... vote for NATURE! MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER PROFILE OF MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER

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1 ... vote for NATURE! MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER PROFILE OF MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER Contact Details: MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER Add: Ognjan Prica 1-4/23, 1000 Skopje Republic of Macedonia Tel.fax: Tel: web: Responsible person: Metodija Sazdov President, Contact: or

2 ABOUT US Macedonian Green Center (MGC) is a non-governmental and non-partisan organization for advocacy, lobbying and research for environmental issues. MGC was established in May 2006 on initiative of several environmental organizations. It is organization descendant of the Working Group for Greening of the Local Elections (WGGLE) that was initiated and established by Milieukontakt International in December The founders (WGGLE, Eko svest Skopje, Biosfera Bitola, Krste Jon Struga, Proaktiva Skopje, Kocka - Skopje and Eko.Net Skopje) are well known and active e- NGOs in Macedonia and the region of Southwest Europe. All of them have taken part within a Milieukontakt International programs in Macedonia, mainly in the areas of organizational strengthening, campaigning and networking. MISSION MGC mission is to promote concrete democratic tools that will enable citizens to play active role in the democratic and transparent decision making process, and to raise understanding of the environment as truly important political issue in Macedonia. STRATEGIC GOALS Our long term goal is to promote concrete democratic tools will enable citizens to play active role in the democratic and transparent decision making process and to raise understanding of the environment as truly important political issue in Macedonia through: To raise importance of environmental topics on the higher level on politic agendas through public hearings and debate concerning environmental issues; To establish clear connection between possibilities for local economic development and environmental issues concerning healthy environment as one of the key conditions for local economic development FOUNDERS & MEMBERS Macedonian Green Center has been established by representatives from 6 environmental non governmental organizations Eco-sense from Skopje, their primary interests are solving the problems with waste management, promotion of environmentallyfriendly and sustainable transport in Macedonia and the promotion of transparency in the work of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in Macedonia, protection of the environment and cultural heritage, promotion and information dissemination about the new and sustainable ways to use energy (biogas and bio-fuel, solar energy, etc), and working on GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

3 Proaktiva from Skopje, their mission is to promote: energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, public transport and alternative ways of transport through implementing sustainable principals. Eko.Net from Skopje - Center for electronic communication provides the environmental NGOs with a possibility to promote their activities to the public. Also Eko.Net is giving them the possibility to exchange information between each other, which will improve the access of environmental information's to everybody that is concerned. Krste Jon/Green Center from Struga, their activities are aiming to protect Ohrid Lake as world and cultural monument from one hand and important water recourse from other hand. Biosfera from Bitola, their primary activities are integration of environmental NGOs and environmental policy with EU standards and working principles. KOCKA Network of Independent Consultants is not-for-profit and non-governmental organization. The network provides trainings and counseling for/to NGOs, private companies, local governments, governmental and international institutions.

4 Campaigns vote for NATURE! MAIN ACTIVITIES Local Election 2005 Everything starts with the Third Annual National Strategic Meeting of Macedonian Environmental NGOs in The Main topic of the Meeting was The environmental NGOs and the local elections, were the participants discus about the possible activities that can be taken during the Local Election in Macedonia As a result was establishing Working Group for Greening Local Elections (WGGLE) in which take participation by 6 NGOs (the founders of MGC) from Macedonia. They prepare project proposal and received Grant Award by Milieukontakt International in total amount of EUR to organize National Campaign Greening the local elections vote for NATURE. The main goal of this campaign was to put the environmental issues in top priorities in political agendas of the Candidates for Mayors. Our Green Campaign was implementing parallel with the political campaigns of the Mayor Candidates. The results were more than expected, the Mayor candidates accept our main campaign messages and some of them insert it in their political agendas and give commitment that will find solution about the existing local problems. Parliamentarian Election 2006 Leaded by the successful experience from the Campaign vote for NATURE during the Local Election 2005 the members of the WGGLE prepared a second campaign vote for NATURE but this time for the Parliamentarian Election 2006 in Macedonia. Also the members of the WGGLE found that is very important to give legal status of the Greening Group, so they established MACEDONIAN GREEN CENTER. Macedonian Green Center received grant by Milieukontakt international to implement the second greening campaign but the target group were candidates for Members of the Parliament. The project team made separate meetings with the candidates to present the goal and objectives of the Campaign and to receive their support on environmental issues. This was the first step in establishing Parliamentarian Green Lobby Group. Parliamentarian Election 2008 During March 2008 in Macedonia held Earlier Parliamentarian Election 2008, in this period Macedonian Green Center lauch the third National Campaign..vote for NATURE! were the target group were political parities with their candidates for Members of the Parliament. Macedonian Green Center sign Statement of cooperation with political parties about Parliamentarian Environmental Group already established in Macedonian Parliament.

