Over the past months, most ministries have been given new responsibilities. What are the most recent changes operated within the Ministry of Environment?
I would go back to the time when this Ministry was created: 29th of Dec. 2000. The only purpose for the existence of this Ministry was to upgrade the care as well as the actions undertaken for the preservation of the environment. At the same time the task of the Ministry encompassed promoting the environment including promotion of the natural wealth. That was really indispensable. In the past, back in the time of Yu there was barely any care, almost none, for the environment and its preservation. The transitional period that Macedonia stepped into meant also a transitional period for the environmental care, meaning we found ourselves in a situation where all the industrial facilities were very outdated, old fashioned machines, equipment etc. That means they are potential polluters, in fact they were completely, totally polluting the environment.
The first Law on environment protection was enacted in 1996, afterwards - very soon - in '97, the National Ecological Program was adopted, by which was first determined the situation of the environment, the situation as it was found, the momentum, and the NEAP (National Ecological application program) that stepped forward. There are 14 elements tackling several protection issues: the soil, the air, the demographical aspects, the water, the forests, the tourism, the industry… So, anything that was in connection with the environment was elaborated by this Program.
The protection of the environment is an interdisciplinary science, meaning that our Ministry has interdisciplinary tasks. Protection of the environment is in close connection for instance with the water economy, with the health - the general situation and the protection, the industry, almost everything else.
Which sector of the economy do you work the most with?
Let's take health as an example. In case poisonous gases are discharged in the environment in concentration higher then the allowed maximum, then, we clearly have strong influence over the health of the population. So, the health of the people, the whole population is in close connection with the environment. Therefore, the last year we elaborated the national ecological and health program, which was something similar to the previous one, the difference was that a special attention in this one was dedicated to the health issue.
What are the main projects of your Ministry?
The undergoing projects in the Ministry are divided in few groups: as the first one is the institutional reinforcement of the Ministry. If we want to get positive results, we have to have a strong and well established Ministry of environment and space planning which includes intensive education and training. The training mainly takes place abroad, in the EU countries. In the framework of the PHARE program and the UN Development Program we have 2 projects taking place here in Macedonia targeted on this problems, that is to say the technical equipment of the Ministry as well as its institutional strengthening - so two projects with same goals, interacting one with the other.
In the Ministry we have few specific services like the environment Inspection, Service or Agency for environment, Department for sustained development, Department for Euro integration, Information center, Department on legislation and sanitation, Monitoring department; so obviously these 2 programs are in interaction in building up and reinforcing the Ministry.
The second part is our work in the field of legislation with the main task to adjust our legislation with that of the EU.
It is well-known that the Republic of Macedonia has signed the Agreement on Stabilization and Association, at the end of last year in Zagreb. That document has also a special accent placed on the environment protection. The fact that the environment and the directives regarding environment are coming on the second place, immediately after the priority of the agriculture speaks for itself for the importance given to the issue . It means that we have a lot to do starting with legislation adjusting, application and enforcement of that legislation as an important element in the process of accession to the EU.
We already have started some work on adjusting our legislation to the one of the same field in EU; in the frameworks of the PHARE project some 3 million EUROS have been approved for the last two projects - for instance one of the projects is the law on air protection financed by the GTZ (German Technical Assistance).
Last December, you announced a campaign for environmental protection of Lake Orhid and lake Dojran. What is your development plan as far as those areas are concerned?
The project for Lake Ohrid Protection and Conservation is realized in cooperation with the Albanian side, financed by the Public Environment Fund as implementation agency of the World Bank, it comprises four elements: institutional strengthening, legislation, monitoring of the Ohrid Lake, Management Committee for the wider area of the lake with all the river flowing into the lake. One of the most important elements of it is the ambition of upgrading the public awareness. There is a Lake Management Board comprising members of central and local Government and non-Government experts.
We have plenty of investments in Ohrid, most of them coming from the Swiss and the German Government.
The protection measures undertaken in the frames of project-programs on Ohrid and Prespa lake are also presented on the Hanover fair in form of CD, containing all the information for the respective lakes, starting with the geographical location and the natural features, including the mountain Galicica as a natural reservate, together with the protected national park named Ezerani and the Isle Golem Grad.
With relation to the Stability Pact, on the second working session we have come to adopt a common regional program for South-East Europe named Regional program for reconstruction of the environment for the South-East Europe. This is the very first document signed and adopted by all the South-East Europe countries represented by their Ministries of Environment. The document comprises 5 elements which refer to the national interests regarding the environment but also to the wider regional interests. All that is described in details by the new Draft-Project Proposals. The first one: institutional strengthening of the Ministries of environment and the respective Agencies in the South-East Europe, the second part is strengthening the civil society in reaching the civil/public awareness that is to implement the project/s, the third is rehabilitating the environment in the post-conflict areas. For that purpose the team of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) experts prepared three reports, first one on Kosovo, the second on Macedonia and the third on Albania. | The report on Macedonia has just been completed, the presentation was supposed to take place these days. This presentation is to involve visits on the spots like Jugohrom Jegunovce, which is in the neighborhood of Tetovo, like Oslomej Kicevo and a few more points in Western Macedonia.
