News
European Parliamentary Question - Asbestos in Croatia
15 June 2011
Subject: Role of asbestos waste in the negotiations on Croatia's accession to the EU According to media reports and a publication by the Croatian non-governmental organisation Barbarinac, asbestos waste is being disposed of in Vranjic in Croatia in a way which is incompatible with European health and environmental standards. According to Barbarinac, after production of products containing asbestos was stopped the Salonit factory ‘decontaminated’ land contaminated with asbestos without the necessary authorisation and without taking adequate safety precautions. The asbestos waste was reportedly taken away in open dumper trucks and deposited several kilometres away. The asbestos waste in these tips is only covered with sand and is not adequately sealed. According to Barbarinac, asbestos residues have already been found in the nearby Jadro river. An MP in the German Bundestag recently verified these conditions for himself. 1. What is the role of the asbestos issue or what role does it play in the accession negotiations with Croatia? 2. What role was or is played in particular by the disposal or final disposal of asbestos waste? 3. Did the situation described at the Salonit factory in Vranjic play a role in the accession negotiations? 4. To what extent has Croatia complied with possible requirements in the area of asbestos? 5. What is the Commission’s assessment of compliance with the requirements in the area of asbestos in the light of the case described above?
Primary school students in Zagreb exposed to asbestos daily
30 May 2011
From Croatian Times.com More than 350 students in the primary school Odra in Zagreb are exposed to life-threatening asbestos that was used in the building’s roof construction. The asbestos plates used in the roof are not in themselves problematic, but the dust the aged materials produce could be carcinogenic. At the same time, construction materials left around the school also contain asbestos. The plates could be replaced or painted with special protective materials, but a property dispute between the City of Zagreb and alleged owners of the land where the school was built, is preventing action, the daily Jutarnji List writes. Dr. Jadranka Tocilj from the European Union's scientific committee dealing with asbestos says that just a particle of inhaled asbestos could stick to lungs and cause cancer. "Asbestos dust is especially dangerous when roofs start to deteriorate or do not have good isolation. Recently we had a case where a patient died - although he had a well-isolated roof in his workshop, birds living there transferred asbestos to him." Asbestos is a carcinogenic material, very dangerous for human health, and asbestosis is an incurable disease that can cause various cancers and other illnesses.
Now those who vandalise a façade of a house with graffiti will have to clean it
15 November 2011
Pilot programme introduced to combat underage offences. Three Zagreb districts will start with a new pilot "Halt programme" aimed at helping youngsters turn away from vandalism and violence through community work. The programme will foresee punishments in terms of community services for underage delinquency that previously brought mainly fines and warnings. Now those who vandalise a façade of a house with graffiti will have to clean it, while those involved in a peer fight will – with the help of a social worker – dialogue with the other party involved. The programme has been in use for the past 30 years in the Netherlands. Should it prove effective in its pilot stage in Croatia, it would be implemented in other parts of the country in addition to Zagreb. Judge Lana Peto Kujundzic says the goal of the programme is to change offenders' behaviour. "The aim is for the youth to realise that they behaved wrongly and that they agree to do something positive for the community," Peto Kujundzic says. Under-age offenders are responsible for 10 to 15 thousand offences every year. Some 5,000 receive warnings or fines, daily Vecernji List writes.
