The state of the environment and environmental pressures in the EU Member States (EU15) and the Accession Countries (AC10) is discussed from the prospective of ecosystems and geopolitics. In the ...EU15, the reduction of the most acute kinds of pollution began in the 1970s, and at the beginning of the 1990s, an overall environmental development action program was made, aimed at sustainability. In the AC10, the state of the environment slightly improved in the 1990s, particularly thanks to the decline of industrial production and a general slump. Typical of the EU15 and the AC10 is the consumption of natural resources at an above-average level per inhabitant of the globe. The starting position in the EU15 with regard to a sustainable development is considerably more favourable than in the AC10. However, the EU15 are only in the phase of weak sustainability, with the emphasis laid on curative measures for eliminating some consequences of environmental pressures. To achieve the environmental and other goals of sustainable development of Europe and the planet, it is necessary to establish a strategic partnership on the basis of the equality of all European countries, to reduce radically the environmental pressures and consumption of natural resources per inhabitant, and to integrate the ecological principles into sectoral policies. The period of 'two-speed Europe' should be as short as possible.
The Velenje area (almost 200 km² with over 31,000 inhabitants) is based on the Šalek Valley, which became a leading area of industrialisation and urbanisation after the Second World War, with ...consequent pollution problems. Various industrial plants polluted the river while more serious hazards arose through the coal mine which is a still causing landscape subsidence and the thermal power station in the neighbourhood of Šoštanj which is a major source of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution. In 1987 there was an ecological protest which marked the beginning of a sustainable development strategy for the community. During the past decade programmes have dealt with the degradation of air, soil and water to achieve cleaner air, a transformation in landuse and enhancement the river's formerly weak self-purifying capabilities. This article examines the changes in the valley since the attention of the authorities was drawn to the deterioration of living conditions. Despite the pressures of transition which have seen unemployment rising to over ten percent, significant environmental improvements have been made and the area stands as a model for the rest of the country.
Principi održivog razvoja zaštićenih područja daju prednost ciljevima usmjerenima na zaštitu okoliša, no ekonomski i društveni ciljevi također igraju važnu ulogu u razvoju. Regionalni razvoj ...zaštićenih područja u različitim tipovima krajolika i oblika naseljenosti sa snažnom konzervacijskom komponentom moguće je postići samo kroz održivo i odgovorno aktiviranje unutarnjih razvojnih potencijala. Samo se tako može implementirati izazovnu i nužnu tranziciju iz pasivne u aktivnu zaštitu bioraznolikosti i georaznolikosti.
U ovom su radu prikazana osnovna obilježja i problemi prilagođavanja Slovenije suvremenim trendovima u politici zaštite okoliša Europske Unije (EU). Sloveniju obilježava umjerena stopa onečišćenja ...okoliša i iscrpljeni prirodni izvori. Ni nakon osamostaljenja 1990. stanje se okoliša nije bitno poboljšalo. Primjeri pokazatelja kvaliteta okoliša Slovenije i država EU pokazuju da je kvaliteta okoliša u Sloveniji općenito ispod prosjeka EU. Gospodarski razvoj zasnovan na načelima održivog razvoja, dakle, nužan je za Sloveniju i sa ekonomskog stajališta.
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