Jubilee

Five years ERINA

The Journalist - Legal Enviro Centre ERINA from Skopje is celebrating its five-year jubilee. In this period EDINA has grown into one of the rare profiled civic associations that work in the field of environment. Despite many other associations that work in all aspects of this wide area, ERINA decided to focus on questions related to the legislation, public awareness and information in the field of environment.

ERINA started as initiative of a group of journalists and lawyers specialized in this area. One of the more important continuous activities of the association is the work on the Arhus convention for approach to information, approach to justice and public participation in the environmental area. ERINA was the first Macedonian civic association that lobbied for the Government and the Parliament to adopt this international document, and ERINA's recommendations were accepted by the Ministry of Environment that presented them at the Arhus convention in Denmark.

This association has established the first Legal Environmental Centre that provides free information and legal services for citizens and civic associations. The Centre, together with the preparation of the proposal text on law for approach to information and public participation (by an expert team managed by PhD Borce Davitkovski) were one of the first steps for practical implementation of the Arhus convention in Macedonia.

In addition, we have to mention the projects directed towards raising the awareness: the campaign for protection of the brown bear and its habitats in the Balkans, sanation of the plane tree at the Gaziisabegova Mosque in Skopje, affirmation of the Krusevo heritage, informing through the media on the aspects related to the environment from the last parliamentary elections candidates' programmes, the project for adjusting the legal regulation on protected areas in the border zones, as well as many other projects, activities, participation at workshops, conferences, debates, etc.

 

M.I.