The new Spatial Plan of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, currently being prepared, is intended also to integrate sustainable development principles. The development of this plan has been given to expert agencies for space arrangement. The Ministry of Construction, Urban Planning and Environment is responsible for the coordination of all related activities.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia actively participated in the work of Habitat II and intends to integrate principles adopted at this conference in its work and decision making in this area.

The Public-state ownership covers 816,633 ha. or 91.6% of the total forest fund, and private ownership covers 89,020 ha. or 8.4% of the total forest fund. Privately-owned forests are managed by their owners and public-state ones by 30 public enterprises; 3 national parks and 5 enterprises manage protective forests and forests with special purpose. The usage of forests in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been based upon the principle of durability as a generally accepted principle in the area of forestry practice and science; this allows for the production of at least equal wood stock for wood manufacture and other wood items from each forest.

It is important to state, at this point, that raising and protective components are dominant in forest management as a result of which the forest fund has been continuously increasing in volume year after year. The increase has been measured in the wood stock surface area and increase - and this also means a permanent increase in the production potential (in 1959, there was a total of 851,000 ha. under woods, with total wood weight of 51,418,000 m3; these figures in 1979 amounted to 906,000 ha. and 74,344,000m3 respectively). In the past five years, the average annual production of wood has amounted to 848,800m3, of which technical wood (raw wood pieces, round building materials, etc.) 170,000m3 and firewood 678,800m3. We should stress here that the production of wood takes only 70.0% of the real comprises planned production potentials.

Most of the forestry output is used to meet national demands and only 1% of the total output is exported. All over the world (and in our country as well) forests play a decisive role in environmental protection as a result of their useful functions. This applies, first and foremost, to air cleaning; forests absorb damaging substances from the air and produce oxygen (the share of forests in this particular function amounts to 90% of the total); cleaning waters from chemically jeopardizing and other substances; soil erosion; minimizing radioactive emissions; noise, etc.. In view of all this, and of numerous hazards threatening forests (and, most of all, the high presence of industrial air emissions and toxic substances - i.e. acid rains), great attention has been paid recently to the protection of forests, forest regeneration and planting. In this framework, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia actively prepares its NEAP - National Ecological Action Program, by which it is joining world-wide joint efforts for the protection of forests as one of the crucial environmental factors.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is conducting preparatory activities to join the work relating to the X3 Resolution from the second Ministerial Conference for the protection of Forests in Europe, the coordinator of which is the Forest Section at the UN Economic Commission for Europe Trade Division (UEN/ECE).

International Convention to Combat Decertification in Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Decertification

Particularly in Africa

Convention

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Additional comments relevant to this chapter

As an important economic area, agriculture is the major sector providing healthy and high-quality food in Macedonia. To promote agriculture, the Government passed regulations regarding the manner in which comparative advantages of food production are covered. In view of the fact that The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is a country in transition, carrying out reform measures for economic restructuring, efforts have been made in the field of agriculture to identify the way in which reform measures are to be implemented in the most efficient way if the country is to join relevant European and international development trends. International Financial Organizations, such as the World Bank, FAO and the PHARE Program, have played a major part in this development process by providing grants and technical assistance to increase agricultural output and promote rural development.

The national Legislative basis in the area of agriculture consists of the following acts:

- the Act on Agriculture Land Protection and Use;

- the Act on Agriculture Development Promoting;

- the act on Weeds and Planting Material;

- the Act on Protection of Plants Against Diseases and Living Beings Jeopardizing Agricultural Output in the Country, etc.. The above mentioned legal basis used to be valid in former Yugoslavia as well; we are currently preparing new acts which will be altered and adjusted to meet the requirements of sustainable development.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Convention

See below

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

See below

Additional comments relevant to this chapter:

The Convention on Biodiversity and the Convention on International Trade with Endangered Species from the Wild Fauna and Flora (the Washington Convention) were not signed and ratified by The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the country was not a UN Member at the time. However, since the country's independence, the Government has initiated activities to implement international agreements and conventions or integrate them into the national legal system. In this context, the Ministry of Urban Planning, Construction and Environment, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has began an initiative with the Macedonian Government to develop a procedure at the Macedonian Parliament to pass the legislation required for ratifying the above mentioned international conventions. Maintaining biological diversity has been one of the most important tasks of the Macedonian Government.

