Donors: European Union, sub-grant of the project Together against corruption, Civil Society and Media Support Program, IPA/2017/392-518.
Partners: Center for Investigative Journalism SCOOP MACEDONIA from Skopje, project leader, Institute for Human Rights (IHR) from Skopje and Center for Community Media Development MEDIUM from Gostivar.
Implementation time: 12/2019-5/2020
Budget: 12.422 EUR
Overall objective: Raising the awareness of the citizens for the omissions by the institutions in the field of environment and recognizing corrupt practices.
Specific objective 1: Recognize corrupt practices and ensure public participation in the detection and prevention of corruption in the field of environment.
Specific Objective 2: Increased accountability of industrial facilities as potential polluters and their transparency, to see if compliance with operating laws is respected or circumvented due to corruption.
Short description: A series of activities aimed at investigating cases of potential corruption and animating the public and institutions for their recognition and proper resolution. In the context of a large number of environmental incidents, for which the competent institutions do not always react in a timely manner, so it is justified to think of corruption.
Activities:
1. Mapping of industrial facilities (potential and de facto polluting industries), the manner and procedure for issuing A and B permits. Opportunity to closely monitor their work, compliance with legal procedures and how much the state authorities tolerate their possible shortcomings in their work.
2. Analysis of the compliance of the procedures in the field of environment with the Law on General Administrative Procedure, the Law on Misdemeanors, the Law on Mineral Resources. Review of the legal provisions governing the opening and operation of industrial facilities, with special emphasis on the Law on Mineral Resources.
3. Analysis of case studies in the field of environmental corruption, minimum 5 cases, where there were incidents with environmental consequences, after which there were reactions and requests from the public to close industrial facilities, the way in which it was achieved. These results will serve as a good practice how it should be handled by concessionaires, state bodies and institutions, inspection services. The awareness of civil society organizations and journalists will be raised to react louder against all irregularities in the industrial sector.
4. Addressing questions to the municipalities and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning through the right to free access to information, for all ambiguities and unclearness in the legal solutions in the field of environment and their (in)consistent implementation in the operation of industrial facilities. The questions were addressed to the Ministry of environment and urban planning and the municipalities, which are competent bodies for issuing A and B permits. The institutions were transparent and provided answers to all questions.
5. Publication of texts and journalistic articles on the website: www.text.mk. The entire research work has been transformed into texts and journalistic articles that were available to the general public through the website with which we have cooperation. In this way, many citizens and civil society organizations had the opportunity to get acquainted with the current situation and cases related to some industrial facilities.
6. Public debate with civil society organizations and citizens, to strengthen their capacities and knowledge regarding corruption, which will make it easier to recognize it, they will be able to act preventively, but also to take all legal means at their disposal, always when they come in contact with or suspect it.
Results:
- 5 cases detected:
1) The unopened Kazandol mine
2) Drisla and the waste that is incinerated there
3) The drying up of Lake Prespa
4) The plague of fish in the river Vardar by Arcerol Mittal
5) Titan (USJE), the raw material used as fuel for operation of the same industrial capacity.
- Preparation of 5 investigative journalistic stories:
1) Natasha Dokovska Spirovska - Otesevo imprisoned in her own wealth
https://text.mk/%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0/
2) Verica Dimitrijevska - Will the case of the Kazandol mine be an "obstacle" for future corrupt motives?
https://text.mk/%d0%b4%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8-%d1%81%d0%bb%d1%83%d1%87%d0%b0%d1%98%d0%be%d1%82-%d1%81%d0%be-%d1%80%d1%83%d0%b4%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%be%d1%82-%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%b7%d0%b0%d0%bd%d0%b4%d0%be%d0%bb-%d1%9c%d0%b5/
3) Filip Spirovski - The protection of "Arcelor Mittal" at the expense of the health of the citizens and the public interest
https://text.mk/%d0%b7%d0%b0%d1%88%d1%82%d0%b8%d1%82%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b0-%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d0%b0%d0%ba%d1%86%d0%b5%d0%bb%d0%be%d1%80-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%82%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%bb-%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d1%81%d0%bc%d0%b5/
4)Katerina Topalova - Can Kovid-19 make those who will bypass sick?!
https://text.mk/%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B5-%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4-19-%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D0%B3%D0%B8-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B8-%D1%9C/
5) Elizabeth D. Spasenovska - Incidents - (un)intentional omissions of industrial facilities that caused environmental pollution
https://text.mk/%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%83/