The conference with the topic on environmental impact assesment is an event organised by HUSZPO, so far held four times in different cities in Croatia.
HUSZPO is a non-governmental and non-profit organization, established in 2004 by respected legal entities and individuals, all practitioners in the fields of environmental and nature protection. Nowadays, the Association membership consists of about 40 companies and individual expert members. The purpose of the Association is to advance professional knowledge and services in environmental and nature protection, harmonize and promote professional interests, promote professional ethics and strengthen cooperation with similar national and international organizations and associations.
The First Regional Conference was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection in September 2013, in Zadar. You can find out more about it at: Conference 2013, Zadar
The Second Conference was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund of the Republic of Croatia, in September 2015, in Novi Vinodolski. You can find out more about it at: Conference 2015, Novi Vinodolski
The Third Regional Conference was held in September 2017, in Vodice, under the auspices of the under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, the Croatian Agency for Environment and Nature and the Croatian Business Chamber. Conference Partner was UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe). You can find out more about it at: Conference 2017, Vodice.
At the opening ceremony of the Third Regional Conference a short film on the idea of the conference has been shown which can be seen here. Papers published in Environmental Engineering journal can be found here
Fourth Regional Conference on Environmental Impact Assessment was held in Vodice, from September 18th to 21st, 2019 under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Construction and Physical Planning of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Chamber of the Economy.
You can read more about the conference at: Conference 2019, Vodice. A short film on the conference can be seen here.
Peta Europska i regionalna konferencija Okolišne procjene i Europski zeleni ‘22 održala se u Vodicama, 14.-17. rujna 2022, u hotelu Olympia Sky. Konferenciju je organizirala Hrvatska udruga stručnjaka zaštite prirode i okoliša (HUSZPO), članica Hrvatskog inženjerskog saveza. Konferencija je pod pokroviteljstvom Ministarstva gospodarstva i održivog razvoja RH te Ministarstva regionalnog razvoja i EU fondova RH. Partneri konferencije su: Europska Investicijska Banka (EIB), Hrvatska gospodarska komora (HGK), Obnovljivi izvori energije Hrvatske (OIE HRVATSKA), Hrvatski poslovni svijet za održivi razvoj (HR PSOR), Hrvatska udruga poslodavaca (HUP).
You can find out more about it at: Konferencija 2022, Vodice.
All conferences were extremely successful. At each, more than a 100 expert presentations were given and several round tables with diverse topic held. Each conference had more than 300 participants – practitioners, scientists, public authority representatives, representatives of the local and regional governments, non-governmental organizations, public relations experts, members of the media and investors from Croatia, the region and beyond.
The guiding idea behind the Conferences is to gather stakeholders from different environmental and nature protection procedures and enable them to share their knowledge, experiences and views through constructive and democratic dialogue.
We are organizing the fifth conference with this topic also as the European conference, with the aim of encouraging greater attendance of participants from Europe, as well as putting environmental assessments in the context of the European Green Deal and considering them as necessary tools for decreasing vulnerability and increasing resilience of ecosystems and sustainability of ecological network Natura 2000.
The implementation of procedures in the field of environmental protection and nature is a prerequisite for the withdrawal of funds from the EU or other international funds, whether it is a strategic assessment of the environmental impact of operational programs, or an environmental impact assessment of particular project or investments. The thematic roundtables and the scientific and professional presentations to be held at the conference “Environmental Assessments and the European Green Deal ’22” can only contribute to the quality of procedures, their understanding, and their acceleration or, ultimately, more effective use of investment funds.
Given the interdisciplinary nature, the thematic framework of the conference “Environmental Assessments and the European Green Deal ’22” consists of:
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)
Approaches to screening and scoping; EIA & Green Deal; Public Participation Relationship between EIA and development consent and decision-making; Consideration of Environmental and Health Risks; Climate change; Cumulative impacts; Transboundary consultations; Environmental mitigation and enhancement measures; EIA quality control; Environmental monitoring; Judicial practice; EIA Procedure efficiency
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA)
Approaches to screening and scoping; Public participation; Relationship between SEA and strategic decision-making; Consideration of Environmental and Health Risks; Climate change; SEA and Social Impact Assessment; Cumulative effects; SEA and physical planning; SEA and transboundary consultations; Judicial practice; SEA procedure efficiency
APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT
Natura 2000 Conservation Objectives; Appropriate Assessment and its relation to EIA Directive; Application to projects not listed under Annex I and II of EIA Directive- mechanism for screening such activities; Procedures; Scope of assessment of biodiversity, geodiversity and landscape diversity; Admissibility of projects found to have adverse effects; Overriding Public Interest; Approach to alternatives; Ecological Network and Economy; Judicial practice
CLIMATE PROOFING OF INFRASTRUCTURE
New European Commission Technical guidance on climate the proofing of infrastructure in the period 2021-2027 and its connection to EIA and SEA; Climate data availability and quality; Uncertainty and no-regret option; Climate resilience and neutrality of projects
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL FRAME
Taxonomy for facilitating sustainable investments; Links between EU Taxonomy and impact assessment processes; Sustainability proofing; EU Links between sustainable finance frameworks and Enviromental - Social - Governance (ESG) systems; Greeen infrastructure; Ecosystem services; Circular economy
Through all the editions, the Conference has transformed into an important event not only for Croatia, but also for the region. Namely, it has proven to be an excellent opportunity to form acquaintances and arrange collaboration between companies from different countries, as well as a platform for exchanging experiences between experts and other stakeholders from the European Union and their counterparts from the countries in the region which are currently on their path towards the EU membership.
We thank our patrons, partner organizations, committee members, authors, panelists, moderators, participants and everyone else on their contribution to the realization of this conference.
Also, we especially thank all of our sponsors for their financial support without which this conference could not be organized.
Kind regards,
HUSZPO