Eko revija broj 15 - Fond za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost

Lidija Tošić: Kornatska tragedija
(page 3)
Twelve firemen died and one was grievously
injured while extinguishing fire on one
island of the Kornati archipelago. August,
30 will be remembered as the darkest day
in Croatian firefighting history. Šibenik,
Vodice, Tisno and the rest of the country,
mourn Ante Crvelin, Hrvoje Strikoman,
Ivan Marinović, Marinko Knežević, Tomislav
Crvelin, Josip Lučić, Gabrijel Skočić,
Ivica Crvelin, Karlo Ševerdija, Marko Stančić,
Ante Juričev and Dinom Klarić who
lost their lives bravely, self-denyingly and
selflessly defending the beauty of our
landscape from the destructive fire. The
only survivor, Frane Lućić, is fighting for
his life in the Split hospital. We all hope
and prey for him to win that battle.
The brave firemen have left an everlasting
mark on this world and will continue to
live through their deeds in memory of
many.
Although we are painfully aware that in
such sad moments nothing can erase the
sadness and pain of the grieving families,
the Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund has joined all other noble
people in providing material assistance,
wishing to show their family and friends
that in these difficult times there are not
alone.
Pain opens hearts and connects neighbors,
creating bridges between people.
That brings light into the darkness, giving
human suffering a deeper meaning.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Lidija Tošić: Government adopts
environmental protection bill (page 4)
The Environmental Protection Law is an
umbrella law governing Croatian environmental
regulations. The Government
adopted the environmental protection bill
drafted by the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, Physical Planning and Zoning.
The new Bill and accompanying regulations
and directives would complete the
process of harmonization of Croatian legislation
with the European Union acquis.
The process is expected to reach a final
stage in 2008. The new Law, among other
things, consistently reinforces the “polluter
pays principle”, already embedded in
all Croatian environmental regulations.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Aarhus
Convention, ratified by Croatia in 2006,
the Bill also imposes on government and
public authorities obligations regarding
access to information, public participation
in decision-making and access to justice
regarding environmental matters. Croatian
PM Ivo Sanader stressed that Croatia
had made significant progress in the field
of environmental protection, regarding
both legislation and its practical enforcement,
and that this Government had proven
that it considers environment to be
one the country’s greatest treasures.
Lidija Tošić: Six new financing
agreements in Croatia’s easternmost
county (page 5)
In Vukovar, Head of the Environmental
Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund
Vinko Mladineo signed six new financing
agreements for the Vukovarsko-srijemska
County projects, in the presence of
Croatian Minister of Environmental Protection,
Physical Planning and Construction
Marina Matulović Dropulić. The six
financing agreements are worth a total of
8, 2 million kuna. In cooperation with units
of local self-government, the Fund is currently
implementing 88 projects, worth a
total of 200 million kuna. Minister Matulović
Dropulić highlighted the benefits
of environmental efforts invested in the
region - specific waste types management
systems were introduced, remediation of
298 municipal waste landfills and 556 il-
legal landfills is underway, environmental
projects have contributed to the overall
economic development and created over
2500 new jobs. She also stressed the great
progress made in the field of physical
planning. So far, 556 proposed physical
plans have been submitted, out of which
539 were approved and the other are expected
to be adopted in the near future.
Lidija Tošić: Fund for demining
operations in Vukovarsko-srijemska
County (page 6)
On September 16, a financing agreement
on the Fund for demining of Vukovarskosrijemska
County was signed in Vinkovci,
securing at least 11 million kuna for demining
operations over the next two years
(2007/2008). Head of the Vukovarsko-srijemska
County Božo Galić reminded the
assembly that the Fund has been recently
established by the County, the City of Vukovar
and the Nuštar Municipality with
the aim of raising additional funds for demining
of unsafe areas. He stressed that
those areas encompassed some 80 square
kilometers of mostly arable land. Head of
the Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund Vinko Mladineo announced
that the Fund would partly finance
these operations with some two million
kuna a year. He added that 350 000 square
meters of polluted and contaminated land
have been cleaned and reclaimed through
a series of projects aimed at remediation
of municipal waste landfills, implemented
jointly by the Fund and units of local
self-government. Demining of 1,404.857
square meters of polluted areas was included
in these remediation projects and
the Fund had granted 3, 4 million kuna for
demining operations.
Lidija Tošić: The Fund’s cooperation
with the Ministry of Interior and
Ministry of Defense (page 7)
The Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund and the Ministry of the
Interior will co-finance the acquisition of
two fire engines - two water cannons for
fighting municipal landfill fires, but also
in other areas, especially nature reserves.
The agreement is worth 11 million kuna.
The Fund will also co-finance twelve other
Ministry of Interior’s projects worth a
total of 600 000 kuna. Eight of those projects
are related to energy efficiency and
introduction of solar space- and waterheating
systems. Other funds allocated
to the Ministry of Interior will be used for
environmental studies and introduction of
waste collection systems in Croatian barracks.
Mr. Mladineo also stressed that the
Fund would be prepared to finance other
projects aimed at introduction of renewable
energy sources in barracks, increase
in the energy efficiency and improvement
of waste management systems.
