Sara Pavkov

Sara Pavkov (born 1992) is a Serbian politician serving as the minister of environmental protection of Serbia since 2025.

A member of the Serbian Progressive Party, she has been a member of the party's presidency since 2021. Before becoming a minister, she was an activist in non-governmental organisations, a secretary for environmental protection in the Government of Vojvodina, and an advisor in the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In April 2025, she was appointed minister in Đuro Macut's cabinet. As minister, she has worked on waste management, improving air quality, and amending the Law on Air Protection.

Early life and education Sara Pavkov was born in 1992 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, and grew up in the city's Telep neighbourhood. She studied at the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium. After the Gymnasium, she enrolled into the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Novi Sad, where she completed undergraduate and master's studies, before beginning doctoral studies. In a 2021 interview with Gradske info, Pavkov revealed that she initially wanted to study at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade, but that she ended up enrolling at the Faculty of Sciences on her father's recommendation. While studying at the Faculty of Sciences, she received multiple awards. In parallel, Pavkov reported working in both non-governmental organisations, as well as government institutions. She is the founder of the association Zeleni Sad and participated in the Novi Sad working group, Zelena stolica.

Political career Pavkov joined the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in 2012. She was elected minister on 16 April 2025, succeeding Irena Vujović. At the time of her appointment, she was the youngest minister in Macut's cabinet. In an interview with Radio Television of Serbia, she stated that the amended Law on Air Protection would impose stricter penalties for violations.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection confirmed that it allocated funds for afforestation and greening in 28 municipalities in September 2025. In October 2025, she stated that the Pioneers Park had not experienced environmental damage since the creation of Ćacilend, a claim disputed by media reports. The N1 television has reported that since the creation of Ćacilend in March 2025, greenery has been destroyed and the amount of waste has increased in the park. In the same month, her ministry allocated air-quality monitoring stations for 28 municipalities. A month later, the European Investment Bank and the Ministry of Environmental Protection signed a deal for the creation of a sewerage network in Borča. In December 2025, she promoted changes to the Law on Waste Management in a Blic article, and declared that her ministry would work on increasing funds for the care of protected areas.

The ministry's budget for 2026 was set at . Pavkov announced in April 2026 that her ministry would also work on water protection, stating that it plays a key role in mitigating climate change. She stated that the government intended to reconstruct related to sewerage networks and water purification. Serbia is scheduled to host the World Environment Day in 2027.

Personal life Besides her native Serbian, she speaks English and German. She practiced karate for 13 years. She has co-authored 11 academic papers about environmental protection.