The political disintegration of Yugoslavia occurred at the same time as political and economic reforms within former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which left the Yugoslav federation in 1991. The political system was easily changed from a one-party to a multi-party system. But the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy has been more difficult. The first positive results of the transition are barely noticeable. The privatization of industry has just begun, and agricultural privatization should start very soon. Public sector privatization is proceeding very slowly.
In addition to the UN sanctions against Yugoslavia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's economic problems have been complicated by the Greek embargo on former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This embargo cut former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia off from Thessaloniki, its traditional outlet to the sea. former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has few export routes; there are no rail links east to Bulgaria or west to Albania. Cross-border roads are poorly developed, making truck-transport extremely expensive. As a result of these factors, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has lost more than $3 billion over the past two years. This is an enormous loss for a small state with only two million inhabitants and with an estimated 1995 state budget of only $1.244 million . The Department of Environment was allocated 1% or $12,200 from the 1995 state budget.
In this kind of deteriorating economic situation, environmental problems are the lowest priority. In 1994 funds allocated to the Department of Environment covered only administrative and salary costs within the department, and not any particular environmental programs. In the past five years the state has not given separate financial support for environmental protection. Financial support was withdrawn for some environmental monitoring systems, and that for the maintenance of some water purification and sewage systems was canceled, which put their essential work in jeopardy. Public pressure through the ecological movement has not yet succeeded in changing the government's environmental policy.
The government is focused more on social security problems. The economic decline has created a very difficult situation for many groups in society. These groups include pensioners, families with more than two children, and, most of all, industrial workers, large numbers of whom are unemployed because their firms have gone bankrupt. A large part of the population is living below the official poverty level. Due to high unemployment, the national health insurance system is difficult to maintain. Very often people have to pay for medical treatment or purchase medication from private pharmacies.
Environmental education is neglected in the school system. In the primary and secondary schools, environmental issues have been incorporated into the biology and geography curriculum. The green movement conducts special educational programs inside regular state educational institutions and, to a greater extent, in extra-curricular programs. Programs of this nature are increasing government awareness of the need for environmental education in the schools. In the Saint Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, environmental issues are offered at the Faculty of Science, which also offers post-graduate environmental courses. The technical faculties offer programs on the technical aspects of environmental protection.
Parliament has still not passed environmental legislation which would allow for environmental protection as part of an integrated planning procedure at the government level. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia did not participate in the Earth Summit and did not sign the Rio Declaration. At the Lucerne European Ministerial Conference, the delegation from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was officially present, but did not present a country report.
There is no strategy for maintaining a balance between economic demands and ecological needs, and it is necessary to make long-term environmental planing an integrated part of economic and social development strategy.
Among the important players are the following institutes:
The National Institute for Health is monitoring the quality of food and drinking water.
The unfinished Classification of Polluters was started by the Civil Engineering Institute of Macedonia.
The Hydro-Biological Institute in Ohrid monitors the ecosystems of Macedonian lakes, especially Ohrid Lake, which is listed as a UNESCO Natural Heritage site.
Some science institutes like the Mining Institute monitor air quality on their own initiative. By law, industry is obliged to monitor air quality, but only a small number of factories actually do this.
On the legislative side, the Parliament includes a Commission for the Environment, Sport and Youth, known as the Commission for the Environment until December 1994. This Commission can include individuals who are not members of parliament.
Although the government and parliament have the power to bring stricter laws into effect, and can require further investments in protective systems, they are not interested in doing so. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's ecological movement continues to make appeals through the mass media for a greater understanding of the country's ecological problems. The government says that there is a lack of money.
In this regard, the NGOs in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are well structured. The Ecological Movement of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (DEM) was founded in 1990, and includes 30 NGOs. There are also a few independent NGOs in Skopje. DEM is very active.
The Constitution of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia guarantees access to environmental information, but in practice it is impossible to obtain environmental information about industry. This, combined with tolerant socialist-era pollution laws, makes it impossible to discover who the real polluters are. And even if they were identified, the legal fines and other punishments are ridiculously small. There is no organized information system; data is gathered on an ad hoc basis, without any systematized methodology or procedures. Regulations requiring the creation of environmental databases are not yet defined. Relevant data can be obtained from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy. But inter-ministerial environmental cooperation is poor. In the past few years there was an attempt to prepare a Classification of Polluters which has not been completed because of financial difficulties.
