Mediacentar and Euroconsult Mott MacDonald from the Netherlands organised a training for the journalists from the Western Balkans dealing with the environmental issues and European integrations.

From April 12 to April 17, Mediacentar Sarajevo and Euroconsult Mott MacDonald from the Netherlands organised a regional environmental training for the journalists from the Western Balkans dealing with the environmental issues and European integrations. In regard to the importance of environmental protection and ecology issues and lack of these in the regional media, the aim of this training was to increase the journalists´ capacity to deal with these issues in the future and to take a leading role in monitoring and reporting on the environment issues within both the local context and the context of European integrations.

32 journalists and journalism students from Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina spent six days in Sarajevo, where they attended theoretical presentations and worked on their stories that covered the topics of water, air quality, climate changes, sustainable development, tourism and waste. International experts, Caroline la Chapelle, Rob Nieuwenhuis, Mark Redman, Eric van Woerkom and Maria Petrova introduced the European standards for the abovementioned issues to the participants, whilst a team of local trainers, Anes Podić, Tim Clancy, Ivo Lučić, Amina Omičević, Elvira Jahić, Vesna Andree Zaimović, Belma Bećirbašić and Ahmed Burić, helped the participants with the practical work.

As a result of the training, 22 stories dealing with various aspects of environment and environmental protection at the local communities the participants come from were written. Top six stories will be presented at the closing seminar in Belgrade on June 10. The international experts will choose the best amongst these and the author will win a study tour to the Netherlands.

The programme was organised with the financial support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia.

Presentations:

Caroline la Chapelle: 1, 2

Rob Nieuwenhuis: 1, 2

Mark Redman

Eric van Woerkom: 1, 2, 3

Maria Petrova: 1, 2, 3, 4