April 2, 1999 * Volume 1 Number 20
CONTENTS:
A R O U N D T H E R E G I O N
Toxic gas drifts near Belgrade after NATO strikes
Clouds of toxic gas drifted near Belgrade during the early days of the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, after NATO warplanes hit a nearby pharmaceuticals plant, but defence authorities said the fumes were not heading towards the city, according to a March 30 Reuters report. There have been other reports of environmental damage coming out of Yugoslavia -- including a report that the water system of Novi Sad was badly damaged -- but it is early to receive an assessment on the extent of the damage or to confirm these reports. In a statement carried by local radio and television stations, the Belgrade civil defence crisis centre said toxic materials had leaked into the air after bombs hit the Galenika pharmaceuticals plant, northeast of the city, the report said. Local independent radio station Studio B said the blast had damaged a warehouse where missile and rocket fuel was stored, and that residents complained of smarting eyes and a metallic taste, Reuters said. The Belgrade civil defence crisis centre advised people to wear wet towels around their faces en route to their shelters to avoid inhaling fumes, according to Reuters. Contact: Reports on developments in Yugoslavia can be monitored at many web sites, including http://www.nato.int/latest/home.htm or http://www.beograd.com.
Czech ministers to consider halting nuclear project
The Czech government will make a decision in several weeks on whether to halt the construction of a controversial nuclear power plant at Temelin, Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Mertlik said, according to a March 23 report from Reuters. Ministers were told to prepare materials for the government by April 30, to argue their position, according to Reuters. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman told journalists on March 11 that, while he favors completing the construction of the controversial Temelin nuclear plant, his vote in the cabinet "weighs the same as that of any other of its members," according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Industry and Trade Ministry strongly supports the completion of the plant, while the Environment Ministry has opposed the project, and CEZ, a state-controlled power utility that owns the station, has said it may go bankrupt if Temelin is not completed, Reuters said. Meanwhile, public support for nuclear energy development has dropped by 21 percent over the last five years. At present it has the support of 47 percent of Czechs, according to a March 31 Radio Prague report about a poll taken by the STEM agency for public opinion research. In 1994 only 34 percent Czechs were against nuclear energy and the completion of Temelin, but that number has now risen to 53 percent, Radio Prague reported. Contact: Czech Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart, tel: (420-2) 6712-2719 or (420-2) 6712-1111; or Greenpeace Austria, tel: (43-1) 545-4580.
Plan approved for rehabilitation of radioactive pond in Estonia
Rehabilitation work will start this year on the Sillamae Radioactive Tailings Pond, "the most serious environmental problem of Estonia and one of the most environmentally hazardous objects of Europe," according to a press release from the Estonian Ministry of Environment. The German firm of Wismut GmbH delivered the conceptual project of rehabilitation to the Estonian Government on March 31, the press release said. The tailings pond contains 8 million cubic metres of radioactave waste, including 1,200 tonnes of uranium, and is situated on a 33 hectare sight right next to the coast of the Baltic Sea, according to the release. After the rehabilitation work, which will cost an estimated EURO 20 million, the site should be stable for 1,000 years, according to the release. Contact: Agnes Aaslaid, Press Secretary, Estonian Ministry of Environment, fax: (372-2) 262-801; e-mail: Agnes@ekm.envir.ee; or Estonian Green Movement, tel: (372-7) 462-532; fax: (372-7) 462-084; e-mail: oja@erl.ew.ee.
