University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Transport and Communications among the leaders in the protection of the Adriatic Sea from the risk of oil spills

The Faculty of Traffic and Communications of the University of Sarajevo actively participates, as one of ten partners from six countries, in the ASAP (Adriatic Sensitive Areas Protection) project. This project, co-financed by the European Union, through the Interreg IPA Adrion program, brings together leading institutions from Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, with the aim of strengthening the protection of sensitive coastal areas from environmental risks, especially the risk of oil spills. Partners from six Adriatic countries are working to develop common rules for rapid response, with a focus on transnational communication in case of accidents. Training for intervention teams, along with simulation exercises, will be held in the North and South Adriatic, while a comprehensive strategy for the establishment of a permanent platform that will ensure coordinated protection of the Adriatic Sea will be developed by the end of the project.

As a partner in this project, the Faculty of Traffic and Communications contributes to the assessment of sensitive areas and the development of guidelines for effective response in case of environmental incidents, through research and educational activities. After the Kick-off meeting held in Trieste on 24 September 2024, the first workshop within the project was held on 10 October 2024 in Sarajevo under the title: Workshop on Best Practices from EU Policies and Strategies to Achieve Sustainable Blue Economy: What Path for Bosnia and Herzegovina? The workshop was organized on the basis of two important European projects, TRUE BLUE and ASAP, with the aim of promoting sustainable blue economy strategies and mechanisms for the protection of sensitive coastal areas. The event, held at the Holiday Hotel, brought together a wide range of participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider Adriatic region to share knowledge and best practices key to the development of the blue economy and environmental protection.

"We are pleased to continue the activities of our faculty within the IPA program, after four successfully implemented IPA projects. The faculty has already proven itself as a reliable partner in international research initiatives, and through participation in the ASAP project, we continue to contribute to sustainable development and environmental protection, which is of key importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region," said Prof. Dr. Amel Kosovac, Dean of the University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Traffic and Communications and manager of the ASAP project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Key moments of the workshop:

The event opened with welcoming speeches by Antonella Di Sandri, Head of the Department for Economic Development, Natural Resources and Infrastructure of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by greetings from representatives of the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo.

A panel discussion on best practices from EU policies and strategies for a sustainable blue economy, moderated by Flavia Rolli from the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (Italy), brought together experts such as Iztok Škerlić from the EUSAIR Facility Point (Slovenia) and Robert Rakar, Director Chamber of Commerce Primorska (Slovenia). They shared their experiences on the challenges and opportunities provided by EU strategies in the development of the blue economy. Also, Živana Ninčević Gladan and Pero Tutman from the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split (Croatia) gave an overview of specific challenges and opportunities for sustainable fisheries and marine resource management in the region.

In the second part of the workshop, a panel discussion was held on the current state of the blue economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, moderated by Senka Krivić, assistant professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Sarajevo. Anela Karahasan from the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elvis Mujanović, a specialist in monitoring and evaluation from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), participated in this panel, who spoke about the challenges and opportunities for improving the blue economy in the country. Jasmina Ovčina from the International Committee for People's Development (CISP) and Sabina Hadžiahmetović, a leading researcher from the Sarajevo Institute of Hydrotechnics, made a special contribution by presenting current research and opportunities for regional cooperation.

The afternoon session was dedicated to the ASAP project and the focus group on oil spill risk management in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the key speakers were Adisa Hasković Džubur from the Faculty of Traffic and Communications of the University of Sarajevo, Vinko Bandelj from the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (Italy ), and Valter Suban from the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport of the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). During this session, participants from the academic, government and maritime sectors actively participated in assessing the vulnerability of coastal areas to oil spill risk. Participants filled out an anonymous questionnaire, designed by the ASAP team, to assess priorities for intervention in case of environmental incidents. This process was crucial for the development of guidelines for future reactions and preventive measures for the protection of the Adriatic coast.

This workshop represents a significant step towards aligning Bosnia and Herzegovina's blue economy policies with EU standards, enabling the country to utilize its economic potential while simultaneously preserving coastal ecosystems.

Univerzitet u Sarajevu - Fakultet za saobraćaj i komunikacije
Email: info@fsk.unsa.ba
Phone: +387 33 565 202
Website: www.fsk.unsa.ba