5 PARLAMENTARIAN GREEN LOBBY GROUP The idea for establishing Parliamentarian Green Lobby Group (PGLG) became from the Fifth Annual National Strategic Meeting of Environmental NGOs and by the successful implementation of the Second National Campaign vote for NATURE! during the Parliamentarian Election Macedonian Green Center develop a project titled Establishing Green Lobby Group in Macedonian Parlament with main project goal to create a sustainable parliamentarian green lobby group that will work closely with e-ngos in addressing environmental issues within the work of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia and governmental institutions responsible for environment, thus securing wide support to the approximation of EU required legislation related to environment. This project was financially supported by British Embassy in Skopje, with duration of 12 moths, started in April 2007 ended in March Relevant target group in this project were the Members of the Macedonian Parliament.. The longterm beneficiary group of the project activities will be the NGOs and citizens in building democratic tools for solving their environmental problems. In the first quartile period of project implementation, the Project Team had series of meetings with representatives from state and NGO institutions relevant to the environmental issues covered within the scope of this project also separated meetings with Members of the Macedonian Parliament. The meetings resulted with information about Macedonian obligations within the process of approximation in EU legislation related on environment. Details on the meetings are in the report below. On 26 of October 2007 First constitutional meeting of the Parliamentarian green lobby-group was held in the Parliament and 16 members of the parliament members took part, the ambassador of Great Britain, Andrew Key, the Minister of environment and physical planning, Mr. Dzelil Bajrami, representatives of the media and the members of the project team of the department ministry. Since then the Members of the Parliamentarian Green Lobby Group (PGLG) held 8 meetings to discus on different environmental issues, to discus local and national environmental problems, and implementation of environmental legislation in Macedonia. For the first time since Independency of Republic Macedonia, Macedonian Green Center provide the opportunity to meet NGOs and key decision-makers of the National Policy in Macedonia, by organizing oneday meeting of NGOs with Members of the Parliamentarian Green Lobby Group and Representatives form National Institutions to discus and to present environmental problems in Macedonia. Members of established PGLG has opportunity to meet with one

6 of Great British Experst for Climate Changes Mr. Eliot Morley (one of the Writers of STERN REPORT) and Mr. Tony Juniper Executive Director of Friends of the Earth. ANNUAL NATIONAL STRATEGIC MEETINGS Starting from the 2006 until now Macedonian Green Center is leader organization of three Annual National Strategic Meetings of Environmental NGOs in Macedonia, as Macedonian Green Center is product of these meetings it self. The main initiator of these meetings was Milieukontakt International starting in 2002 by organizing the First Annual National Strategic Meeting of Environmental NGOs in Macedonia and the Macedonian Green Center was main organizator of the fifth, sixth and the last seventh Annual Meeting. Overall goal of the annual meetings is strengthening of the capacities of civil societies in Macedonia which are work active in the field of environment and sustainable development. This annual meeting represents gathering and common acting of civil sector, as well as contribution in creation on national policies in the field of environment through active participation in process of decision making on national and local level. The fifth annual meeting took place in Klub na Pratenici (Club of Deputies) building in Skopje, 8-10 December There was organized by Macedonian Green Center and financial support from Milieukontakt and UNDP. The topic was Environmental protection in the European integration process which was supposed to set the basic directions for development of the environmental movement in the Republic of Macedonia in harmonization with the positive changes and development of social processes towards the European integration of the Republic of Macedonia. Total of 57 participants were present on this meeting 27 NGOs, 3 international organizations with offices in Macedonia, 3 mass-media, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, one representative from the KKJ and the head of the Sector for European Integration in the frames of the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. The general conclusion is that following the decentralization process the NGOs active in the area of environmental protection are mainly focused on local level and establishment of partnerships with the local self-government units. However, it is necessary to establish coordination on national level for cooperation, lobbying, advocacy and communication with EU and donor institutions. The sixth annual meeting took place in h. Makpetrol in Struga, November Topic of the meeting was Lobbing and Advocacy in field of environmet and sustainable development. The aim of this meeting was to set up and define acting of environmental movement in Republic of Macedonia during

