Environmentalists Give Government Until September 29 to Cancel Ilovica–Shtuka Mine Concessions

Nine civic environmental organizations from several cities have asked the government of North Macedonia to cancel the concessions for the Ilovica–Shtuka mine, setting a deadline of end of September — Tuesday, September 29, when the government holds its last regular session of the month, as Meta.mk reports. That, they say, would end a problem that has dragged on for nearly 14 years.

The environmentalists warned that if their demands are not met, citizens will organize protests not only in the southeastern cities but across the country. They said they accept no delays and no shifting of responsibility, and that if demands are not fulfilled they will use their constitutional rights of self-defense. “If the government does not cancel the mine’s ‘Euromax Resources’ concessions, we will consider that it has turned against the interests of its own people and has secretly sacrificed the Strumica Field,” say the organization “Zdrava Kotlina.”

The demand comes after the Supreme Administrative Court several months ago again allowed the merger of the two concessions for the mine. The court annulled the decision terminating the validity of the decision on merging the Ilovica concession in the Municipality of Bosilovo with the concession in the municipalities of Bosilovo and Novo Selo, while the government, by not appealing, let the decision become final.

However, as the organization “Zdrava Kotlina” notes, this is no obstacle to canceling the concessions, because the government and the concessionaire “Euromax Resources” have not signed a merger agreement, which means that for the moment the two concessions are separate. “The Supreme Administrative Court’s decision does not force the government to merge the concessions, but shows clearly that the government must decide itself. We ask that it listen to the arguments of citizens who want to preserve their environment and decide to cancel the concessions,” says Gjorgji Tanushev of “Zdrava Kotlina.”

The arguments for cancellation, according to activists, are numerous: “Euromax Resources” concessions have already been held for 14 years, although the law requires a construction permit to be secured within four years. Opening a mine in a fertile field means displacement of the population, which would be threatened by pollution caused by digging, explosions and environmental degradation. According to the environmentalists, the mine has neither ecological nor economic justification, because agriculture’s prospects are far greater and more long-term than the mine’s. The official request will be sent to the government this week.