What we did in 2024?
The Green forum is a network of Croatian environmental NGOs that influences the creation and implementation of environmental and nature protection policies through public advocacy. Sunce has been a member of the Zeleni Forum coordination team for many years.
– The network was established in 1997 and today brings together 30 civil society organizations from across Croatia working in environmental and nature protection, – said Gabrijela Medunić-Orlić, Executive Director of Sunce. She added that Sunce is one of nine Assembly members elected in 2022 for a three-year term.
When selecting Coordination members, regional representation across Croatia is considered. Members include Ekološka udruga “Krka” Knin, Eko Pan, Sunce, Association Biom, Zelena akcija, Zelena Istra, Green Osijek, Brod Ecological Society – BED, and Society for Sustainable Development Design (DOOR).
Coordination members meet regularly to monitor joint advocacy activities, working group progress, current environmental issues, topics specific to individual members, funding opportunities, joint projects, and more. In 2024, the coordination team met eleven times.
Through joint campaigns, projects, information exchange, and trainings for members, the network strengthens the capacity of member organizations, enhances their skills, and ultimately increases the impact of environmental NGOs at local, national, and international levels.
– Together, we participate in certain e-consultations, request meetings with relevant stakeholders on specific topics, and nominate representatives for various working groups, – said Medunić-Orlić, who is, as Sunce’s representative, a member of two working groups: one for drafting the National Strategy for the Creation of An Enabling Environment for the Civil Society Development 2021–2027, and one for drafting the Implementation Report of the Aarhus Convention.
Green forum and Sunce in the Council for Civil Society Development and the working group for drafting the National Strategy for the Creation of An Enabling Environment for the Civil Society Development 2021–2027.
Medunić-Orlić represents Gren forum and Sunce on the Council for Civil Society Development, focusing on environmental protection and sustainable development.
– The role and influence of the Council have changed significantly since 2016, – she noted.
The Council is an advisory body to the Croatian Government, tasked with promoting collaboration between the government and civil society organizations and supporting the development of strategic plans to create an enabling environment for civil society. Its role also includes contributing to philanthropy, social capital, and cross-sector cooperation in Croatia.
However, the Council’s role remains limited. Since 2016, no National Strategy for the Creation of An Enabling Environment for the Civil Society Development has been adopted, even though the drafting process was initiated twice.
– The process was last initiated in 2022, when we actively joined the working group drafting the plan. A draft exists, but the working group has been inactive since the end of 2023. Our repeated inquiries about the strategy’s status and next steps have been met with vague and delaying responses, – Medunić-Orlić explained. The latest update came during the Council session on November 27, 2024, when the Director of the Office for Associations announced that an internal working group consultation is planned for January 2025, followed by a broad public consultation via the e-consultation portal.
– Dissatisfied with the general state of support for civil society organizations and the collapse of a system that was highly praised during the pre-accession period, we collaborated with other sector NGOs – whose representatives are also Council members – to create a survey collecting civil society organizations’ opinions on the Council’s role and functioning, and to initiate changes, – Medunić-Orlić added.
Green forum and Sunce in the Aarhus Convention working group
The Green forum also participates in preparing the Implementation Report of the Aarhus Convention.
– This report is prepared by the Ministry every four years. The convention is the foundation for public participation in environmental protection, based on three pillars: access to information, public participation, and access to justice, – said Medunić-Orlić, a member of working group for drafting the Implementation Report. Thanks to Sunce, the Aarhus Council instructed the Croatian Ministry to regulate public participation in waste management planning about a decade ago. The new law now allows public participation at the local level.
Other key Green forum activities in 2024
As part of the project Preservation and Protection of Civil Society Spaces, run by Zelena akcija in cooperation with Zelena Istra and the Austrian organization Global2000, an analysis was presented on repression of environmental initiatives and NGOs in Croatia. The analysis showed that SLAPP lawsuits and inspection pressures have become common forms of repression in the last decade. Threats and cases of physical violence were also recorded.
It was noted that many public consultations are conducted in less than the legally required 30 days.
– Non-response and ignoring public input are also forms of repression, – emphasized Medunić-Orlić.
Challenges and the future of the Green Phone Network
Members of the Green Phone Network met at the Green forum Assembly in October 2024. Green Phone provides citizens with information and assistance regarding environmental issues. The network includes nine environmental NGOs: Eko Pan, Zelena akcija, Zelena Istra, Sunce, Nobilis, Eko Zadar, Green Osijek, Ekološka udruga ‘Krka’ Knin, and Žmergo.
