Druzba Adrija Project Rejected

HINA

26 October 2005

The Commission for Assessment of Druzba Adrija Project Environmental Study rejected the study as incomplete and decided that it could not enter into public debate procedure. The decision was adopted after several hours of debate.

Environmental Activists protest in front of the "Panorama" hotel in Zagreb

The Commission recommends that the working licence is denied and sent their opinion to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which will come up with its position on the recommendations within one month of its reception.

JANAF representatives believe, on the other hand, that the Study offered enough elements to warrant a proper discussion of the Druzba Adria Project.

The majority of Commission Members agreed that the Study should have, at least, try and offer a preliminary estimate of the total costs of environmental protection measures, as well as the overall impact the Project could have on fishing and tourism in the Adriatic.

They also determined that the Study didn�t properly elaborate on the information on the water-supply protected areas, that there were no proper simulations of possible accidents, and that worst-case scenarios were not mentioned.

Darko Mayer, the Leader of the team that prepared the Study, said that any mention of estimates of possible disasters would lack objectivity, for it could create a false perception in the public that only JANAF oil-tankers present danger to the Adriatic, out of the total of over 650 ships that enter the Adriatic Sea each year.

Protests in front of Panorama "Hotel" in Zagreb.

The representatives of the environmental organizations also observed the session, which was open to the public, and expressed their satisfaction with the decision of the Commission.

"This is not the final victory. The final victory will be achieved at the moment when the Government of Croatia informs the Government of Hungary that it backs out from the whole project�, said Vedran Pirsic from Eko Kvarner Association.

Earlier yesterday, before the start of the session of the Commission, about 50 members of the Council for Protection of the Adriatic held peaceful protests in front of the �Panorama� hotel in Zagreb.

The Council for Protection of the Adriatic gathers environmental NGOs and environmentally aware individuals. Over the past year, the Council has organized several public protests, demanding from the Government to give up on the Druzba Adria Project.