Jan. 29, 1999 * Volume 1 Number 17
CONTENTS:
A R O U N D T H E R E G I O N
Yugoslavia denies being source of mysterious Danube oil slicks
In the period between Jan. 14-20, Bulgarian officials monitoring the Danube River reported three large oil slicks, which apparently came from Yugoslavia, but Yugoslav officials have denied that the pollution originated in their country, according to reports. The first and largest slick was 55 kilometres long, and at one point officials were concerned that it might affect the Kozloduy nuclear power plant located on the river bank, according to reports from Reuters. The latest oil spill, seven kilometres long and 250 metres wide, was noticed Jan. 20 at the mouth of the Timok River flowing into the Danube along the border with Yugoslavia, Reuters said. A second, five-kilometre light oil spill was spotted on Jan. 18 near the town of Vidin, which is at the Yugoslav border, Reuters said. Bulgarian Civil Defense officials, who have worked to contain the oil slicks, said it seemed evident that the spills originated outside of Bulgaria, but Yugoslav officials said their investigations revealed that no spills occurred on their section of the Danube, Reuters said. Contact: Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, Emil Marinov, deputy minister, tel: (359-2) 980-0905 or (359-2) 871-043; or Yugoslav Federal Hydrometeorological Institute, Slavko Maksimovic, director, tel: (381-11) 645-779; fax: (381-11) 646-369.
Activists protest Bulgaria's nuclear program
A dozen gas-mask-wearing Bulgarian activists staged a Jan. 27 protest in central Sofia to oppose production and transportation of spent nuclear fuel from Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant, according to reports. The protest occurred while an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team, invited by the Bulgarian government, finalised an assessment of the Kozloduy plant, where, government officials say, costly projects for modernizing radioactive storage are underway, reports said. Meanwhile, Bulgarian Deputy Premier Evgenyi Bakardzhiev said Jan. 22 that his government will not shut down four nuclear reactors at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant earlier than scheduled, according to an Associated Press report carried by Radio Free Europe (RFE). Bakardzhiev was quoted as saying that the two oldest reactors will stop operating in 2005, as planned, and the other two will shut down in 2010. In another development, Bulgarian officials announced Jan. 15 that they expect to broker a deal to pay in barter, with foods and medicine, for Russia's services in disposing of the waste and supplying fresh fuel for the Kozloduy plant, RFE reported. The facility reportedly provides about 40 percent of Bulgaria's electricity needs. Contact: Bulgarian environmentalist organization Za Zemyata (For the Earth), e-mail: ftearth@bulnet.bg or zemiata@iterra.net; web: http://www.savanne.ch/zazemiata; or Bulgarian Atomic Energy Committee, Georgi Kaschiev, director, tel: (359-2) 720-217.
Slovenian populace votes to reject coal-burning plant
In a Jan. 10 nationwide referendum in Slovenia, 78 percent of the voters rejected a plan to build a new 200 megawatt coal-burning energy plant at Trbovlje, according to Dr. Miha Tomsic of E Forum, Slovenia. The plant, located in central Slovenia by the Sava River, had been planned to replace an aging power plant nearby, which is scheduled to be closed in 2004. According to plans published by Termoelektrarna, the Slovenian power company, using coal at the proposed "TET3" plant would have helped support the coal mines in the surrounding area. In an open letter announcing the referendum results, Tomsic, whose group fought against the plan, wrote: "Looking into the (near) future, some effort will be needed to formulate a good alternative programme to TET3. This would probably include the closure of Trbovlje and Hrastnik mines, and should address the economic and social restructuring of the Zasavje region. Energy alternatives are numerous and do not pose severe problems." Contact: Andrej Klemenc, Slovenian E Forum, tel: (386-61) 188-8473; fax: (386-61) 188-8473; e-mail: andrej.klemenc@guest.arnes.si; or Termoelektrarna: in Trbovlje, tel: (386) 602-6633; in Slovenija, tel: (386) 601-22407 fax: (386) 601-26090
Croatia, Bulgaria expect negative population growth by 2001
The American Statistics Office has predicted that Bulgaria, Croatia, Belgium and Italy will be the only nations in the world to experience population drops by the year 2001, according to the Jan. 26 edition of the Croatian newspaper Vjesnik. While the paper quoted Croatian government officials as being concerned about the drop in population, many environmentalists consider zero growth, or a reduction in population to be beneficial. Contact: Marija Kastelan-Macan, Croatian Ministry of Development and Reconstruction, tel: (385-1) 183-912; fax: (385-1) 183-901 or Zero Population Growth, tel: (1-202) 332-2200; fax: (1-202) 332-2302; e-mail: ZPG@igc.apc.org web: http://www.zpg.org/.
