Serbian Capital Silences Noisy Night Owls

Belgrade's raucous nightlife became a thing of the past on Wednesday night as bars and cafes sited in residential buildings - in deference to a new law - closed at midnight and shelves lined with alcoholic beverages were put out of reach at 10pm. 

"Belgrade will breathe a new night-time rhythm," Zeljko Ozegovic, a member of the City Council, predicted. He said the city police would ensure total enforcement of the ban.

The new rules have met with some resistance. About a thousand young people gathered at a Belgrade park on Wednesday night to protest the city's decision to ban the sale of alcohol after 10pm.

The protest was organised via the social networking site Facebook and no incidents were reported.

Slobodan Drobnjak and his friends have pledged to keep protesting with bottles of beers in the park. "They [the authorities] should know that we disagree with the decision and if more and more people start joining us, our chances to win will grow," he told Balkan Insight.

"Don't they [city's authorities] realize that bans always have only the opposite effect," Marija Jovicic said.

"Whistling may wake them up to realise how pointless the decision is," said Jovana Komadinic, a whistle in her mouth.

Last December, the city council voted to close all bars and cafes near residential buildings at midnight on weekdays and at 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Music had to stop earlier,  at 10pm.

A citizens group, Belgraders Against Night Noise, which initiated the proposal, has been fighting for tighter regulations for years, saying the constitution guarantees the right to a healthy environment, including the right to sleep peacefully.

The ban on late-night alcohol sales, also adopted last December, mainly aims to protect minors. According to the Institute for Mental Health, 45 per cent of youths in Serbia aged 13 to 17, drink alcohol regularly.

Shops, kiosks, petrol stations and other stores that are open for 24 hours are now obliged to place clearly visible warnings, noting that the penalty for selling alcohol after the prescribed hours is 20,000 dinars.

Neighbouring Macedonia has also introduced regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol after 9pm in summer and after 7pm in winter.