PART II: Case Examples from Central and Eastern Europe

Ohrid Lake

FYR Macedonia

Mihail Dimovski

Background

The problem concerning Okhrid Lake is almost 20 years old, first appearing in 1970, when the level of pollution increased rapidly. Because no action was taken by the authorities, pollution reached critical levels by the 1980s. The main cause of the pollution was the increasing number of factories in the area and unsolved municipal waste treatment. According to the state program, the level of contamination began to increase 20 years ago when a few factories began operating. Most of the factories had no systems for purification and the level of pollution grew rapidly. In addition, the increasing population and the unsolved municipal waste disposal caused heavy contamination in the lake and the surrounding area.

Problems/Effects

Due to the damage caused by the pollution, the number of tourists has decreased rapidly and the fishing industry has begun to decline. The lake is mostly polluted by organic and non-organic chemicals and urban waste substances.

The pollution has affected both the economy and the overall quality of life in the area. The business sector in the area is mainly based upon tourism and fishing and has suffered tremendously as tourisn in the region has declined since the public's acknowledgment of lake contamination. Since most of the inhabitants of Ohrid town were involved in the tourism sector, the decline in tourism has become the main cause of the growing rate of unemployment (currently at 30 percent).

The damage to the fishing industry has also harmed the economy because the contaminated lake produces fish that is harmful to health and subsequently could only be sold at a very low price, if at all. This also contributes to the increased unemployment rate.

Besides decreasing living standards, local residents suffer from various illnesses. During the summer season many visitors contracted skin diseases caused by chemicals.

The state and local governments have also felt the effects of the decline in tourism. The income from the tourist business in Okhrid used to be quite high, but slower business has led to a steady drop in tax revenue.

Strategies Employed

Negotiation at the governmental level was not a practice in the past between Macedonia and Albania. There has been no bilateral treaty between the two countries regarding lake protection, although there were some attempts at governmental level by the former Yugoslavia.

The E.D. Enhalom from Struga, as a local NGO in Macedonia, and the REC local office were aware of the problem before the media publicity. Their information was based mostly on independent analysis conducted by different institutes such as the Hydro Biological Institute from Skopje. Once the problem was officially acknowledged, the NGO was able to gather information from reliable sources using the ordinary access to information procedures.

The E.D. Enhalon and other NGOs in the Ohrid area and from from around the country have been involved in the issue since the problem arose. Most of the efficient action was taken after Macedonia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia and Albania changed the political system and became more accessible. The main reason for this active NGO involvement was the great importance of the lake as a natural resource. Ohrid is a great natural monument in Macedonia.

When the problem occurred initially in the period of the former Yugoslavia, the action of the NGOs was weak and uncoordinated. It was not until six years ago that activity began to focus on nonformal tools such as demonstrations, open letters and media coverage. Contact with local and central government was made without result. The main success occurred 10 years ago when NGOs lobbied for a purification station building. No nonformal methods were used except for some litigation for damage reimbursement.

The NGOs have made a number of contacts with Albanian activists in order to find solutions to the problem and to set a strategy for mutual work.

The 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Waterfowl Habitat) of Ramsar, was used by NGOs only as a tool to force the government to find a solution. The Macedonian government recently ratified this convention and it can now be applied to the Ohrid Lake problem.

Use of international treaties and conventions was limited because of a legal vacuum in Macedonian legislation following the proclamation of independence. One of the main obstacles was also a lack of knowledge related to international law among the NGOs and some officials. Reference to international conventions only began as a method three years ago, when some projects were financed by international organizations.

Since the beginning of 1996, the Macedonian government has attempted to establish a mutual project to protect Ohrid Lake with the Albanian government. The project is mostly financed by the World Bank. So far the two countries have established contact at governmental and NGO level in order to set priorities.

The policies of the government are geared toward obtaining membership in the EU and NATO. Therefore, compliance with EU regulations was a useful instrument for NGOs when lobbying the government.

Outcome

National and local NGOs in Macedonia both played an important role in raising public awareness and drawing the authorities' attention to the crucial social and economical problems caused by continuous environmental pollution.

Pulling the plug on a natural monument

Lessons Learned

1. Environmental problems that have negative economic impacts might influence the economic growth of a region and the inhabitants' living standards. Since the public was financially and economically dependent on the lake, they were perhaps more interested in influencing the decisionmaking procedure in order to avoid future contamination and continued unemployment.
2. The World Bank can play a role by encouraging cooperation between neighboring governments on environmental issues and by providing financial aid.
3. Governments, which gear their policies toward membership in the EU and NATO are often more motivated to comply with EU standards. This can be a particularly useful instrument for NGOs when lobbying governments.
4. International legal instruments like the Ramsar Convention can not be applied until the national government ratifies them and implements the convention's regulations into its national legal system. International legally binding instruments can only be forced with the help of national statutes. However, these instruments can be used for lobbying.
5. The weakest point of the NGOs' activities was the lack of cooperation among Albanian and Macedonian organizations.