Due to the difficult financial situation, many factories are not operating at full capacity, and this has resulted in reduced pollution. Some factories are installing protective equipment, such as the state cement factory and the leather factory in Skopje. But in newly privatized companies, pollution levels go unchecked. A big increase in air traffic over Skopje is causing increased air pollution, as many of the aircraft are old or poorly maintained.
Trans-boundary pollution affects the Vardar River flowing into Greece, as well the three lakes shared by former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Albania. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution is present due to the two power plants, which only have instruments for monitoring emission-levels. The consequences of air pollution are noticeable in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's two largest cities - Skopje and Bitola - while Veles is now called "the dying city", due to pollution from the state lead smelter.
Among the current initiatives are:
In December 1994 a delegation from the World Bank visited former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to work with government authorities on the preparation of the NEAP. One of the first tasks in drafting the NEAP is to define the key environmental problems of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and then set priorities and outline policies and programs of action. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian partners were encouraged to prepare a NEAP as soon as possible. The main purpose of the World Bank mission was to explore the next steps in the NEAP preparation process. They decided that the best way of achieving the multi-disciplinary approach would be to create working groups. The working groups will include experts and representatives from institutions that are dealing with environmental protection. The Department of Environment within the MoE will be responsible for coordinating the NEAP process.
The themes of the respective working groups are:
It was agreed that the NEAP process would begin in December 1994 with the establishment of working groups, and it will end in December 1995 with the final discussion and approval of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian government. It was emphasized that the NEAP documents should be frequently updated, as circumstances and priorities change. The World Bank delegation will visit former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia once again to monitor the preparation of the NEAP documents.
Several environmental laws were enacted during the time of the Yugoslav federation. There is also legislation for protecting heritage areas and national parks. There are many regulations for protecting various aspects of the environment. So far, little has been done in practice to enforce these laws. The laws do not clearly define the rights and obligations of all players in environmental protection. Some of the laws and regulations are contradictory, and pollution fines were so small that they served to encourage polluters. Due to a personnel shortage, inspections are not thorough, few polluters ever face prosecution, and those cases that do reach court are often dismissed for lack of evidence.
Three years ago the government started to revise environmental laws and prepare new laws, in an effort to address these shortcomings. The government has recommended that Parliament adopt several laws which are directly or indirectly concerned with environmental protection. The eight most important laws are:
In the beginning the first environmental associations and the Ecological Movement of Macedonia had difficulties with the authorities. The state considered them enemies and tried to stop their activities. With democratization, the activity of the environmental NGOs has increased, especially in the public sector. In the Ecological Movement of Macedonia a journalists' pool was created that regularly informs the public about the environmental situation. The results of the activities of the Ecological Movement of Macedonia - as well as public pressure - enable environmental NGOs to become respectful partners of the state authorities in bringing and implementing environmental policy. For all environmental projects and proposals, the Department of Environment ordinarily solicits the opinions of DEM. DEM's proposals are usually included in governmental programs. Two DEM representatives serve on the parliamentary environmental committee as voting experts. Their proposals were always accepted. That assisted in the completion of regulatory proposals connected with the environment. Unfortunately, few of the proposed laws were accepted by the General Assembly of the Macedonian Parliament. The last Parliament functioned inefficiently, and didn't even accept the basic procedural regulations for the functioning of the new multi-party system. Improvement in the work of the new Parliament is expected, but it recently recommended that there be no NGO representatives in parliamentary committees.
On several occasions, due to a lack of initiative in the Department of Environment, DEM took upon itself to play the role of the department. Two situations illustrate this:
However, some positive results can be seen in the enforcement of regulations. The initiative is still at a proposed law level. As soon they are approved , the sub-laws and regulations are expected to be accepted. The initial steps for the NEAP are mainly carried out through parliamentary legislation, regulations and standardization of laws, including the revision of old laws. It is expected that there will be a strengthening of regulatory enforcement measures and that punishment for non-compliance will be established. The first steps have already been taken towards the creation of a NEAP by recommending changes and amendments to existing laws, particularly pertaining to fines and other penalties for polluting. It is inportant to note that after two and a half years, the newly revised proposal for a Law for Environmental Protection will finally be considered by the Macedonian Parliament.