E U A C C E S S I O N / P A N E U R O P E A N
Funded by European Commission's DG-XI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Hungary seeks to postpone EU compliance on water laws
During mid-January pre-accession meetings between the Hungarian government and the European Commission, Hungary sought permission to delay compliance with European Union water quality rules until some time after it becomes a full member of the EU, according to a report from ENDS Daily environmental news service. In a Jan. 20 report, ENDS quoted Istvan Ori, head of Hungary's negotiating team, as saying that improving water quality would take up to half the EURO 8.6 billion that Hungary expects it will have to invest to achieve environmental accession, and that only about 5 percent of the cost would come from EU financial aid sources. By 1994 still only 42 percent of Hungary's households were connected to secondary waste water treatment facilities, compared with 90 percent in neighbouring Austria, the report said. In further meetings over the next few weeks, Hungary and commission officials will focus on industrial pollution control, air quality, waste management and nuclear issues, the report said. Contact: Mission of the Hungarian Republic to the EU, tel: (32-2) 372-0800; or Dr. Judit Moser of the Hungarian environment ministry's press office, tel: (36- 1) 201-2619.
Slovenia meeting paves way for environment and health summit
Fifty-one World Health Organization (WHO) member states will gather in Bled, Slovenia, Feb. 14-16 to negotiate conference action documents for London99 -- a major WHO summit on public health in Europe scheduled for June -- according to a press announcement from organisers. Meanwhile, a background briefing has been issued by the people preparing the London summit, which will be the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health. This information, and a press release on NEHAPs, the environment and health action plans that all European countries are committed to do, is posted on the web at:
B U S I N E S S A N D E N V I R O N M E N T Oil investment in Romania includes $10m in environmental protection
When announcing the largest deal ever by Romania's privatisation agency -- USD 725 million for an oil refinery -- a Turkish company said that it would spend an additional USD 10 million on environmental protection, according to a report from Reuters. Turkey's Akmaya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. announced on Jan. 25 that it had bought 65 percent in Romania's Black Sea-based oil refinery Petromidia, and that it would make the environmental investment as well as upgrading and increasing capacity to 4.5 million metric tons annually from the present 3.5 million over the next two years, Reuters said. Contact: Akmaya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., web: http://www.sanayi.gov.tr/.
J O U R N A L I S M N E W SReuters, IUCN announce media awards
Reuters and IUCN, the World Conservation Union, are seeking candidates for the first-ever Reuters-IUCN Media awards, to be given to journalists who produce important, interesting or influential reportage about the environment, according to a statement from Reuters. Prizes will be given on international and regional levels, according to an announcement. Winners will be offered study or training opportunities organised by the Reuters Foundation, according to the announcement. The winners will be announced at some time in the future. Applications must be in by August 1999. For more information, or to receive an application form, contact: IUCN Sub-Regional Office for Central Europe, tel: (48-2) 249-3491; e-mail: ztederko@warman.com.pl.
Media award planned for health and environment summit
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a Media Award, to be given at the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, to be held in London in June. According to a press release from WHO, the Health21 Media Award has two categories: documentaries and public service announcements, and broad criteria for submissions with a subject matter of environment and health will be considered. Reportage should be submitted by March 31, the release said. Contact: Viv Taylor Gee, WHO Europe, tel: (45-3) 917-1263; e-mail: vge@who.dk; web: www.who.dk/London99.
Journal seeking more articles from CEE
The journal "Environmental Management and Health" has sent out an announcement that it is looking to increase the input of scientific papers from colleagues in Central and Eastern Europe. For more, information, visit the journal's web page at:
W H O W E A R EAbout Green Horizon
Green Horizon is a free newsletter designed to help journalists stay ahead of environmental news in Central and Eastern Europe. Twice a month, we'll offer tips on upcoming stories to watch for, as well as information and ideas to help you develop in-depth pieces about the region's environment. Green Horizon is produced by the Media Information Service (MIS) of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. The goal of the MIS is to assist the media in covering environmental issues. It is funded by the European Commission's DG-XI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For a free subscription, research assistance or to find a source: Send e-mail to:
Copyright 1998 by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
Ady Endre út 9-11 * 2000 Szentendre * Hungary
Tel: (36-26) 504-000 * Fax: (36-26) 311-294 * E-mail: GreenHorizon@rec.org * http://www.rec.org/
