-point by applying a
linear fit to the high-energy region of the spectrum. In
this study, the linear extrapolation spectrometry method
for X-ray tube voltage determination was evaluated and
compared with the invasive method using a voltage divider.
Deviations of less than 0.5% were observed in the tube
voltage range of 60–120 kV, while at lower and higher
energies, larger deviations were observed, reaching up to
1.2%. The spectrometry-based linear extrapolation method is
an appropriate alternative to invasive voltage divider
measurements; however, further improvements are needed to
enhance its accuracy.

This paper presents a fleet-level metrological
characterization of the DMRZ-M15 ambient digital dosimeter
with probe S1 and a dedicated software tool for
calibration-data management and quality-control (QC)
support. Ten instruments were analyzed using accredited
calibration certificates obtained in the reference gamma
fields S-Cs (662 keV, 137Cs) and S-Co (60Co), together with
ISO 4037 narrow-spectrum X-ray qualities N-100, N-120,
N-150, and N-200. For each beam quality, the calibration
coefficient NH for the ambient dose equivalent rate was
extracted, and a practical instrument correction factor
Kcorr was defined as the average of the two lowest S-Cs
points. Fleet statistics yield Kcorr = 1.002 ± 0.011 and
NH,S-Cs = 0.996 ± 0.012 (mean ± SD), while mean
energy-response deviations relative to S-Cs are -22.5% for
S-Co, -27.2% for N-100, -27.2% for N-120, -20.2% for N-150,
and +2.9% for N-200. These results quantify both
between-instrument variability and systematic energy
dependence relevant to routine operation and QC
interpretation. In parallel, a Windows Presentation
Foundation (WPF) application based on the
Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern was developed to
support structured import of certificate-derived data,
record validation, automatic computation of Kcorr,
fleet-level summaries, LaTeX/CSV export, and QC charting
based on z-score criteria. The combined metrological
dataset and software workflow reduce manual processing
errors and provide a practical basis for traceable
long-term monitoring of DMRZ-M15 instruments.

This paper presents a non-destructive methodology for the
radiological characterization of the legacy neutron source
containing 226Ra-Be, enclosed in a container of unknown
material composition. Since there was no initial
information on the source activity, neutron emission rate
or shielding properties, the proposed methodology combined
experimental data from dosimetry measurements with Monte
Carlo MCNP6.3 simulations. Gamma-ray spectrometry was
performed to confirm the presence of 226Ra through its
progeny 214Pb and 214Bi. The neutron ambient dose
equivalent rate measurements, combined with the observation
of prompt gamma radiation at an energy of 853.6 keV from
neutron capture reactions on beryllium, demonstrated that
the source was of the 226Ra-Be neutron source type. An
iterative procedure which included variation of the assumed
material composition of the container was conducted until
activities of 214Pb and 214Bi showed identical or very
closely matching values and the neutron emission rate fell
within the expected range. Information about the material
composition of the container, combined with the Monte Carlo
MCNP6.3 simulations of the initial neutron spectrum and a
detailed model of the neutron source in the Monte Carlo
MCNP6.3 simulations, together with neutron flux density
measurements by irradiation of gold foils, enabled the
determination of the 226Ra-Be activity and the neutron
emission rate without any prior information.

The removal of radionuclides from liquid radioactive waste
(RW) represents an important environmental and
technological challenge. In recent years, increasing
attention has been focused on the utilization of
inexpensive sorbents derived from waste and by-products. In
this study, a comparison of the textural properties and
sorption efficiency of waste construction and demolition
components towards radionuclide ions was performed.
Textural characterization of the materials was performed
using BET, BJH, and t-plot analyses in order to determine
the specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size
distribution. The results revealed significant differences
in the textural properties of the investigated materials,
with specific surface areas of approximately 48 m2/g for
waste concrete (WC), 9 m2/g for waste brick (WB), and 1
m2/g for waste asphalt (WA). Correspondingly, WC exhibited
the highest sorption capacities, reaching up to ≈0.55
mmol/g for Ni2+ in previous research. The comparison
between the textural parameters and the sorption
performance of the investigated ions confirmed that
sorption behaviour is influenced by a complex interplay of
multiple factors. These include the surface chemistry of
the sorbent, the speciation of the ions, and the
experimental conditions, all of which collectively govern
the efficiency of radionuclide sorption.