The main aim of the Law is to make sense of the plethora of complementary laws and regulations, to standardize and prioritize them. There are more than 120 regulations, and there is some confusion as to which ones take precedent.
The level and quality of environmental monitoring has significantly improved due to the involvement of scientific institutions and DEM. But restrictions in the state budget have now put into question the completion of these projects. Although the Movement always insists that environmental monitoring systems be built, the government always postpones the building of these stations.
A recent positive step towards improving air quality is the building of a natural gas distribution network (to plants and later to private housing) in three cities. The first phase has been completed, but the inclusion of the worst polluters into this network is threatened by a shortage of funds.
Now in the MoE there is:
Within the MoE there is the Institute for Physical Planning and Environmental Protection, but it has only a few employees. It is supposed to take the environmental situation into account in urban planning decisions.
The Department of Environment also includes municipal teams, again with only a few employees. On-site inspection is executed by urban and civil engineering inspectors because there are no specialized environmental inspectors.
Some environmental protection administration is undertaken by the sanitary inspectors at the Ministry of Health. In addition to the chief inspector, there are local municipal inspectors who deal with food poisoning problems and air pollution control.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy also deals with some environmental protection administration. Veterinary doctors and inspectors for forests and water quality also work in this ministry. There is also a small Water Department with a water quality inspector, and a department in charge of National Parks.
Because of the bad environmental situation, there should be administrative departments in charge of environmental issues in the following ministries:
The Ministry of Science has expressed great interest in identifying environmental problems and finding solutions for them. Within the Ministry of Science there are several qualified experts who can contribute to finding effective solutions to environmental problems.
Beside administrative departments within the ministries, there are independent professionals and scientific institutes dealing with environmental issues. They are:
In former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia there is a wide network of state and professional-scientific institutions that are in a position to offer solutions to environmental problems. The one major drawback is that there is no coordination between them. Also there is not enough environmental equipment and it is not used efficiently. Budget support for these institutions is inadequate and because of major economic problems is shrinking, so the maintainance of existing equipment is in question. Despite this, expertise regarding environmental issues is at a very high level in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. But this human resource does not have opportunities to express itself.
So far, evidence points to high levels of air pollution in the valleys around Skopje, Veles and Bitola. This air pollution in turn pollutes the earth's surface through deposits of air-borne solids. The majority of the region's rivers are lifeless. The areas surrounding some industrial plants in Skopje, Veles and other towns, are already "endangered living areas".
The biggest air polluters are thermal power stations that use lignite and masut. But their pollution is expected to be reduced when former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is connected to the gassification system in 1995. However, the problems from smaller polluters will remain longer. This includes pollution from automobiles, trucks and buses - all the more intense because most cars are more than ten years old, with less efficient engines than newer vehicles. Replacement of diesel and petrol-fueled public transportation vehicles with electric vehicles is an alternative. A feasibility study for improving public transport in Skopje has already started. Also, there should be a deadline for replacing cars which use leaded petrol with cars that use only unleaded petrol. In the present economic situation, this is simply not possible.
Before this transition period there were some industries that had built waste water treatment systems; these systems have good results when they are in operation. There is the problem of maintaining sewage collection systems for the three lakes in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. All three are trans-boundary lakes, so bilateral investment strategies are needed. Public pressure has forced some polluters to build protective systems. An example of public pressure at work is the leather factory in Skopje, which has built a large, modern water purification system. Other than the partially-developed lake water purification systems, not a single settlement in the country has a water purification system. Not a single town in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has an organized landfill site. The newly built landfill in Skopje is not yet functioning completely.
Still, the industry sector can present positive cases of "win-win" approaches such as the state cement factory in Skopje. It has installed a filter system which catches fine cement particles in the air and returns them to the production process, thereby increasing efficiency and profitability. The factory is saving tons of cement while reducing air pollution.
A recent development has been the appearance of an environmental aspect to marketing. The advertising of "environmentally friendly" products, such as phosphate-free detergents and organic vegetables, is becoming more common. Environmentally friendly products have good prospects for such development. Some agricultural concerns are realizing a profit from environmentally friendly, pesticide-free production.
The initial steps in NEAP preparation, and support from the World Bank will help to reduce dangers from industrial pollution. These initial activities will include the identification of polluters, replacement of old technologies, and the establishment of a monitoring system to study the effect of pollution on humans, animals and plants. In this program, special emphasis will be given to the restructuring of the production process based on strict economic and environmental considerations.
