The paper presents a brief summary of contents and implementation of the current Serbian regulations on the prevention and control of major accidents involving dangerous materials. Further, it discusses issues connected with implementation of the regulation, including inspection, review, and approval of safety reports. This regulation comprises legal requirements and methodological guidelines for risk analysis and preparation of emergency plans. Although the roots of the Serbian regulation are basically in the Seveso I Directive, this study revealed significant differences compared with current regulations and practice in Europe. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.