corruption in slovenia

8/14/2019 Corruption in Slovenia

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SLOVENIA

AN EXAMPLE OF

MURDEROUS CORRUPTION


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ON THE CORRUPTING SIDE OF THE ALPS

Slovenia is a small country situated on the southern side of the Alps. Its surfaceis over 20.000 km 2 and its population around 2 millions. The capital of Sloveniais Ljubljana. Slovenia became a sovereign country in 1991 after thedisintegration of Yugoslavia.


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In the central part of Slovenia there is a region called Zasavje. The areaof Zasavje is 250 km 2. It has 46.000 inhabitants. Zasavje represents the mostpolluted area in Slovenia. The main polluter is the cement plant (LafargeCement) in Trbovlje. The conditions deteriorated strongly during the 2003when the French Lafarge Cement took over the local cement plant!


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LAFARGE CEMENT

TRBOVLJE

(The town with 16.000 inhabitants)

(View from the South Side)

ATTENTION: The Cement Plant in Trbovlje is situated in a narrowvalley, with weak wind ventilation, where during the temperatureinversions a sea of cold air accumulates emissions. Inversions are frequent

in Zasavje valleys and may last for days. In this type of landscape therestrictions for polluting should be even more rigorous than elsewhere!


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No, it is not fog! According to the data of the periodic monitoring theemissions of Lafarge Cement in Trbovlje contain only 15 % of vapour,85 % are dust particles, heavy metals, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide,NOx, TOC, dioxins and furans ... During the standstills of electrostaticprecipitators, the share of vapour is even smaller and the share of pollutants further increases. Of course, the measuring is never carried outduring the standstills!

LAFARGE CEMENT

TRBOVLJE

(View from the North Side)


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Lafarge Cement operates continuously 8.000 hours per year. Thepollution is at its worst during the numerous standstills of the electrostaticprecipitators which occur approx. 1.000 times a year. And the allowed

limits of air pollution (imissions) are in such times transgressed even byten times!

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT

(View from the North Side)


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The management of Lafarge Cement maintain that there are nostandstills of the electrostatic precipitators! Only once in an interview fora newspaper, they admitted that they had 200 standstills in the previous

year which however is a strongly underestimated data.

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT

(View from the Northeast Side)


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The emissions are not continuously monitored in spite of the fact thatsuch monitoring has been a legal requirement for 12 years!

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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Lafarge Cement and the Inspectorate for the environment and spatialplanning claim that emissions are continuously monitored by the LafargeCement but they do not wish to disclose the data. They admit however

that the monitoring is not performed by a publicly registered institutionbut by Lafarge Cement themselves!

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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Only periodic monitoring of emissions in Lafarge Cement, a few hoursyearly, is carried out by publicly registered institution. This monitoring isperformed only when all electrostatic precipitators are in operation!

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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The electrostatic precipitators standstills ...

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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occur mostly ...

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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during ...

TRBOVLJE

LAFARGE CEMENT



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the nights! (But this time photos cannot be taken of them!)


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Lafarge C ement K iln

=L C K

= L arge C itizens K iller


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DIRE CONSEQUENCES

The Slovenian institute ERICo found out that people from Zasavje contract moreoften than in average the diseases of the respiratory systems, of the digestiveorgans, of the urinary system, of the genitals and of the blood circulationsystems, pregnancies are more often complicated, and there are miscarriages,mental disorders, glands diseases and tumours!

The map of the cancer incidences in Slovenia shows that Zasavje is strongly

leading in all types of cancers (except for the cancer of uterus)!

The mortality rate of infants in Slovenia is 3,8 stillborns per 1.000 infants whereas in Zasavje there are as many as 8,2 stillborns in every 1.000 infants!


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WHICH ARE THE CORRECT DATA?

The case of dust:

On the basis of periodic measuring in 2005 Lafarge Cement reported emissions of dust of 6,85 tons . Of course themeasuring was carried out at the time of full operation of electrostatic precipitators.