Report details pollution damage to Veles, Macedonia
The city of Veles, FYR Macedonia, where people are sickening and dying at unprecedented rates, has been revealed to be the most polluted city in FYR Macedonia and in the entire Balkan region, according to a March 12 report from Environment News Service (ENS). A team of environmentalists, representatives of non-governmental organisations and ordinary citizens of Veles are promoting the Local Environmental Action Plan (LEAP) for the protection of this heavily polluted city of about 60,000 in central FYR Macedonia. Major aid for this project is coming from the Japan Special Fund of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC). The Japan Special Fund's Technical Assistance Project "Integrated Effluents Treatment and Monitoring at MHK Zletovo," in Veles was declared a national priority, with a local fund of EUR 500,000 earmarked for project implementation as a follow-up, according to Mary McKinley, REC Communications Manager. Kiro Cucuk, a ceramic factory that produces bricks, Topilnica Veles, a smelter for zinc and lead and a bus production factory are just a few of the 15 industrial facilities situated in the center of the city. In promoting the LEAP, the ENS article said, information about the public health situation in Veles is being revealed: Forty-five percent of the children surveyed have blood and urine problems; more than 10 percent of the Veles children between eight and 10 years old are predisposed to get leukemia; mortality from respiratory diseases has increased 179 percent since the smelter has been operating; and the sperm count of Veles men is the lowest in the Balkans. Contact: Mary McKinley of the REC, tel: (36-26) 504-000; fax: (36-26) 311-294; e-mail: mmckinley@rec.org; or FYR Macedonian Ministry of Urban Planning, Construction and Environment, tel: (389-91) 227-204 or 117-288; fax: (389-91) 117-163 or 110-290.
Romania says population shrank in 1998
The population of Romania is shrinking, like most former communist countries in eastern Europe, but infant mortality is also down, according to the country's latest official statistics, quoted in a March 16 Reuters report. Data from the National Statistics Board released on March 12 put Romania's population at the end of last year at 22.489 million, a decrease of 37,000 from 1997, the report said. The 1998 birth rate was steady at 10.5 per 1,000 people but infant mortality, the rate of children dying before their first birthday, had dropped to 20.5 per 1,000 from 22, according to Reuters. Contact: Romanian Ministry of Water, Forestry and Environmental Protection, tel: (40-1) 410-6394; fax: (40-1) 312-2599.
Czech environment minister stops gold prospectors
Czech Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart has cancelled the TVX Bohemia company's licence for gold prospecting in Kasperske Hory, South Bohemia, according to a March 12 report from Radio Prague. The environment ministry charged that the mining company violated the law several times while prospecting for gold near the Sumava National Park, and did not respect the rights of land owners, the report said. Contact: Czech Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart, tel: (420-2) 6712-2719 or (420-2) 6712-1111.
Croatian-Italian ship to research fish in Adriatic
"Andrea," a joint Croatian-Italian research ship, was put on display in Italy on March 14, just before a meeting of the Croatian-Italian Fishing Committee, according to a report from the Croatian Government's Foreign Press Bureau. The ship will be used to research how much and what fish exist in the Adriatic and to define selective fishing, said the report, adding that a five-year research agreement has been signed by Italy and Croatia. Contact: Croatian State Directorate for Environmental Protection; tel: (385-1) 611-8388; fax: (385-1) 537-203.
Cause of fish disease remains a mystery
The cause of a fish disease that is attacking salmon fry in the Baltic Sea remains a mystery, but environmental factors are suspected, according to a March 12 story from Environment News Service (ENS), citing the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Swedish researchers working on the "Reproduction Disturbances in Baltic Fish" project believe that the so-called M74 syndrome is a result of a deficiency in vitamin B1, possibly due to dissolved toxic nutrients in the water, the story said. In 1993, when the frequency of M74 was at its peak, the syndrome claimed up to 90 percent of farmed salmon fry in some rivers, ENS reported. Researchers have long suspected a link with environmental pollutants such as chlorinated organic compounds -- PCBs and dioxins, for example -- although no such link has been confirmed, the story said. Contact: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, tel: (46-8) 698-1000; fax: (46-8) 202-925; e-mail: natur@environ.se; or Helsinki Commission, tel: (358-9) 622-0220; fax: (358-9) 622-02239; e-mail: kjell@helcom.fi; web: http://www.helcom.fi.
