SLOVENIA

AN EXAMPLE OF
MURDEROUS CORRUPTION
 ON THE CORRUPTING SIDE OF THE ALPS

Slovenia is a small country situated on the southern side of the Alps. Its surface
is over 20.000 km2 and its population around 2 millions. The capital of Slovenia
is Ljubljana. Slovenia became a sovereign country in 1991 after the
disintegration of Yugoslavia.
 ⊕

⊕ In the central part of Slovenia there is a region called Zasavje. The area
of Zasavje is 250 km2. It has 46.000 inhabitants. Zasavje represents the most
polluted area in Slovenia. The main polluter is the cement plant (Lafarge
Cement) in Trbovlje. The conditions deteriorated strongly during the 2003
when the French Lafarge Cement took over the local cement plant!
 (View from the South Side)

ATTENTION: The Cement Plant in Trbovlje is situated in a narrow

valley, with weak wind ventilation, where during the temperature
inversions a sea of cold air accumulates emissions. Inversions are frequent
in Zasavje valleys and may last for days. In this type of landscape the
restrictions for polluting should be even more rigorous than elsewhere!
TRBOVLJE
(The town with 16.000 inhabitants)

LAFARGE CEMENT
 (View from the North Side)

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE

No, it is not fog! According to the data of the periodic monitoring the
emissions of Lafarge Cement in Trbovlje contain only 15 % of vapour,
85 % are dust particles, heavy metals, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide,
NOx, TOC, dioxins and furans ... During the standstills of electrostatic
precipitators, the share of vapour is even smaller and the share of
pollutants further increases. Of course, the measuring is never carried out
during the standstills!
 (View from the North Side)

Lafarge Cement operates continuously 8.000 hours per year. The

pollution is at its worst during the numerous standstills of the electrostatic
precipitators which occur approx. 1.000 times a year. And the allowed
limits of air pollution (imissions) are in such times transgressed even by
ten times!

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

The management of Lafarge Cement maintain that there are no

standstills of the electrostatic precipitators! Only once in an interview for
a newspaper, they admitted that they had 200 standstills in the previous
year which however is a strongly underestimated data.

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

The emissions are not continuously monitored in spite of the fact that
such monitoring has been a legal requirement for 12 years!

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

Lafarge Cement and the Inspectorate for the environment and spatial
planning claim that emissions are continuously monitored by the Lafarge
Cement but they do not wish to disclose the data. They admit however
that the monitoring is not performed by a publicly registered institution
but by Lafarge Cement themselves!
LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

Only periodic monitoring of emissions in Lafarge Cement, a few hours

yearly, is carried out by publicly registered institution. This monitoring is
performed only when all electrostatic precipitators are in operation!

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

The electrostatic precipitators’ standstills ...

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

… occur mostly ...

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
 (View from the Northeast Side)

… during ...

LAFARGE CEMENT
↓

TRBOVLJE
… the nights! (But this time photos cannot be taken of them!)
 Lafarge Cement Kiln
=
LCK
=
Large Citizens’ Killer
 DIRE CONSEQUENCES
The Slovenian institute ERICo found out that people from Zasavje contract more
often than in average the diseases of the respiratory systems, of the digestive
organs, of the urinary system, of the genitals and of the blood circulation
systems, pregnancies are more often complicated, and there are miscarriages,
mental disorders, glands diseases and tumours!

The map of the cancer incidences in Slovenia shows that Zasavje is strongly
leading in all types of cancers (except for the cancer of uterus)!

The mortality rate of infants in Slovenia is 3,8 stillborns per 1.000 infants
whereas in Zasavje there are as many as 8,2 stillborns in every 1.000 infants!
 WHICH ARE THE CORRECT DATA?
The case of dust:
On the basis of periodic measuring in 2005 Lafarge Cement reported emissions of dust of 6,85 tons. Of course the
measuring was carried out at the time of full operation of electrostatic precipitators.