To this end, the Government has asked the Ministry of Urban Planning, Construction and Environment, in cooperation with other state bodies (ministries) scientific and expert institutions, to create a special development document to cover the integrated protection of the environment and nature, entitled National Ecological Action Program (NEAP). The NEAP has now been completed and its contents cover a very important part - a chapter on maintaining and managing biodiversity in protected areas in Macedonia.

Recently, existing development documents, relating to space and biodiversity, have also been updated and several alterations and amendments have been introduced to the existing legal regulations, in particular to acts on organizing and using the space for environmental protection and nature maintenance. Thus, within the past four years, (1992-1996), the Macedonian Parliament has passed the following acts:

- the Act on the System of Spatial and Urban Planning;

- the Act on Alterations and Amendments to the Act on Natural Rarities;

- the Act on Alterations and Amendments to the Act on National Parks Protection;

- the Act on Alterations and Amendments to the Act on Protection of the Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran Lakes:

- the Act on Establishing a Strict Natural Reservate "Ezerani";

- the Act on Hunting;

- the new Act on Forests;

- the new Act on Waters etc.

In addition, the passing of new Act on Environment and Nature Protection is currently under way (a draft, in parliamentary procedure).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management supervises the work of all entities in this area. The Ministry of Science pays special attention to projects covering the area of biotechnology and funds their implementation.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

Being a continental country, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not a signatory party to this Convention.

Providing clean sanitary water for the needs of the population is the first priority task of national water management. Natural resources are almost exclusively used to meet population demand and for the needs of specific food industries where clean water is required.

Public water supply systems have been constructed in all municipal centers (towns); they meet population demands during most of the year. At specific times during the year (the summer period), there may be a deficiency in the supply of water due to low water levels and increased consumption.

Currently, for water supplying towns and villages connected to urban water supply systems a total of

251,000,000 m3 water is used from three different sources:

-natural sources (freshwater) 138,200,000 m3

-underground water 43,500,000 m3

-surface water previously processed 69,300,000 m3

To have access to high-quality water, existing water supply systems will have to be reconstructed and rehabilitated and exploitation and maintemance procedures will have to be modernised through systematic monitoring of system conditions.

There is a special commission responsible for the training of individuals engaged in the traffic of dangerous products. Responsibility for the management of toxic materials has been given to the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Health Care and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

Basel Convention

See below

Additional comments relevant to this chapter

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has not yet signed the Basel Convention. Preparatory activities are underway for its adoption. In addition, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia follows GATT recomendations and integrates them into its own legal basis.

CHANGES IN NATIONAL BUDGET TO ADDRESS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: No information

NEW ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS: No information

ELIMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY SUBSIDIES: No information

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Introducing and developing environmentally sound technologies is one of the highest priority tasks being carried out by the government in several important areas. They have already been integrated into NEAP and there are several projects and studies currently under way. Among the efforts made to sucessfully carry out this task is the identification of environmentally sound technologies as the basis for further development in the country through the new Act on Environmental Protection, which is expected to be approved soon by the government.

In the context of these activities, the country has developed cooperation with several multilateral funds such as GEF, Ozone Fund, UNEP, and UNDP.

MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

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Provide information on the adoption of environmental management systems. National reaction to environmental management system standards such as the ISO 14000 Series and others. Please note efforts made at the national level to promote their adoption and the creation of certification infrastructure in order to facilitate access to these standards to local industry.

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List and describe programs or work under way to facilitate the transfer of ESTs to small and medium sized enterprises. Please note efforts to facilitate access to financial resources and other transfer strategies.

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STEPS TAKEN TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING, IMPROVE LONG TERM SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT, BUILDING OF CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY:

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a) Reorientation of education towards sustainable development

b) Increasing public awareness

c) Promoting training

ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS: No information

FINANCING AND COST EVALUATION OF THE LABOUR ACTIVITIES: No information

*1) This data will only be available in a few months after konwing the results of the final census.

*2) The Labour Force covers the employed, the self-employed and the unemployed. For 1980, there

is no data on self-employed persons and, for 1990, there is data on people employed at self-employed owners, but no data on self-employed ownwers.

*3) This data refers to 1995.

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