Presentation: Cultural environment-Integral protection? Application of Florence’s European Convention; Organizers: Environmental Association “Survival” and Urbis 

Integral Protection in our country is still in thought 

The environmental association “Survival” together with the association “Urbis” from Skopje, were the organizers of the presentation titled: “Cultural environment-Integral protection? Application of Florence’s European Convention”, with the key-speakers Jasmina Hadzieva, Zivko Popovski and Gjorgi Hadzi Vaskov, who turned the audience’s attention to the need of esteem and additional regulation of the obligations assigned with the European convention for integral protection, cultural environment. The convention is adopted in Florence and ratified in Macedonia, but there hasn’t been practical implementation yet. When talking about the term and the meaning of integral protection and cultural environment and the current situation in this context, with verification and protection of the cultural and the natural values which Macedonia possesses, undoubtedly the topic which can not be avoid, and which was the focus of the three speakers was Skopje’s location Gradiste Kale. They emphasized the need for a regular legal procedure for protection of this cultural environment, among the others.  

Jasmina Hadzieva took notice of the need for a change in the access approach to the cultural protection-the historical cultural and natural heritage in Macedonia, putting a special emphasis on the fact that it has been on the same level since 1950-60. “Integral protection is still in thought in Macedonia and the politics is working on freeing the existing types of heritage from economical interest. This type of protection should join the space planning and urbanism that we lack in Macedonia, but also, as it is all over the world, it should be under the care of the citizens. Public authorities should undertake measures for education and information for the values of the heritage they possess (this being also an obligation within the Convention). The materialization of the integral protection depends on the reassessment, revision of the laws for housing, space planning, urbanism, etc. Europe recommends the integral protection, since its implementation allows a more complex treatment and saving in terms of finance. The citizens’ associations can play an enormous role in many different activities in the integral protection domain, which refers to the cultural environment and the cultural landscape, but without the state’s support nothing can be achieved”-was stated by Hadzieva.

Professor Zivko Popovski, referred to the disputable location Gradiste Kale, as a significant integral part of Skopje; the area between Gazi Baba and Ajder Baba, from Skupi to MRTV, in which region many objects of cultural and sociological content are located, significant cultural and natural values that confirm its complexity and require integral protection The third participant in the presentation, Gjorgi Hadzi Vaskov spoke about the role of the citizens’ associations in the accelerating of the process for integral protection, through informing and exerting certain pressure for passing of legal decrees and acts for the implementation of the integral protection in Macedonian reality.