Branka Ilekovac: Symposium on
environmental management - SEM
2007 (page 8)
The Symposium on environmental management
- SEM 2007 was a meeting point
for domestic and foreign environmental
management experts, who were able to
exchange their experiences and contribute
to the proactive approach to environmental
issues and sustainable development in
general. SEM is the only Croatian symposium
included in the world congress list. In
his speech at the Symposium, the Croatian
State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, Physical Planning and
Construction Nikola Ružinski, announced
that Croatia would have to invest 10 - 11
billion kuna in environmental projects
in order to meet European environmental
standards and that a large portion of
that sum would have to be earmarked
for waste management and protection
of sea and water resources. Head of the
Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency
Fund Vinko Mladineo stressed that
the Fund had already granted over three
billion kuna for the implementation of
more than two thousand environmental
and energy-efficiency projects.
Lidija Tošić: Virovitica - the second
phase of the landfill remediation
completed (page 9)
In early September, the second phase of
the remediation of the Virovitica municipal
waste landfill was completed. That
26-million-kuna project is one of the most
expensive infrastructure projects in the
Virovitičko-podravska County, jointly financed
by the Virovitica Municipality and
the Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund. “The remediation was launched
in May 2006 and Virovitica is one
of the first towns to reach the final stage
of the project”, said the Virovitica Mayor
Kožnjak, announcing the construction of
the regional waste management center.
“Thanks to the Environmental Protection
and Energy Efficiency Fund’s support,
remediation of six municipal landfills in
that county is underway, along with the
remediation of ten illegal landfills, and
Fund also provided recycling containers
for as many as seventeen towns. The Fund
has so far granted a total of 60 million
kuna for environmental protection and
energy efficiency projects implemented
in the County”, said Croatian Minister of
Interior Kirin.
Maja Brkić Pancirov: Congress on rural
tourism (page 10)
Systematic development of rural tourism
in Croatia began in 1996. Rural tourism
contributes to the development of agriculture,
traditional handicrafts, traditional
gastronomy and tourism in general. The
national congress was organized with the
aim of revising past activities, determining
problems, setting new challenges with
concrete goals and simplifying administrative
procedures that hinder future development.
The First Croatian Congress on
Rural Tourism will take place on the island
of Hvar, on October 17 - 21, 2007. The congress
will be a meeting point for all those
directly or indirectly involved in rural tourism
sector - from owners of countryside
pensions, co-ops, local self-governments,
travel agencies, scientific organizations…
Projects and programs regarding the development
of rural tourism are an important
part of the agriculture chapter of the
Croatian accession negotiations with the
European Union.
Lidija Tošić: Promotion of energy
efficiency in Croatia (page 11)
The Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund joined forces with
the Ministry of Economy, Labor and En-
SUMMARY
trepreneurship and the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP), to implement
the project titled “Energy Efficiency
Promotion in Croatia”. The aim of the project
is to increase public awareness of the
energy-efficient practices and promotion
of cost- and energy-efficient technologies,
materials and services in Croatia. Such
efforts will reduce energy consumption
and save money, and at the same time
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In its
three and a half years in operation, the
Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency
Fund has signed contracts on over
two thousand environmental projects and
granted over 3 billion kuna for their implementation.
Head of the Fund Vinko Mladineo
highlighted that the total number of
projects included 271 projects aimed at
promotion of energy-efficiency and the
use of renewable energy sources, adding
that the direct effect of those projects was
the reduction of annual greenhouse gas
emissions by over 460 000 tons. The UNDP
representative praised Croatia’s efforts to
invest in energy efficiency and meet its
targets even before deadlines dictated
by international agreements, and commended
the latest campaign launched in
January and aimed at the promotion of
rational energy consumption.
Lidija Tošić and Mario Mihetec:
Biodiesel on Grubišno Polje (page 12)
The Head of the Environmental Protection
and Energy Efficiency Fund Vinko
Mladineo and the General Manager of
the Zagrebpetrol Company Davor Prohaska
signed the agreement on the project
“Study on the Feasibility of the Biodiesel
Production on Grubišno Polje”. Total cost
of the feasibility study is 300 000 kuna, out
of which the Environmental Protection
and Energy Efficiency Fund granted 40%
or 120 000 kuna. The study is to show if
biodiesel production at the Zagrebpetrol’s
plant on Grubišno Polje is possible
and cost-effective. The raw material for
its production, namely the rapeseed,
would be grown in six western Croatian
counties. The targeted share of biodiesel
in the total fuel consumption by 2010 is
5, 75% - 157 tons of biodiesel or 219 tons
bio bioethanol.
Mara Matković: The Fund assists “little
green men” from Biševo (page 13)
“Biševo is heaven on earth”, say all those
who participated in the environmental
campaign launched by the Biševo Little
Green Men - an association headed by
Ljiljana and Davor Božanić. They spent
several days on that magical little island,
rolled their (already short) sleeves and collected
waste that had been accumulating
in the crystal clear sea, surreal bays and
bushes for decades. The campaign took
place during the three summer months.
Students, pensioners, professors and
scientists gathered to take accumulated
waste out of the Salbunara Bay and scrape
tar from rocks. The heaps of garbage they
have collected testify to the necessity of
such an action. They have collected over
20 tons of waste and as many as 15 tons of
tar: a real, big, black hill! They encountered
a problem when it came to transporting
that tar from the island. That is where the
Fund stepped in and solved their problem.
The “little green men” plan to continue
their activities next summer and clear out
overgrown paths and caves.
(D. L.): The WEEE Management (page 14)
The Croatian Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment and Appliances Directive
is perfectly harmonized with the EU requirements.
Electronic waste includes computers,
entertainment electronics, mobile
phones and other items that have been discarded
by their original users. According
EKO REVIJA eco review
95