UNECE Joint Expert Group (JEG) event in Bratislava

On 23-24 April, an international forum focused on cooperation in environmental accidents was held in Bratislava. More than 150 experts from Europe and Central Asia gathered to share their knowledge and practical experience in the field of industrial accident prevention and water pollution from tailing facilities. This prestigious event was organised by the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic in cooperation with the State Enterprise Water Management Construction. The event was sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

Our Safety4TMF project and its objectives were presented by Zotán Török from the Romanian BBU - Babeș-Bolyai. We are pleased that our project was received with enthusiasm by the participants as well as by the representatives of UNECE and ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River). Our project is also gaining importance due to its focus on the Danube basin, which flows through 19 countries, the most of any river in the world. We are proud to announce that both Czech partners of SAFETY4TMF, OSU and SMOCR, were represented at the event.

Tuesday 23 April was dedicated to a technical workshop, while Wednesday 24 April was an enriching visit to the alumina tailings site in Žier nad Hronom, which is in the process of being reclaimed. This tailings site, covering an area of about 45 hectares, contains highly alkaline materials, and the discovery that the cost of reclamation has been exceeded many times over points to the urgent need for active attention to tailings safety.

Furthermore, our SAFETY4TMF representatives Zoltán Töröka from BBU and Pavel Danihelka from OSU participated in the meeting of the UNECE Joint Expert Group on Transboundary Transfers of Accidents, where discussions with other experts took place.

We look forward to the participants' comments on the stakeholder topic and to further developing the discussion on what should be considered a tailings pond. Keep an eye on our website for further updates and information!

Further information is available in the press release of the Slovak Ministry of Environment
https://minzp.sk/spravy/2024/april/odbornici-envirorezortu-pripravili-medzinarodne-forum-zamerane-spolupracu-
pri-ekologickych-havariach.html and on the UNECE website https://unece.org/info/events/event/381922