Baltic body urges better pesticide controls
The former communist countries bordering the Baltic Sea should make stronger efforts to bring their pesticide controls into line with those in the European Union, the commission charged with the environmental protection of the sea has declared, according to a March 26 report from ENDS Daily Environment Newsletter. The recommendation was made at the annual meeting of the Helsinki Commission (Helcom) held in Helsinki this week, ENDS Daily said. Commission executive secretary Tapani Kohonen reportedly told ENDS Daily that the measure was aimed mainly at the "sometimes strange" and excessive pesticide application practices of Russia and the other former communist countries in the area, although he conceded that the latter were already making moves in the right direction as part of efforts to join the EU. Contact: Helcom, tel: (358-9) 622-0220; fax: (358-9) 622-02239; e-mail: kjell@helcom.fi; web: www.helcom.fi.
April seminar to cover energy in Baltic Sea region
The European Commission, together with partners from Latvia, Finland and the Secretariat for the Organization for Security Co-operation in Europe will hold a seminar April 8-9 in Riga, Latvia, to discuss energy security issues in the region of the Baltic Sea, according to a March 15 report from Environmental News Network. At last year's meeting, the organisation concluded that all countries of the region should continue to meet and work together on their common interests in the energy sector, which include ensuring the security of energy supplies, competitiveness and efficiency, as well as environmental obligations, the report said. Contact: See the conference web site at: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg17/riga.htm; or call European Commission Directorate General for Environment, Timo Makela, tel: (32-2) 299-2300.
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.
Water apparently main hurdle to Slovenia's EU membership
Urban wastewater treatment and nature protection have emerged as the areas in which Slovenia is most likely to need transition periods as it strives to join the EU, according to a March 29 report from ENDS Daily Environmental Newsletter. Marko Slokar, secretary of state for the environment and leader of the Slovenian delegation, was quoted by ENDS Daily as saying that past neglect of sewage collection and treatment facilities meant that a network complying with EU standards would not be complete before 2015-2017. Also problematic are the birds and habitats directives and the associated obligation to designate sites to join the pan-EU Natura 2000 network of protected areas, the report said, adding that Slokar explained that lower environmental pressures in Slovenia in the past meant that the extensive protection measures required in the directives had been considered unnecessary. Contact: Slovenian environment ministry, tel: (386-61) 178-7400; or Slovenian permanent representation to the EU, tel: (32-2) 512-4466.
Hungary's $2.6 billion, 10-year highway plan called crucial to accession
Hungary has approved a 10-year highway program which is seen as a key component of the nation's efforts to join the European Union, a transport ministry official said on March 12, according to Reuters. The lack of a four-lane motorway is commonly cited as the greatest obstacle towards economic development in Hungary's depressed northern, southern and eastern regions, Reuters reported. Hungary will spend HUF 600 billion (USD 2.59 billion) on the program, with two-thirds of the project covered by loans and funds from ISPA, the EU's pre-accession assistance program, and the rest by the central budget, said Reuters, quoting Istvan Boros, spokesperson at the Hungarian Transport Ministry. 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.
EC resignations may affect environmental policy-making
The unexpected March 15 resignation of all 20 European Commissioners could have a significant impact on the development of important European Union environmental policies, Brussels insiders suggested, according to a March 16 report by the Environment News Service. Although existing commissioners will stay on to deal with "current business" until successors are found, it is unlikely that this will include adopting new proposals, Commission President Jacques Santer said, according to the report. But a March 19 report from Radio Prague quoted European Social Affairs Commissioner Padraig Flynn, a senior Brussels official, as saying on March 18 that the resignation of the European Union's executive body would not delay accession talks with countries seeking EU membership. The Commissioners resigned en masse in response to an investigative committee report, which detailed six cases of fraud and malfunctioning on the part of commissioners. While one of the allegations concerned nuclear safety, no specifically environmental issues were under investigation and no allegation of wrongdoing was levelled against Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard. Contact: European Commission's DGXI enlargement unit, e-mail: enlargement@dg11.cec.be, web: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg11/enlarg/home.htm; or European Commission Directorate General for Environment, Timo Makela, tel: (32-2) 299-2300; fax (32-2) 299-0310.
