Dear friends,
According to many national constitutions (including the Macedonian) and a number of international conventions every citizen has a right to a life in a healthy and clean environment.
To meet this obligation Macedonia has taken significant steps by adopting adequate laws and regulations. These laws and regulations are also in accordance with EU-requirements and a large number of international recommendations.
However, while preparing and adopting necessary legislation it is also of the greatest importance to focus on the actual implementation of this legal and regulatory framework. Capacity needs to be established in all relevant institutions to ensure that laws and regulations are being realized in the field, out there where people live.
Proper monitoring is also needed. Civil society has a role to play in that respect. And I am very happy to note that the Ombudsman has included so-called “green justice” in his portefolio. This is an excellent approach which I don’t believe is self-evident in all European countries. I understand that some stakeholders want the Ombudsman to do more in this field and that might very well be the case. The best response to the challenges will of course be that civil society, the Ombudsman and other relevant governmental agencies jointly prepare legislation, jointly build capacity for implementation and jointly establish a system for monitoring progress and identify gaps that need to be filled.
These and other items will be discussed at your work shop today and tomorrow. The Norwegian embassy is happy to support your efforts and I wish you a very productive event.