In his opening remarks, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH Mirko Sarovic said he expects that this gathering will contribute to the development of capacities of countries in terms of access to mentioned protocol and its implementation, to improve the knowledge of the legal, institutional and technical requirements, as well as to assist in the identification of the main holders of these activities.
In addition, there a possibility offers itself to relevant authorities who have political and technical responsibility and representatives of Aarhus Centres, as well as all the experts in the field of the Protocol, to exchange information and learn the details of the work of all stakeholders involved in this process, and to discuss solutions and ways for removal of constraints regarding the use and implementation of the Protocol, Sarovic said.
He reminded that BiH is a member of the Aarhus Convention since 2008, it prepared the first report in 2011, and there are currently ongoing activities for the preparation of the second report.
Aarhus Center was formed in Sarajevo, and the establishment of two new centers is being prepared in Tuzla and Banja Luka, and my expectations are that in June the two centers could be opened, Sarovic said.
He explained that the Protocol on PRTR is expression of the international community to resolve the situation and solve the problem of control of the pervading environmental pollution in the world, while it is also a legally binding act for strengthening of public access to environmental information.
BiH has the status of pre-candidate for EU membership, but it is completely orientated for the definition, adoption and implementation of European environmental policy, Minister Sarovic added.
As explained in the workshop, PRTR is an online database of emissions of potentially harmful pollutants and their impact on pollution of air, water and soil.
It was pointed out that an increasing number of states have introduced the use of PRTR systems to give citizens access to such information, and to create a basis for the development of policies in the field of environmental protection in the interest of the application of best practices and achieving sustainable development.
The workshop brought together representatives of state institutions responsible for PRTR, then representatives of industry, academia, research institutions and non-governmental organizations from South Eastern Europe and the professionals who work on PRTR in various countries, as well as international governmental organizations.
