PROJECT WILL TARGET PANCEVO
POLLUTERS
Belgrade, April 7, 2003 - A delegation from the Italian Ministry of Environment
recently visited the city of Pancevo (14 km from Belgrade) to assess the level
of pollution and draw up plans to protect the environment.
The project will help to define and implement a technique for assessing the
quality of environment in Pancevo's industrial zone, which includes Rafinerija
nafte (an oil refinery), Petrohemija (a petrochemical complex) and "Azotara" (a
fertiliser company) - the biggest polluters of air, land and water (the Danube
and Tamis rivers) in the region.
The people of Pancevo have lived in dangerous environmental conditions for more
than three decades now - that is, ever since this city of 150,000 became the
regional hub of the chemical industry. The city's industrial zone comprises
approximately 400 hectares.
Pancevo was heavily targeted by NATO air forces in 1999 because of the oil
refinery and other industrial capacities. When the industrial zone was bombed,
large amounts of poisonous substances emptied into nearby rivers and channels,
and large tracts of land were polluted with oil derivates, mercury, ammonia and
chloral-hydrogen acid.
Environmental experts consider Pancevo and its surroundings as one of the most
ecologically endangered regions in Serbia.
The visit from the Italian Ministry officials is part of a "Memorandum of
Understanding" signed between Italian Ministry of Environment and the Serbian
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
"At the first meeting held in Rome in 2001," said Andjelka Mihajlov, Serbian
Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, "Pancevo's
industrial zone was identified as the most polluted among four environmental
hot- spots in Serbia - namely Novi Sad, Nis and Baric."
Mihajlov also said the project, worth EUR 250 thousand, will be carried out
jointly by the Italian Ministry of Environment, the Serbian Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection and the Pancevo local government.
Ekoforum (ekoforum@eunet.yu) Yugoslavia,
http://www.rec.org
Goals of the Civic Education Project (CEP) Balkan Debate Forum
The Balkan Debate Forum is aimed at bringing together students from the Balkan
region in an atmosphere of openness and intellectual challenge. Considering
that the national, ethnic, linguistic and religious groups they represent vary
greatly, it is only through an active exchange of ideas that the younger
generation can adequately assess their own preconceptions and stereotypes about
themselves and their neighbours. The debate format not only develops academic
skills, stressing the importance of logic and factual documentation rather than
emotion and generalization, but also is an appropriate catalytic method for
addressing recurrent, but often unexamined, arguments associated with the Balkan
region. The international makeup of the teams forces students to "cross borders"
and analyze their own views even before the debates begin. Not knowing whether
they will argue for or against a proposition ensures that students perform
balanced research and discover a wider perspective on a given problem. Student
participants at the previous Debate Forums responded positively and in most
cases developed greater empathy for and a better understanding of their
neighbours in the region.
The Format
Selected participants arrive at the forum knowing which of the seven topics on
which they are to debate, but not on which side of the argument they will speak.
The organizers will ensure that each team is multi-national in its composition,
and will contain students from different disciplines. Seven debate sessions will
take place in English. One to two days will be set aside for each team to
compare information and reading, and to prepare their team's strategy. All
participants receive training in techniques of debating, public speaking,
argumentation, assessment of sources and collaborative working, as well as in
team-building skills. In addition to the debate sessions, the event will also
include other activities aimed at cross-cultural communication, mutual
understanding and empathy, including role-plays and cultural evenings.
Selection and Preparation of Participants
All students of CEP lecturers in Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia,
Montenegro, Serbia? and Romania are eligible to participate. In addition, a
small number of students from Greece, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia
will be invited. The total number of student participants will be 42. In the
countries where CEP operates, CEP Lecturers will guide students in developing a
bibliography, researching, and acquiring debating techniques. Reading packets
for all topics are being prepared by CEP fellows and will be sent to all student
participants prior to the event.
Lecturers from CEP countries are responsible for submitting the application
materials to the Country Directors on behalf of the students. All other
applicants (from non-CEP countries) should submit applications to Stuart Graham;
tel.: +381 (0)63 881 6627; Email:
stuart@bos.org.yu; mailing address: Stuart Graham, Beogradska Otvorena Skola
(Belgrade Open School), Ulica Masarikova 5/16, 11000 Beograd, Yugoslavia. (It
would be appreciated, however, if applications could be sent electronically
where possible).
Applications should contain:
. completed Student Application Form;
. required Essay;
. Statement of Support completed by the mentoring CEP Lecturer (students
from non-CEP countries may ask any of their university instructors to fill in
this form).
Application materials must be submitted by 7 March, 2003. Students will be
notified of their acceptance around 14 March, 2003, at which point they will
learn which topic to research in detail.
