Istina je prava novost.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PARLIAMENT, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction to be delivered to The Honorable Marina Matulović-Dropulić Minister of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction

The working bodies, i.e. the Commissions of the Council of the Franciscan Communities of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Franciscan Institute for the Culture of Peace, representing all the twelve women’s and men’s religious communities, provinces, including Franciscan lay orders and Franciscan youth, assembled at the annual conference in Split, from November 12 to 14, 2004,
having considered the available information on the Project Družba – Adria,
cognizant of our Christian and civil responsibilities and
motivated by our Franciscan sensitivity toward all creation,

– from one side express our apprehension due to the fact that the public has not been clearly informed of the following:

1 Until now, the Adriatic oil pipeline (Janaf) has transported oil, which arrived in Omišalj by tankers, from which the oil was unloaded and then relatively clean Adriatic sea water was loaded into the holds.
2 According to this new project, the export of high-sulfur Russian oil via the Croatian pipeline and terminal in Omišalj on the island of Krk, the situation changes significantly because now tankers would enter the Adriatic with ballast water from other seas, other biological systems and pollutants, and large quantities of this water would be dumped into the Adriatic Sea before the ships were loaded with oil.
3 Many invasive species of bacteria and viruses often survive in this ballast water, capable of disturbing and even destroying flora and fauna in the Adriatic, as has already occurred in the Black Sea and the North American Great Lakes.
4 Increased tanker traffic through the Adriatic Sea would increase the risk of shipwrecks or other damage, resulting in the long-term pollution of tens or even hundreds of kilometers of the coastline of Croatia and its Adriatic neighbors.
5 The potential earnings from this project are far less than the earnings from tourism in the Kvarner region.
6 It is very unlikely that any of the neighboring member countries of the European Union could accept such a project, simply because it is necessary to respect the strict environmental protection policies of the European Union.

– and from the other side, the members of the working bodies of the Council of the Franciscan Communities are astonished by the following:

7 From the study of the environmental impact of this project, ordered and financed by Janaf, although work on this project is already in progress (!?), only a summary has been disclosed, and this is only one part of the study, although Minister Matulović-Dropolić promised that the entire study would be published.
8 The Croatian Parliament has not clarified its position regarding this project, although it is obvious that it must have financial repercussions for the Republic of Croatia because, on the one side, Janaf is a public company, and on the other side the state will have to participate in repairing eventual damages, particularly the unavoidable damage from the ballast water.

Therefore, the members of the Franciscan Communities demand the following as citizens:

9 the publication of the entire environmental impact study, although they understand that individual sections could require discretion in order to protect the safety of citizens;
10 the guarantee of the rights of citizens to information and an eventual civil or neutral contra-expertise study, whether domestic or domestic and European;
11 according to the regulations of the European Union and the duty to respect neighbors, to inform and seek the opinion of the neighboring coastal Adriatic countries, because the new influences from this project — ballast water and other damages — will or could affect them;
12 due to the risks of this project, particularly to the entire Adriatic and all the economic activities in it, following the completion of the evaluation of this environmental impact study by the Commission of the Ministry, to organize not only public access to this study and the opinion of the Ministry but also a broad public discussion and then a referendum in all the coastal counties in order to decide whether to accept or refuse to accept the risks of this project.

The Franciscan Communities are of the opinion that if the Croatian Parliament does not assume responsibility for the acceptance or refusal of this project, then citizens are entitled to this right and duty, especially those along the Adriatic coast and who live from the Adriatic Sea, this rare treasure that should be cherished, preserved and passed down to the coming generations.

The Franciscan Communities caution that no partial interest can be permitted to prevail over the public interest and the common good, and the Adriatic Sea is one of the priceless and lasting natural resources and treasures of Croatia.

The Franciscan Communities invite all other religious and civil institutions, associations and organizations, public figures and other citizens, to join them without delay in this matter of the greatest importance.

Split, November 14, 2004

On behalf of the conference participants,

Sister Franciska Molnar
President of the Council of Franciscan Communities