7 the period 2008 to 2010 year. To combine energy and efforts on national level, in order to increase visibility of environmental organizations in process of EU integration and contribution in environmental protection and sustainable development. At this meeting took participation around 70 participants: representatives of NGOs working in the field of environment and sustainable development, representatives of institutions which are support this meeting from the start of realization of these meetings (UNDP, GEF SGP, Milieukontakt International), representatives of government institutions (MOEPP and SEA) and representative of Delegation of European Commission. The seventh annual meeting held in Struga h.makpetrol during December The main topic of this meeting was Improving the cooperation between NGOs and National Institutions. On this meeting attend 50 participants as representatives of 30 civil society organizations from Macedonia. The Sub-topics of this event were: Local policy creation using model of Green Agenda, Climate Changes and Energy (un) efficiency, Nature and Biodiversity protection, Integrate water management model Prespa Lake, Finance NGO s activities in field of environment, Procedures of EIA and SEA implementation in Macedonia. As one of main conclusion was signed DECLARATION of GREEN PARNERSHIP, were 30 NGOs put signature for establishing long partnership for cooperation and support in activities and projects on issues of environment and sustainable development.

8 The project Enforcement of EIA and SEA procedures in Macedonia The project Enforcement of EIA and SEA procedures in Macedonia was initiated by the Macedonian Green Centre and financially supported by the European Fund for the Balkans under the Think and link Regional Policy Program for Think Tanks and Policy Institutes. The main goal of the project activities is to support the improvement of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedures in Macedonia through extend influence on decision policy making. The main questions in front of the members of the Research Team working on the implementation of the project activities were: 1. How far is the practical implementation of the EIA & SEA procedures and what are the main obstacles and challenges in front of all involved stakeholders? 2. What is the status of approximation legal drafting process refer to the horizontal sector covering EIA and SEA issues in parallel, is there a legal base in force and how the enforcement is practicing? 3. How much and how efficient is the public involvement into the decision-making process within the EIA/SEA procedure? The main project activities could be summarized in two phases: a) Research work based on established methodology with main focus on the desk and field research on the legal transposition of the EIA and SEA directives and related multilateral conventions, research on the real practical implementation and enforcement of the EIA/SEA procedures, effectiveness of the public involvement into the procedures identifying the main gaps and recommendations for their overcoming. The main result of the survey performed and analysis based on the research work is the prepared EIA /SEA Report titled Effectiveness of the EIA/SEA procedures in Macedonia b) Dissemination of the main findings of the research work and EIA/SEA related issues and documents using different tools and methods in order to spread the current status with main findings of the implementation and enforcement of EIA/SEA procedures in Macedonia as well as to strengthen the capacities of all stakeholders within the decision-making process of impact assessment in order to make their involvement more active. The Research Team believes that the research findings will give appropriate baseline for developing recommendations for improvement of the procedures for better smoothly EIA/SEA implementation and at the same time will recommend some new trends, tools and methods for improvement of the quality of EIA Reports. The proposed dissemination activities will provide the opportunity to encourage the interested public to take more proactive participation into the EIA/SEA development procedures. On the other hand the findings will support the policy makers to involve the public opinion and arguments at very beginning of the EIA/SEA procedures in order to consider all environmental issues before issuing the environmental consent.

9 PUBLICATIONS Stern Report Economy of Climate Changes. It is a review of the Stern Report translated into Macedonian langue. Macedonia and Climate Changes It is publication that describes the situation of the climate change and the impact of the environment and possible scenarios what will happen in Macedonia if the effects of Climate Changes increase in future. Sustainable Development and Environment through the papers of United Nation. It is a booklet with review of the most important documents of UN concerning the issues of Environment and Sustainable Development Overview of the National Environmental Legislation in Macedonia This document gives a picture about the situation with adoption and transposition of the EU environmental legislation into Macedonian National Legislation. Analyze of the situation of the Bylaws in Macedonian National Environmental Legislation. In this document is made analyze about the prepared and adopted bylaws concerning environmental legislation in Macedonia. Official web-site of Macedonian Green Center On the official web-site of Macedonian Green Center are information about the organization, activities, projects, partners, campaigns etc. Also the visitors of this web-site can find useful environmental information also the environmental legal framework and national strategic documents of Macedonia.