Do your projects include the tourism development aspect?
Besides the environment as the main focus, a special accent was placed onto the tourism sector. Macedonia is so rich with places where the natural beauty and the cultural inheritance are mixed together. Let me stress that we have three national parks - Mavrovo, Galicica and Pelister, three natural lakes - Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran, which have priority in our policy. Besides, there are so many other outstanding places, so attractive for tourists. Myself, I have been for a very long time interested in promoting tourism, it became my obsession - in a few months I will have my master degree in tourism. I would also like to develop tourism management. Macedonia has so much to show and nothing much has been done in that direction. I refer especially to the part of alternative tourism and its promotion. There are so many beautiful places in Macedonia, untouched by human hand, wonderful old architecture, so many exquisite natural landscapes, and very old churches. One can still find cheese prepared on the old primitive way - I can tell you as my own experience about the huge difference between the taste of that cheese and what is available as industrial production, that's only to be tasted.
Being on such place, one gets the impression of going back to some 200-300 years ago.
We have joint projects with the Ministry of Culture, it is a project targeting the promotion of natural and cultural treasuries of Macedonia, led of course by the Ministry of Culture as the most relevant partner for realizing this type of activities.
At the moment a new special Law on protecting particular natural wealth is in a parliamentary procedure. Enacting that Law, the natural wealth such as national parks will be in direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment which was not the case so far. I have prepared and thoroughly elaborated a strategy for performing, realizing all these projects.
Let's go back to Prespa. In February last year in Greece, the Prime Ministers of the three neighboring countries - Macedonia, Greece and Albania, signed a declaration by which the area of Prespa lake including the surrounding area named Mala Prespa was declared an International Park reserve. According to that Declaration many activities have started, both in Macedonia and Albania. In Greece, an Information Center already exists, with a plan for equivalent ones on the sides of Albania and Macedonia. The work in that direction is undergoing with a surprisingly fast rhythm . On the Macedonian side of the Prespa lake, we have the natural ornithological reserve, the so-called Ezerani which was lately well taken care of. This all has been organized and realized in cooperation with the Institute for protection and preservation of birds. Prespa is one of the projects of the Stability Pact.
Since you are also involved in urban planning, what are your largest projects for the development of urban areas and how would you evaluate the construction and engineering sector?
With the process of Public Administration reform in Macedonia, at the end of June 2000, the number of the Ministries was downsized - from 21 we integrated the work in 14 Ministries. Our Ministry took the part of space planning which used to be a task of the Ministry of Transport. So we became a Ministry of environment and space planing, another part of their tasks went to the Ministry of Transports and Communications. We are now in a process of final determination of our jurisdiction, our obligations between us and them. The space/urban plan of the Republic of Macedonia is now going into a parliamentary procedure and I am the one to defend it. My intention is to withdraw it, re-elaborate it and give it a stronger green line before sending it back into procedure. At the moment I have engaged experts from the Republic of Macedonia to prepare the new Law on space and urban planing which is supposed to give clear definitions of the regulations and jurisdiction. The deadline is June. I expect the Law on space and urban planing to pass the Government procedure.
In Macedonia we have a public company for space and urban planning with which we plan to realize many projects, such as preparing the general urban plans with the local government.
Regarding the implementation of the space/urban plan and what we will determine as strategy will involve many companies of the country. A priority would be the project on protection of the Dojran Lake. Ever since '88 this lake is in ecological agony. This project will involve the Public Company and few more companies, selected through a public tender.
For this year, the main tasks we will have are in the field of space planing. In the past this issue was neglected, but now, as the environment is our main focus, space planning becomes also a priority. The space planning has had for long a constant influence on the daily life of a wide population; one mistake becomes the problem of wide population, so clearly it needs a very careful work. One example of a big mistake (politically based decision) in the space planing is the long term disastrous consequence of the Led and zinc melting factory. The basic principles of space planing were not respected there, so now face a situation where the town of Veles is the most polluted town in Macedonia, I believe also in all the South-East Europe. We invest maximum of efforts towards rehabilitation of the site.
On a more personal level, you became the first Minister of this new Ministry of Environment. With the experience of the past few months, are definitely convinced that Macedonia needed such a Ministry?
I find the existence of the Ministry of Environment justified because it gives more power when performing tasks and negotiating projects.
Before becoming a Minister I was for two years Deputy Minister, previously I was an active member of the biggest non-governmental ecological association. As its General Secretary I was involved in several activities. So the field is well-known to me and with my experience I can say this Ministry is indispensable. If only 2% of the projects of the Ministry get realized, it will be quite a success.
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