The most important DEM associate member is The Association of Professional Ecologists, which is very active in environmental science. With its help DEM is organizing scientific symposiums and workshops. DEM also organizes public gatherings such as demonstrations, protests, television and radio discussions and press conferences. With the help of environmental journalists DEM is pressuring the state and the polluters to start doing something positive for the environment. When the ordinary citizen loses confidence in the state and local authorities, he or she can turn to DEM as a last chance to change the environmental situation.
DEM has become a respected partner of the state authorities, including the parliament and the national and municipal governments. For all environmental problems state authorities seek DEM's opinion. DEM's representatives are members of various commissions that are working on environmental issues. At the international level DEM has established close cooperation with all relevant organizations in the neighboring countries and is organizing joint actions with them. Where the Macedonian government is not able to establish contact at the governmental level, DEM has managed to establish contact with NGOs. DEM's good reputation is demonstrated by the fact that the president of DEM was included in the Macedonian governmental delegation to the Ministerial Conference in Lucerne.
This does not stop DEM from criticizing the government and the industrial sector. In order to encourage environmental activities of companies and individuals, the Movement is rewarding them with the "Green Apple" annual award for a positive approach, or the "Rotten Apple" for a negative approach. "Winners" of the "Rotten Apple" have included the Minister of Ecology and the government of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In the initial steps for an NEAP, in agreement with the World Bank, it is hoped to include environmental NGOs in all phases of program planning. The final version of the NEAP should obtain NGO approval before it is presented to the government for final review.
The work of the Parliamentary Commission for Environment, Sport and Youth should also be mentioned; the committee includes a European Green lobby group.
In the 1994 state budget no money was allocated for environmental investment. The Department of Ecology has received only enough money to cover administrative and salary costs. DEM has lobbied the government and parliament to separate money for different systems of environmental priorities. But the recommended budget was accepted without changes in the area of environmental investments.
Environment-related funds were allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy and the Ministry of Health, but we have to emphasize that this money is more of a preventive character.
The private sector has not demonstrated enough understanding of environmental problems. They focus on maintaining their business and achieving profit. There has not been a single direct private-sector environmental investment. This situation should change with privatization of the large state companies. The privatization of industry requires the strengthening of state control and legal enforcement.
In the initial preparations of NEAP, in conjunction with the World Bank, it is planned to analyze the present system of financing environmental protection, and to create a model for judging the state's capacity to finance environmental protection for the next 10 years. Unfortunately, in these initial stages no plans have been included for researching the possibility of a strategy for direct environmental investments.
The options for tapping international investment resources are reduced by the difficult economic situation, and the absence of an environmental strategy. Foreign investors and donors demand guarantees that their environmental investment will have positive results. Guarantees of this nature are slowly appearing. A special strategy for ensuring these guarantees is necessary in order to attract investors to help solve former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's environmental problems. For example, in 1995 the World Bank promised to get US$3 million in direct investment for the protection of Lake Ohrid ($2 million for former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and $1 million for Albania). Representatives from scientific institutions and NGOs took part in discussions between the Macedonian and Albanian authorities on how to find the most effective solutions to protect the lakes.
Present legislation does not establish financing methods, or a methodology for monitoring, and has not created a monitoring inspectorate. The proposed environmental law is a good starting point for addressing these problems. In addition to basic regulations, the law has special sections defining the responsibilities of the state, companies and individuals in environmental protection. Financial support for these environmental activities will come from the state budget (environmental taxes and penalties), investments, petrol taxes, etc. The main drawback of the Directive is that it doesn't create an independent environmental protection agency for environmental monitoring and enforcement of the regulations.
Unfortunately, there have been no discussions about involving the business sector in planning public expenditures, because the business sector is not interested in this. The industrial lobby is against imposing a two-to-four year period allowed for companies and corporations to comply with this law. Parliament should resolve this conflict with industry.
Among the recommendations for environmental investments:
Finally, in order to make the most effective use of a given investment, proposals should include public participation and the enforcement of priorities.
These domestic priorities should be harmonized with those set at the Ministerial Conference in Lucerne.
Unfortunately, the majority of these achievements are threatened due to a lack of financial support for maintaining them.