However for the Trbovlje cement plant management only the measuring carried out during a minor (!) electrostatic precipitators' standstill in 2002 are relevant. If the measuring results during the minor standstill (2.430 mg/m 3 at theflue gas flow 165.000 m 3) are multiplied with 200 standstills per year we will get the result of 80.19 tons of dustemissions. If a more realistic number of 1.000 standstills is assumed, the emissions are estimated at 400 tons of dustper year . The figure of 400 tons is valid if the only short standstills are taken into account. For a realistic estimation of

dust emissions medium and major standstills should be added to that and besides also the dust emitted during theelectrostatic precipitators' regular operation. The results thus obtained are 50 to 70 times higher than thosepublished officially!

What does this mean in terms of benzen content?

The officially published quantity (without taking into account the periods when electrostatic precipitators were notoperating) was 5,30 tons of benzen in year 2005. A realistic estimation however with 1.000 electrostatic precipitators'standstills is 300 tons (linear comparison with dust). Where do these large emissions come from? Lafarge Cement use

petrol-coke as fuel and do not seem to have an explicit permit for it!

Finally there are heavy metals, NO X, TOC, dioxines and furanes ... which

certainly should not to be forgotten!


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SLOVENIAN AUTHORITIES

=L C K

= L ying C orrupt K ind

Janez Jana

The Prime Ministerof Republic of Slovenia

Bojana PoharChief Inspector of the Republicof Slovenia for the Environment

and Spatial Planning

Janez Podobnik

Minister of Environmentand Spatial Planning

Bogdan Barovi

The Mayor of Trbovlje


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Bogdan BaroviThe Mayor of Trbovlje

Bogdan Barovi the mayor of Trbovlje is publicly among the most fervent advocates of Lafarge Cement. He admitsthat it is because Lafarge Cement Trbovlje employs some 200 people and because of Lafarge Cements donations inthe amount of 400.000 EUR yearly to fund sports and cultural events in Trbovlje. But there are indications that

personal interests may be involved. Bogdan Barovi is not at all concerned about the electrostatic filters numerous

standstills, about degraded environment, and about epidemiological picture of the local population. At one particular serious standstill of electrostatic precipitators he even suggested that the public should not worry as he (!) assuresthem that the emissions from Lafarge Cement are not dangerous. (Perhaps we should note here that he is notadequately educated and had before undertaking the office of mayor been a speaker and journalist on the local radio).

Bogdan Barovi has been a mayor in Trbovlje since 2002. All this time Lafarge Cement have not been called tosubmit the data of continuous monitoring to the local community though the law binds them to do so. This year only

but only upon the strong pressure exercised by the public he asked Lafarge Cement to submit the data on emissions for the last five years. Nobody knows whether he received such data as they have not been presented to the public.

An example of how Bogdan Barovi deals with the public who are sensitive about pollutions: In 2004 a civil initiative was organized in Zasavje opposing strongly the prospect of introducing hazardous wastes tofuel the cement plant. The public organized as NGO was not welcome in Trbovlje and the NGO had to move itsaddress to the neighbouring municipality (Zagorje ob Savi). After that Bogdan Barovi promptly declared that the

NGOs from other municipalities have no business to interfere with Lafarge Cement (though to tell the truth the

pollution does not stop on the boundaries of Trbovlje municipality).


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Bojana PoharChief Inspector of the Republic of Slovenia

for the Environment and Spatial Planning -Head of the Inspectorate

Bojana Pohar , as head of Inspectorate for the environment and spatial planning, directly supports the illegaloperations of Lafarge Cement. Her following measures are an evidence of it:

She ignores the requirements and even does not respond to questions put by the public concerning Lafarge Cement.

In spite of the provisions of legislature and years of calling her attention to it, she has required that independentcontinuous monitoring is carried out in Lafarge Cement. Only recently she yielded to the pressure of public andrequired Lafarge Cement to introduce this year (12 years too late) a credible continuous monitoring of emissions.

She has recklessly believed the unofficial and secret data on measurement of emissions in Lafarge cement and performed by the Lafarge Cement themselves. According to these data the cement plant excessively pollutes theenvironment with sulphur dioxide (SO 2). Therefore they are within the environmental rehabilitation programme

presently building a desulphurization plant (for SO 2) only.

