Coalition of RS Environmental Associations Established

04 June 2007

The signing of the Protocol on Cooperation on June 1, 2007, in Banja Luka, marked the establishment of an informal coalition of seven environmental organizations in the Republic of Srpska.

The very political climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina means that the establishment of such a coalition will be viewed from a variety of viewpoints, which needs further explanation of a number of issues that could be misinterpreted.

�Although such a coalition may be perceived as another example of political movement towards decentralization in B&H�, says Miodrag Dakic from Centre for the Environment (CZZS), �it couldn�t be further from the truth. The initiative for this coalition reflects solely the fact that most competences in the field of environmental protection lie with entity authorities and the lack of coordination of associations, especially in terms of there representation in front of Ministry of Environmental Protection�.

This initiative was born in a meeting of environmental associations and the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection, held in late April of this year, to discuss the initiative for re-election of NGO representatives for RS Environmental Protection Advisory Council.

NGO representatives agreed to form a coalition to elect the NGO representatives, openly and transparently, and submit the nominations to the RS Government for approval and later establishment of the Council.

The Coalition includes ToPeeR, Doboj; Suncokret (Sunflower), Bijeljina; Sanus, Prijedor; Environmental Movement �Zelenkovac�, Podrasnica; EKO-Leonardo, Priboj; NGO Forum, Derventa; and Center for the Environment, Banja Luka.

For additional information on the initiative and the elections for NGO representatives, visit EkoMreza B&H.