News

EXPEDITIO representative attended the General Assembly of the Association CIVILSCAPE, which was held in Antwerp, Belgium, on 10-12 December 2010. At this meeting, following the decision by the CIVILSCAPE’s Executive Board, EXPEDITIO was admitted to membership of this association.

CIVILSCAPE is an international association of civil society organizations. These are non-governmental organisations (NGO) which dedicate their work to landscape protection, management and planning, according to the “European Landscape Convention” (Florence, October 20th 2000). Currently, CIVILSCAPE has 41 members from 21 countries.

“Landscape” means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors. Therefore our activities covers natural, rural, urban and peri-urban areas. It includes land, inland water and marine areas. It concerns landscapes that might be considered outstanding as well as everyday or degraded landscapes. “Landscapes” are an essential component of people’s surroundings, an expression of the diversity of their shared cultural and natural heritage, and a foundation of their identity.

CIVILSCAPE is dedicated to creating an enabling environment for civil society organizations, documenting the civil society organizations community, strengthening the infrastructure of the citizen sector , and promoting collaboration, both among civil society organizations and between civil society organizations, political or administrative bodies and other actors, to advance the public good in Europe and beyond.

For additional information on CIVILSCAPE, please visiti www.civilscape.org.

On Friday, 10 December 2010, Expeditio representative attended a round table for representatives of NGOs and the local government of Kotor that was held in Bizanti Palace. The aim of the round table was to identify obstacles, challenges and opportunities regarding the cooperation between NGOs and the local government. The round table presented some good practice examples in the engagement of NGOs in the creation of local public policies. The final aim is to establish priorities in the further process of development of cooperation between NGOs and the local government.

On Friday, 10 December 2010, the 19^th session of the National Council for Sustainable Development was held. A representative of our organization had the task to coordinate activities of the working group responsible for reviewing the Action Plan of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD) and to present their results. This process was conducted in close cooperation with the Office for Sustainable Development. After completing the Action Plan revision, the working group recieved a mandate to continue, in the same composition, its work in the following year, prepare the third annual report on the NSSR implementation, and participate in the revision of the Strategy itself.

The Study of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Kostanjica was awarded special recognition at the 19^th International Salon of Urnabism, held in Šabac on 8-15 November 2010.

The International Salon of Urbanism is a traditional annual event of the Serbian Town Planners Association. The 19 International Salon of Urbanism gathered 176 authors from 14 countries: Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Srpska, Germany, Portugal, etc. with 144 entries in totally 11 categories.

The Study of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Kostanjica was awarded special recognition in the category 7 - Urban Studies and Researches.

The Study was commissioned by the Municipality of Kotor for the purpose of amending a Detailed Urban Plan of Kostanjica. The works on the study were lead by the Faculty of Architecture in Podgorica, while EXPEDITIO representatives were members of the working team responsible for its creation.

A jury report from the 19^th International Salon of Urbanism can be viewed here.

Expeditio representative participated in the seminar “Edicating Public Officials about the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest” that was held in Kotor, on 24 November 2010, in the Assembly Hall of Bizanti Palace.

This was the tenth in a series of seminars organized by the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest of Montenegro and intended for local public officials, judges and prosecutors in the Municipalities of Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi, the media and NGOs.

The seminar focused on the implementation of the new Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, which went into effect in 2009 laying down greater restrictions and imposing stricter penalties for public officials than the previous law from 2004. The seminar also presented the work of the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in the previous period, as well as experiences of Bosnia and Herzegovina in this field.

For the second time EXPEDITIO was a host to Albanian students from the Polis University - International School of Architecture and Urban Development Policies | www.universitetipolis.org | from Tirana, who visited the Bay of Boka Kotorska on 28 November 2010. The study visit included a sightseeing tour of the Old Town of Kotor, followed by a presentation on the activities of NGOs in Montenegro and activities of EXPEDITIO, held by EXPEDITIO representatives at the Assembly Hall in Bizanti Palace. After the presentation, the Albanian students had a chance to see the inner part of Boka Kotorska Bay (Kotor and Risan Bays) and visit the town of Perast. This study vistit offered the students possibility to learn more about the history of Boka Kotorska, its natural and cultural values, the threats it faces, as well as some activities currently implemented in this area.

Expeditio representative attended the announcement of the international conference “Energy Management in Cultural Heritage” which was held in the UNDP Montenegro office. This conference will take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 6-8 April 2011. We take this opportunity to bring this event to your attention.

A Preliminary Technical Assessment (PTA) for the reconstruction and renovation of the Winter Palace of King Nikola in Rijeka Crnojevića is taking place. The PTA is conducted as part of the programme “Cetinje – the City of Culture 2010-2013” approved by the Government of Montenegro. EXPEDITIO representative is a member of the PTA working group, which was formed by the Coordination Team for the implementation of “Cetinje – the City of Culture 2010–2013” programme.