Following the secret Rehabilitation Programme she publicly adopted the attitude that Lafarge Cement may duringthe implementation of this programme continue with unrestricted pollution of environment.

Also she claims that Lafarge Cement operation is in public interest and the public health a private interest .


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Janez Podobnik Minister of Environment andSpatial Planning

Janez Podobnik, minister of environment and spatial planning, directly upholds the illegal procedures in LafargeCement. His following steps are a proof for it:

He defends Lafarge Cement on the basis of the data from periodic monitoring of emissions, carried out incorrectlyduring the time when all electrostatic precipitator are in regular operation.

With false data of emissions he is misleading the Slovenian public as well as the European Union.

He believes that the data of continuous monitoring as carried out by Lafarge Cement themselves are plausible but hedoes not make them available to the public.

He allowed the legalisation of illegal buildings whose aim is to prepare incineration of the hazardous wastes inLafarge Cement.

He allows the use of illicit fuels in Lafarge Cement.

He ordered elaboration of a programme of rehabilitation for Lafarge Cement. The programme however is secret for the public.

Allegedly aiming at improving situation of air in Zasavje, he appointed a working committee which is pure eyewash:The committee is totally useless and serves actually only to buy time. The local environmental activists who participatein the committee are helpless since the activities of the committee are controlled by the Ministry of Environment.

He too ignores the requirements and even does not respond to questions put by the public concerning LafargeCement.


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Janez Jana

The Prime Ministerof Republicof Slovenia

Janez Jana , the Slovenian prime minister has been kept informed in the course of the last two years about thedisastrous circumstances in the Zasavje region and about the deliberate non-activity of the responsible authoritiesabove all of the Ministry of Environment. Upon pressure by the local population, the prime minister replied once onlysaying that the question had been conveyed to the Ministry of Environment. Thus he would not tackle the problem and

he shifts the responsibility to others.

Though it is true that the present Jana's government inherited the issue Lafarge Cement from the previousgovernment (with prime minister Anton Rop and minister of environment and spatial planning Janez Kopa ) whoeven allowed the Cement Plant a test incineration of over 30.000 tons of hazardous wastes the Prime Minister Janahas since 2004 done nothing to solve the situation with the Lafarge Cement. Moreover in spite of the obviousevidences of devastating and even illegal activities of Lafarge Cement the problem has been aggravated in the courseof the last two years (e.g. Lafarge Cement built illegally the appliances necessary for incineration of hazardous wastes.They obtained the permits from the authorities ex post and were fined a small penalty payable for usurping the land).

Today the Jana's government boast with the construction of desulphurization plant as if the sulphur dioxide were theonly culprit for the catastrophic health situation of the region Zasavje. What they are boasting about is the solving of amarginal problem.

HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION: What would the French government do if a Slovenian cement plant operated

with similar environmental impact on the French territory?


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SLOVENIA

=L C K

=La tent Corruption K ingdom


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WHY SLOVENIA?

As in 1991 Yugoslavia disintegrated, Slovenia gained not only sovereignty but also changed the political system. Onone hand it turned into a democratic society on the other hand the former socialist system was replaced by a rather orthodox capitalism commencing with property transformation and ruthless materialistic competition. Socially safe

society with strong middle class has been intensely polarised on poor and rich. The driving power of the system has become: Be resourceful (in terms of grab what you can but do not get found out ).

To understand the state of mind in Slovenia it is more important to know that there is a public known confidentialinformation that some of the leading politicians were allegedly involved in sale of weapons to Croatia and Bosnia andHerzegovina during the last Balkan war.

In short a small country with uncontrolled social stratification, greed in all social layers (even in political lite),record delays in court procedures In Slovenia there are excellent conditions for corruption!


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STOP Lafarge Cement !

STOP killing citizens !

STOP corruption in Slovenia !


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Help us at least by transmitting this presentation of our local drama onto other people. Hopefully it may reach those who are willing and capableof taking appropriate measures. While waiting for the slow Slovenian

legal procedures to be completed (too) many may fall ill or may even die.

Author of this presentation:

For more detailed information contact non-governmental organization(NGO) EKO KROG: [email protected]

www.eko-krog.org

!

corruption in slovenia

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