Despite the difficult economic situation in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, there has been progress on some important environmental investments. The first phase of the gassification project will be finished in 1995, with important results for air quality. Industry will need help in switching their production processes to gas. The leather factory is now building a purification station for industrial water treatment which will reduce pollution on the Vardar River.
One of the main priorities in the country is improving the water supply to towns and villages. In addition to the local waterworks, a regional waterworks system called "Studencica" has been built in western former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to supply the population of four municipalities. A similar waterworks , the "Zletovica" project in eastern former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is underway.
In the future, obtaining water supply for drinking and industrial use will become even more difficult for the following reasons: migration of the population from villages to the cities; the increasing consumption of water in general by industry and the population; the long regional drought. An enormous amount of work and money will be needed, and above all a good action program, for solving this problem. The completion of the Integrated Development of the Vardar Valley Project will help solve most of these problems. This project will improve the water supply in the republic, while boosting the economy, and increasing the available electrical energy. But before the building of any hydro project the process of treating industrial and polluted water should be solved or included within the project.
It must be emphasized that past developments within former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were not constructed with any concern for the environment. As a result of this unbalanced development, the environment was adversely affected. These mistakes will take many years to correct.
Besides the above-mentioned problems, future priority environmental investments should address the following needs:
The majority of these environmental problems cannot be solved without the inclusion of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in all international economic and financial institutions.
The wide range of activities within the EAP and the NEAP requires a strengthening of the state's institutions. If there is no possibility of creating a separate Ministry of the Environment, the Department of Environment should be strengthened. That means hiring a ministerial assistant responsible for the environment, the inclusion of environmental experts, and the acquisition of proper monitoring equipment. The department should have an effective organizational and financial structure.
According to the conclusions of the Lucerne Conference, ministries of environment should focus on the coordination of all environmental activities; to do this a ministry should give the work to state institutions with appropriate experts. The creation of an Institute for Environmental Protection, including environmental experts already working in various other institutions, would offer the best solution. Such an institute could oversee the preparation of the NEAP. The strengthening of state institutions should be mandated by law, and the roles of the various ministries should be included in the initial versions of the NEAP. The state needs to provide training for government and NGO-experts, if it is to ensure the successful preparation of a NEAP. Western countries are already offering assistance in the implementation of the EAP and NEAP, and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should take advantage of such offers.
It is a positive step that NGO representatives will provide input into the creation of the NEAP. Furthermore, the final version of the NEAP must be approved by the NGO representatives before the Macedonian government can deliver it to the World Bank. The REC publication "Manual on Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making" will encourage public participation in the decision-making process.
The participation of expert organizations and NGOs in environmental policy making is a first step in the development of public participation in institution building and investment planning. In this way, the public interest will be reflected in the completed NEAP The public contribution will be especially important in these areas:
These tasks should be the responsibility of state organizations, but public participation should be sought for their completion.
There must be a reconsideration of recent land management planning, the industrial situation, the sustainable use of natural resources, and socio-demographic development. The territory of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is relatively small, so that land, industry and other resources should be managed in a sustainable way, balancing the demands for economic development and the capacity of the country's natural resources.
This requires increased environmental awareness at all levels, from the government to the Parliament, and then on to local authorities and the public. It will be useful to include in the NEAP a special plan for raising public awareness to assist in the completion of other activities.
The need to balance economic and environmental activities should be integrated into the government's political and economic programs. But it is difficult to implement solutions due to the lack of funds for public investment, and increased international financial support (and the identification of investment priorities) is needed.
That means that the NEAP should be adjusted to the current economic and environmental situation in the country. The goals of the NEAP should have concrete targets based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria. The most important polluters should be determined and targeted, such as those in the industrial, agricultural and construction sectors. In this way, the state will be able to focus its attention on the transgressors. The state Economic Association (the national association of industrial and commercial managers) should use its influence to assist in this undertaking. Also, company managers who serve as members of Parliament should exert their influence.
The EAP and the NEAP represent the first steps in establishing cooperation with the target groups, especially by creating a joint ministerial commission. This commission will take decisions for common environmental policy, decide on common actions, and ensure a clear division of responsibilities. In this regard, the government should establish and develop a joint ministerial commission in which one member will be responsible for the coordination of NEAP activities. The first need, therefore, is for a modification of the "project for policy and institutional framework" as laid out in the "Initial step for preparation of NEAP".