Environmental challenges in Skadar Lake area in focus at OSCE cross-border seminar for Montenegrin and Albanian journalists

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro and OSCE Presence in Albania organized a joint seminar for Montenegrin and Albanian journalists on environmental challenges in the Shkodra/Skadar Lake area on 16-18 September 2015. The seminar started in Shkodra, Albania and continued in Virpazar, Montenegro including a visit to the nearby Aluminum Plant.

This seminar aimed at informing journalists from both countries on the major issues and ecological problems affecting the Shkodra/Skadar Lake area and the joint work of both states on addressing these problems.

In Shkodra, journalists visited the Rozafa castle, the Drin River Dam and the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Shiroka, Albania, where they spoke with experts about the environmental issues in these areas and their broader impact.

“Shared environmental challenges and shared environmental opportunities need shared approaches,” said Deputy Head of OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton, at the opening of the seminar.

In Montenegro, journalists took a boat tour of the Shkodra/Skadar Lake and conducted a study visit to the red mud basin to learn about the ecological effects of hazardous waste produced from the nearby aluminum plant.

Danilo Mrdak, from the Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, noted the media’s contribution to sustainable development by supporting communication between local communities, economic decision-makers and environmental experts. “Investigative journalism and media interest in economy and ecology are maybe the most important preconditions for making the right decisions and increasing citizens’ participation in discussions on this topic,” Mrdak said.