A peaceful gathering in Split against the Maritime Domain and Seaports Act was organized by Sunce in collaboration with the Javno je dobro initiative, with the aim of demanding the immediate withdrawal of the act from parliamentary procedure and the creation of new proposal that will protect the environment and ensure that the sea, beaches and shores are 100% ours!
We demand that the Act is aligned with the strategies that Republic of Croatia adopted for environmental protection!
– We want to highlight ignoring of the obligation to respect environmental protection principles in the text of the proposal. Ignoring the need to protect the sea and the coast, while emphasizing aspects of usage, takes us back at least 20 years in history, if not more. It is unacceptable at a time when Croatia is adopting series of strategies and various planning documents that impose green development, sustainable principles and encourage us to green our ideas, for a legislative proposal to foresee the exploitation of Croatia’s greatest natural resource without sufficient mechanisms and guarantees for preservation, – said Ivana Krstulović, head of Sunce’s Environmental Law Department.
The marginalization of environmental protection is evident from the fact that representatives of environmental organizations were not included in the work group for drafting the proposal of the new act. If the Parliament accepts our request and withdraws the proposed act from parliamentary procedure, we insist on the inclusion of representatives of the Green Forum in the work group for drafting the new proposal.
We demand that land reclamation and beach nourishment become exceptionally permitted actions, not accustomed actions!
– For years, Sunce has been receiving Green Phone calls regarding overconstruction and land reclamation. We advocate for the need to improve current legal framework. In practice, land reclamation and beach nourishment with materials containing soil mixtures and materials not naturally found at the location have proven to be extremely dangerous, – emphasized Hajdi Biuk, Sunce’s law counsel.
The new proposal for the Act on Maritime Domain and Sea Ports finally regulates land reclamation and beach nourishment. However, the provisions of the law are prone to different interpretations and land reclamation that is prohibited by law is still allowed in different forms without precise regulation and surveillance. To avoid abuse of the law and broad interpretation of the Act, it is necessary to further regulate these issues through the Act and its bylaws.
– Sunce is emphasizing the irreversible damage that all seasonal land reclamation and beach nourishment cumulatively cause to marine life. We demand that the Act prioritizes beach planning which does not include continuous nourishment. Land reclamation should be an exceptionally permitted action when it is absolutely necessary, – added Andrea Tvrdić, law counsel from Sunce.
With this peaceful gathering 100% Ours Sunce and the people of Split joined Pula, Opatija, Vis, Makarska, Supetar, Šolta and Lošinj in supporting the efforts to withdraw the Act from the parliamentary procedure.
In Zagreb, on February 2nd at noon, a protest is planned at St. Mark’s Square – 100% Ours organized by Javno je dobro civil initiative. The protest will be held in collaboration with various initiatives and associations across Croatia, especially from communities along the Adriatic coast. Find more information in their Facebook group and join the protest.