– We shared experiences about challenges of covering such a large territory under a single Green Phone number, – said Ksenija Adžić, Sunce lawyer, who handles reports from the Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva regions.
The network uses a single phone number for all of Croatia: 072 123 456. Calls from anywhere in the country are redirected to the nearest member organization at the local call rate.
– The meeting also addressed future funding for the Green Phone network through joint projects, and it was agreed that in 2025 the coordination will be taken over by Ekološka udruga “Krka” Knin, – Adžić added.
Sunce runs the project Green Phone – Lend Your Voice to the Environment II! in 2024.
– This crucial service has been recognized and co-financed by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund for two years, and we hope for a third year of funding, – said Maja Jurić, Head of Communication and Advocacy Department.
– The voice of citizens is the voice of the environment! This was confirmed by our campaign And where do you anchor?, conducted this summer to raise awareness of responsible anchoring, seagrass meadow protection, and wastewater discharge bans from boats. Thanks to this, Sunce received the highest number of sea pollution reports ever, – Jurić added.
Challenges in funding environmental and sustainability projects
At the beginning of 2024, Green forum participated in a public consultation on the draft Regulations on the Conditions and Procedures for Allocating Funds from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (EPEEF), including the criteria and measures for evaluating grant applications. Six comments were submitted, proposing amendments and modifications to the articles of the Regulations to address issues related to the implementation of EPEEF calls and approved projects. A comment suggesting the introduction of sectoral analyses during the planning of EPEEF fund allocation was not accepted, nor were proposals to amend articles that would have restored the possibility of signing individual contracts for projects run by LIFE program.
A positive aspect of the new Regulations is that EPEEF now allows 80% co-financing for NGOs across all of Croatia, whereas previously this rate varied at 40%, 60%, or 80% depending on the geographic area of the organization’s activity.
It should be noted that in October 2023, a meeting was held with representatives of Green forum member NGOs, EPEEF, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MINGOR), and the Office for Associations of the Croatian Government (UZUVRH) to discuss co-financing of environmental protection, nature conservation, and energy efficiency projects implemented by NGOs.
Climate crisis, National Energy and Climate Plan, Climate Change Law, and Ozone Protection
All EU member states, including Croatia, were required to submit an updated climate and energy plan to the European Commission this year. Since the public was not involved in drafting the plan, Green forum requested a public consultation of at least 30 days, with the Ombudswoman also joining the process. The NECP serves as the overarching document for all national climate policies and stems from obligations under the Paris Agreement on climate change, making advocacy for public participation in its development especially important. Furthermore, an extension of the public consultation on the “Draft Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection Act, with the final draft of the Act” was requested, as the initial consultation period had been shortened to only 17 days.
The Green forum Secretariat wrote to the Commissioner for Information regarding this improper shortening of the public consultation period. Green forum argued that the Ministry had timely knowledge of the deadlines for transposing the relevant Directives, adopted on May 10, 2023, and therefore had both the opportunity and sufficient time to properly conduct the consultation. Consequently, Green forum members requested that the consultation be repeated, reopened, or extended by an additional 13 days.
A response from the Commissioner for Information, Anita Markić, stated that the law had to be adopted under urgent procedure, which allowed the consultation to last less than 30 days. However, as noted in the response, “given the importance of the areas to which this Act applies, it is recommended to carry out another form of public consultation or an additional round of online public consultation to fulfill the cumulative 30-day period.”
Nature Restoration Act
This law came into force on August 18, 2024, legally obliging member states to restore 20% of terrestrial and 20% of marine areas by 2030, and all ecosystems needing restoration by 2050. After years of advocacy and the #RestoreNature campaign, involving several Green forum members, the law was finally passed. Each EU member state should develop an implementation plan for the new legislation as part of its national plan, analyzing the needs and urgency of restoring specific habitat types and local sites, and defining concrete measures. Green forum will participate in the law’s implementation in Croatia.
The role of citizens
Remember, you have the right to timely and accurate information and to participate in decision-making affecting the environment and quality of life.
The voice of citizens is key to protecting nature and promoting sustainability. Stay informed, engage in public consultations, and use your right to be heard.
You can support Sunce’s ongoing advocacy for positive social change through membership or volunteering.