2022 has passed, as well as 185 environmental problems that have been successfully solved through the Green Phone.

We received the total of  252 complaints, and those complaints that have not been resolved, Sunce’s legal team continues to solve in 2023 by supporting citizens and initiating communication or administrative procedures and disputes before public law bodies.

The largest number of complaints is related to the waste category

The largest number of complaints is related to the category of waste (66 messages) and illegal construction (56 messages). Therefore, the citizens complained most about illegal waste disposal sites, inadequate waste management systems and illegal construction or dumping materials, mainly at sea and on the coast.

Other reports refer to the spilling of untreated wastewater into the environment (34), air pollution (14) and injured or abandoned animals (13).

Citizens often turn to us for advice or support when exercising their right to information about the environment or participating in various procedures in scope of approving interventions and plans in the environment, such as modificationsof spatial plans and environmental impact assessments.

Considering the type of complaints received, our work and public advocacy focused on raising awareness of the problem of unsustainable construction and beach filling on the coast as well as on the challenges of waste management. On our website, you can find the following articles and publications on the abovementioned: Analysis of the impact of beach filling (in Croatian), Stop beach filling online campaign, Tourist mooring in Suhi Potok, How beach filling has become the messenger of summer, Removed waste from TTTS area, Hill of discarded soil and stones at Stinice – it is not waste.

The work of the Green Phone and the SEAS project

In 2022, we emphasized promoting public participation and active civic engagement. We included students from the Faculty of Law in Split with the ambition of learning about environmental law in the work of the Green Phone through the project “Save the ecosystems of the Adriatic Sea through active participation – SEAS.” Students worked on selected Green Phone subjects, learned about public communication and public speaking, and helped to organize and participated in the Biking tour, Sunce’s traditional public event. Besides students, one volunteer contributed to the successful operation of the Green Phone.

As a part of the Biking tour, students and a Green Phone volunteer, with the support of Sunce’slawyers, answered citizens’ questions at a special stand and distributed information leaflets on the topic of Green Phone and environmental law in order to encourage citizens to report environmental problems and become more involved in the procedures that enable participation of the public.

We also promoted public participation at the conference of the Croatian Association of Experts for Nature and Environmental Protection, “Environmental Assessments and the European Green Plan ’22”, where Sunce’s lawyers, in addition to educational purpose, presented their work: Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Using the Institute of Public Participation and Access to Justice on Environmental Matters in Croatia and the EU Member States. The result of the analysis was guidelines for improving public participation in environmental issues in Croatia, which were presented to the professional and academic community at conferences and delivered to other targeted bodies and associations. In addition to the analysis mentioned above, through the SEAS project, we created an infographic with simple steps for public participation in creating spatial plans. You can find both infographics at the following link – Results of the SEAS project analysis.

Green phone in the media

During 2022, the Green Phone was followed by numerous Internet portals, and we were guests and made statements on television and radio shows. The Green Phone was thus presented in programs on Radio Sunce, Radio Dalmatia, Television Dalmacija and the portals Slobodna Dalmacija, Dalmacija Danas, Eko vjesnik, Jutarnji list, Dalmacija News, Antikorupcija, Dalmatinski Portal, Morski, Pomorsko Dobro, School of Design, Graphics and Sustainable Construction – Split.

We are particularly pleased with the collaboration with Radio Sunce, where the show “Green Phone” is broadcast once a month with different participants who talk about the problems we encounter through our work on Green Phone. So far, three shows have been broadcasted on the following topics: coastal area management, waste generation reduction and active citizenship in environmental protection.

Without your calls, we would not be able to respond in a timely manner

Above all, the most important thing for us is cooperation with citizens.

Without your calls and concern for the environment, we would not be able to react on time, and the environment can be best protected only with our joint action.

For this reason, the increasing number of civic initiatives that band together to achieve a certain environmental goal is extremely important. Some with which we continuously cooperate are CI We do not give up on Greda, CI wind park Drniš, CI SOS Osejava, CI FOR Dugi Rat, CI for the development of the island of Drvenik Veli, CI The place that wants to live, CI Perna, CI Trogir and Plano, CI for the legality of construction in Lošinj, CI Public is good.

In 2023, we will continue our dedicated work on your applications, and we hope to have a more successful and cleaner 2023!

If you notice an environmental problem, you can report it to the number 072 123 456 or contact our lawyers directly by e-mail:

Ivana Krstulović: [email protected]

Andrea Tvrdic: [email protected]

Hajdi Biuk: [email protected]

The Green Phone is co-financed by the SEAS project, which is implemented with the financial support of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway within the framework of the European Economic Area and Norwegian grants, and our project partners are WWF Adria, Udruga Zelena Istra, Urbanex d.o.o. and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).

By the decision of the City of Split, the work of the Green Phone in 2022 was co-financed in the amount of HRK 10,000.

Best regards,

Sunce legal team