FIRST REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR FIRST REGIONAL PARLIAMENTARY GREEN LOBBY GROUP
5 - 7 June 2009, Hotel Drim - Struga, Macedonia
Aim of the Conference:
++ Balkan Parliaments continues to become “greener”...
+ A Step front of finally establishing of the Regional Parliamentary Green Lobby Group
The first Regional Conference “Establishing and Facilitating the First Regional Parliamentary Green Lobby Group”, was held on the 05th -07th June, 2009, Hotel Drim, Struga, Macedonia,
Over 110 participants attended this Conference, including:
* 20 deputies, members of the national Parliamentary Green Lobby Groups from Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bulgaria
* representatives from the Ministries of Environment from Macedonia and Albania
* representative from REC from Macedonia and Kosovo,
* representative from FIOOM, SOROS
* representatives from over 25 Civil Society Organizations from Macedonia and the Region (Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro).
This Conference has as its aim the initiation and establishment of a new movement that will work towards Promoting Regional Cooperation on the issues of Environmental and Urban Sustainable Development between the Parliaments of Macedonia, Albania & Montenegro and wider in the Balkan Region.
Conference include guests from Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Kosovo, UK and Poland. These guests, members of Parliamentary Groups from Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bulgaria, representatives from national and local governments from Macedonia and from leading CSOs from all over the Balkan Region, come to gather information from the achievements of the Macedonian, Albanian and Montenegrin Parliamentary Green Lobby Group, established in last two years, in the National Parliaments, and share experiences from their respective countries on collaboration with the governments in promoting and protecting the environment.
The event was a chance for all those committed to securing better, “greener” and more sustainable future to contribute this originally regional initiative between Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro to become truly a Balkan platform for Real Regional collaboration.
All these realized activities are with main goal for mutual collaboration in the green issues, but also have some involvements into specific urban problems appeared in different areas.
This meeting had as its aim the initiation and establishment of core, comprised of various stakeholders that will work on the promotion of a wider regional collaboration on issues pertaining to protection and improvement of environment and urban sustainable development. At the beginning, it will be between the Parliaments and parliamentary groups on environment from R. of Macedonia, R. of Albania and R. of Montenegro, with intention representatives from other Balkan country Parliaments to join the group in the future period.
The main result from the First Regional Conference was “The Struga’s Platform” which included the direction of future collaboration between the present Balkan countries with aim for establishing greener, sustainable urban Balkan region. All the participants were introduced with the Platform contents, and had possibility for discussion and suggestion, which, as a new direction were incorporate in the upgrade “Struga’s Platform”, adopted unanimously from all the participants. (in addition “Struga’s Platform”)
Representatives from the CSOs in Serbia, Kosovo and Bulgaria, as a part from this Conference unanimously agree for future stronger collaboration and future activities that will ensure establishment of BGLG. The most important is that the process of “greening” the Balkan don’t stop here. These representatives will contribute, with their strong will and effort to ensure creating PGLG in there Parliaments, as a part of this big mission and this bid family, among Parliaments from R. of Macedonia, R. of Albania and R. of Montenegro.
We wish to emphasize that during the Conference significant attention was given to the already begin “Regional project” realized in 6 Balkan countries during three month period. The project includes several components, but the work of the First Regional Parliamentary Green Lobby Group is in the focus of attention of the project.
We believe that with this Conference, the main goal is achieved:
* The process of sustainable development as a balance of economic, social and ecologic principles in order of creating and implementing long – term policy for the good of all society, was promoted on high level.
* The participants became more conscious about the issue of significant number of population in the cities despite the villages and rural places. The common conclusion was better quality of the urban life in the cities, with creating new legislative on local as well on national level.
* Unanimously accepted “Struga’s Platform” after the discussion for the main achievements involved in her structure.
* The main problem of sustainable development and environment protection are detected on local level with perspective to act locally but think globally.
* CSOs from the Region will actively participate in this informal network, with aim to present the idea about this initiative in their countries, and on the other side RPGRG should be the bridge between the civic sector and the legislative authority.
* Dissemination of information through the media, both electronic and printed, locally and nationally, as a very important aspect of everyday life. The Media, daily are used for dissemination of different kind of information’s and dates through civic society – that is our chance everyone to see not just who we are and what we are , but also to see who are they and what will they became if don’t take care for the environment as a part of the sustainable development.
The second extended edition ”The sustainable urban development through legal framework in Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro“ was prepared and published of four different language (Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and English). In order for better presentation of the main problems and needs of sustainable urban development and environmental issues, plus overview of key national legislations with respect to spatial planning, water quality, land use, waste management, social aspects/employment, poverty reduction and etc., the Publication was distributed in the: Parliaments of Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bulgaria; some of the offices of the European Commission, and other relevant institutions responsible for environmental and urban development issues.
The Struga Platform