‘GERMIA PARK – CHALLENGES FOR A SUSTAINABLE PARK. 

September 17, 2014. The non government Organization New Millennium in Prishtina organized the round table ‘Germia Park – challenges for a sustainable Park. The round table attended by number of representatives from different Public Institutions and civil society organizations, such are: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Prishtina Municipality, Agency for Protection of Forestry, Environment Institute, Regional Environment Center REC, Pensions Association and number of NGOs and media.

The questionnaire, which was organized inside of the Park with different visitors, was used as base line analyze for showing the citizens perception and suggestion regarding the Park, and great opportunity for the panelist to be focused on the addressed issues form citizens.

The panelists from Environment Institute, Municipality of Prishtina, Regional Environment Center – REC, Agency for Protection of the Environment and other participants were more focused on issues, such are: illegal construction inside of the Park, occupation of public property, lack of maintenance of the Park, lack of public lighting, Protocol Headquarters Building of the Assembly of Kosovo, built without planning permission etc were just some of the issues that were discussed in the workshop.

Representative from Municipality of Prishtina, confirm the fact that Germia Park is Regional Park which is protected by Municipal Regulation. However lack of public funds and in the same time lack investments inside of the Park are the main challenges for Prishtina Municipality to protect the Park. The Protocol and Administrative Center, which is built from the Kosovo Parliament in 2005, inside of the Park, still challenge for Prishtina Municipality.

The participants agreed that the coordination between NGOs and the public institutions, joint pressure to the respective institutions and educating citizens for the protection of the Park are the best way to address this problem.

The activity is part of the project: My Germia, supported from ATRC as part of the Env. Net project, financed from EU Commission.