Conference covers plans to meet EU directives on habitats
Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries must aim for early transposition of the EU directives on birds and habitats, EU conservation experts stressed to accession countries during a March 22-23 seminar in Debrecen, Hungary, according to a press release and a report from ENDS Daily Environment Newsletter. The conference, covering management and financial aspects of the EU's proposed Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas, was financially supported by the European Commission’s Technical Assistance Information Exchange Office (DGXV) and the PIN-MATRA fund of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries -- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the press release. A similar seminar will be held April 17-20 in Krakow, Poland, with the participation of representatives from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and the Republic of Slovenia, the press release said. Contact workshop organiser Mihaly Vegh, head of the Central and Eastern European Unit of the European Centre for Nature Conservation, Hungary, tel: (36-52) 349-476; or ECNC head office, tel: (31-13) 466-3240; fax: (31-13) 466-3250; e-mail: Protocol proposed to ease Europe's water crisis
One in seven people in the World Health Organization's (WHO) European Region does not have access to safe water, but a new international agreement may help improve the situation, according to a March 17 press release from WHO. The large group of troubled countries in the region include Albania, where 25 people died of cholera in 1994 after drinking contaminated water, and Latvia, where several hundred cases of hepatitis A and bacterial dysentery are attributed to contaminated drinking-water each year, according to the release, which was jointly distributed by WHO and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE). The proposed Protocol on Water and Health of the UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes should help countries to reduce such outbreaks by providing safe drinking-water and recreational water to people throughout Europe, the release said. The Protocol has been drawn up under the auspices of UN/ECE and the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and its ultimate aim is to reduce, control and prevent water-related disease, the release said. The protocol, and other major policies addressing health and environment issues, are to be addressed at "London99," a major Europe-wide summit, also known as the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, set for June 16-18 in London. Contact: Kaj Barlund, director, UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division, tel: (41-22) 917-2370; fax: (41-22) 907-0107; e-mail: kaj.barlund@unece.org; or Viv Taylor Gee, e-mail: .
B U S I N E S S A N D E N V I R O M E N TBusiness, government leaders discuss EU accession and environment
Business and government representatives agreed to work more closely together on environmental issues during an "Industry-Government Dialogue on EU Enlargement" seminar held in Szentendre, Hungary, March 17-19, according to a press release from the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC). The event, held at the REC's head office and organised by the REC and the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), attracted 80 participants from business, government and non-profit organisations, in both EU and Central and Eastern European countries, the release said. "Speakers and attendees stated they would try to create partnerships between governments and industry, be realistic about targets and implementation of legislation and include supporting bodies -- such as non-government organisations, lobbying groups and international organisations -- in the dialogue on environment," the release said. Contact: Gerald Fancoj, Pawel Kazmierczyk or Mary McKinley of the REC, tel: (36-26) 504-000; fax: (36-26) 311-294; e-mail: pawelk@rec.org or mmckinley@rec.org; or Caroline Walcot, ERT, tel: (32-2) 253-43100; e-mail: c.walcot@ert.be; web: http://www.ert.be.
Mannesmann to build new unit at Bulgaria refinery
Bulgaria's biggest oil refinery, Neftochim, said on March 17 that Germany's Mannesmann AG would supply and assemble equipment for its planned second catalythic reformer unit, according to a March 18 Reuters report. The new unit will enable Neftochim to produce only lead-free petrol after 2002, meeting European environmental standards under the Convention for Clean Air in Europe, which Bulgaria has joined, Reuters reported. A senior Mannesman official has said the new installation is expected to cost around USD 39.3 million, Reuters reported. Contact: Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters: tel: (359-2) 8472-2000; fax: (359-2) 810-509, 981-1186.
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: GreenHorizon@rec.org, or call Tom Popper at (36-26) 504-000, fax (36-26) 311-294.
Copyright 1998 by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
Ady Endre út 9-11 * 2000 Szentendre * Hungary
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