Roundtable on Water Management at the House of the European Union during the opening of the "Guardians of the Rivers" Exhibition
At the opening of the "Guardians of the Rivers" photography exhibition at the House of the European Union in Ljubljana in April 2025, we also held a roundtable titled "Water Management: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?". Brina Sotenšek from the Lutra Institute presented the current environmental legislation, which alarmingly tends toward excluding civil society from legal procedures. It seems that the government is even trying to bypass the results of the so-called water referendum away from public scrutiny. She also highlighted the still controversial practice of investors selecting the impact assessment experts themselves. Damjan Habe from the Revivo Institute discussed the urgency of nature-based solutions, comparing flood protection measures in Slovenia and Valencia, which has suffered catastrophic floods with many fatalities. He also talked about the European directive that envisions removing barriers on rivers. Slovenia is lagging behind in Europe, and we are still waiting for the first (obsolete) dam to be dismantled here. The situation in Slovenia is therefore quite poor; the nature conservation profession remains unheard, and river management is still largely viewed as a good business.
Conversation with Local Activists at Goriška Library During the Opening of the "Guardians of Rivers" Exhibition
At the opening of the photographic exhibition "Guardians of Rivers" in the welcoming setting of the Goriška Franceta Bevka Library in March 2025, we also conducted a conversation with three local environmental activists: Nataša Dominka from Za Čisto Reko Vipava, Mateja Sattler, representative of Eko Anhovo and the Soča Valley, and Mojca Mejak from Eko Bistrc.
There were loud warnings that environmental safeguards are falling, making a strong civil society even more important in this area. However, the current authorities do not want environmental protectors to exist among citizens, as evidenced by the adoption of various regulations that increasingly push civil society out of decision-making processes. As the Anhovo case shows, the seemingly political support against environmental pollution is merely a dead letter on paper, without real political will and power. The authorities clearly prioritize capital, even when dealing with such severe polluters as Alpacem (the former Salonit Anhovo). It has been a year since the adoption of the amendment to the Environmental Protection Act, which introduces stricter requirements for emissions from co-incineration facilities, yet nothing has happened so far!
The case of the fight against Lesonit in Ilirska Bistrica, involving efforts across multiple generations, also shows that the authorities and capital expect civil society to tire out before achieving their goals.
Despite great pessimism, there were also encouraging words, emphasizing that persistence is necessary and victories can be achieved through the courts.