prijava
SARAJEVO, September 27 (FENA) - The associations "Aarhus Center in BiH" and the Center for the Environment from Banja Luka presented today in Sarajevo the "Ecological Manifesto", a document that ecological non-governmental organizations shaped as proposals and guidelines for solving the environmental problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nina Kreševljaković, legal advisor at the "Aarhus Center in BiH" said that the document has been intentionally completed and presented ahead of the upcoming elections, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection.
"The manifesto, which is intended for political parties, has been intentionally issued before the elections. We wanted the political parties to see what they needed to incorporate into their programs and we invited their representatives, but unfortunately, no one responded to that invitation. By doing so, they showed their attitude to this important problem. Obviously, they are not interested in the environment," said Kreševljaković.
He points out that eight goals are listed in the manifesto, but that the primary goal is a functional and transparent public administration.
"It is the biggest problem in the entire country. Our public administration authorities issue permits without the necessary documentation. Prosecutor's offices to which criminal charges are filed with all the evidence are not doing their job, inspections are imposing minor penalties, so it is easier for perpetrators to pay a fine than to respect the law. Some procedures last three, four or more years, and the environmental permit, which lasts for five years, expires in the meantime. Whichever direction we go, we hit a wall and we cannot solve the problem," she explained.
Kreševljaković adds that not everything is so bleak, especially when it comes to mini-hydropower plants in the Federation of BiH, where the government understood their appeals to stop this practice and turn to renewable energy sources.
"Issuing permits for mini-hydropower plants has been prohibited, which is a really big step, but we must not stop there, because the entire set of laws needs to be changed in order to completely stop their construction," she stressed.
The president of the association Eco Gotuša from Fojnica, Robert Oroz, states that the "Ecological Manifesto" has been created after members of environmental non-governmental organizations noticed that too little attention was paid to the problem of environmental protection in the political campaigns of political parties.
He adds that it is shameful that Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the bottom of the world ranking in terms of the percentage of protected areas, and that protected areas are not adequately cared for.
"Those areas are protected only on paper. We are looking for a more functional state and the rule of law, and for the laws to apply to everyone and not to have privileged individuals that suffer no sanctions," concluded Oroz.
(FENA) S. R.