However for the Trbovlje cement plant management only the measuring carried out during a minor (!) electrostatic
precipitators' standstill in 2002 are relevant. If the measuring results during the minor standstill (2.430 mg/m3 at the
flue gas flow 165.000 m3) are multiplied with 200 standstills per year we will get the result of 80.19 tons of dust
emissions. If a more realistic number of 1.000 standstills is assumed, the emissions are estimated at 400 tons of dust
per year. The figure of 400 tons is valid if the only short standstills are taken into account. For a realistic estimation of
dust emissions medium and major standstills should be added to that and besides also the dust emitted during the
electrostatic precipitators' regular operation. The results thus obtained are 50 to 70 times higher than those
published officially!

What does this mean in terms of benzen content?

The officially published quantity (without taking into account the periods when electrostatic precipitators were not
operating) was 5,30 tons of benzen in year 2005. A realistic estimation however with 1.000 electrostatic precipitators'
standstills is 300 tons (linear comparison with dust). Where do these large emissions come from? Lafarge Cement use
petrol-coke as fuel and do not seem to have an explicit permit for it!

Finally there are heavy metals, NOX, TOC, dioxines and furanes ... which
certainly should not to be forgotten!
 SLOVENIAN AUTHORITIES
=
LCK
=
Lying Corrupt Kind

Bogdan Barovič Bojana Pohar Janez Podobnik Janez Janša

The Mayor of Trbovlje Chief Inspector of the Republic Minister of Environment The Prime Minister
of Slovenia for the Environment and Spatial Planning of Republic of Slovenia
and Spatial Planning
 Bogdan Barovič
The Mayor of Trbovlje

Bogdan Barovič the mayor of Trbovlje is publicly among the most fervent advocates of Lafarge Cement. He admits
that it is because Lafarge Cement Trbovlje employs some 200 people and because of Lafarge Cement’s donations in
the amount of 400.000 EUR yearly to fund sports and cultural events in Trbovlje. But there are indications that
personal interests may be involved. Bogdan Barovič is not at all concerned about the electrostatic filters’ numerous
standstills, about degraded environment, and about epidemiological picture of the local population. At one particular
serious standstill of electrostatic precipitators he even suggested that the public should not worry as he (!) assures
them that the emissions from Lafarge Cement are not dangerous. (Perhaps we should note here that he is not
adequately educated and had before undertaking the office of mayor been a speaker and journalist on the local radio).

Bogdan Barovič has been a mayor in Trbovlje since 2002. All this time Lafarge Cement have not been called to
submit the data of continuous monitoring to the local community though the law binds them to do so. This year only
but only upon the strong pressure exercised by the public he asked Lafarge Cement to submit the data on emissions for
the last five years. Nobody knows whether he received such data as they have not been presented to the public.

An example of how Bogdan Barovič deals with the public who are sensitive about pollutions:
In 2004 a civil initiative was organized in Zasavje opposing strongly the prospect of introducing hazardous wastes to
fuel the cement plant. The public organized as NGO was not welcome in Trbovlje and the NGO had to move its
address to the neighbouring municipality (Zagorje ob Savi). After that Bogdan Barovič promptly declared that the
NGOs from other municipalities have no business to interfere with Lafarge Cement (though to tell the truth the
pollution does not stop on the boundaries of Trbovlje municipality).
 Bojana Pohar
Chief Inspector of the Republic of Slovenia
for the Environment and Spatial Planning -
Head of the Inspectorate

Bojana Pohar, as head of Inspectorate for the environment and spatial planning, directly supports the illegal
operations of Lafarge Cement. Her following measures are an evidence of it:
• She ignores the requirements and even does not respond to questions put by the public concerning Lafarge Cement.
• In spite of the provisions of legislature and years of calling her attention to it, she has required that independent
continuous monitoring is carried out in Lafarge Cement. Only recently she yielded to the pressure of public and
required Lafarge Cement to introduce this year (12 years too late) a credible continuous monitoring of emissions.
• She has recklessly believed the unofficial and secret data on measurement of emissions in Lafarge cement and
performed by the Lafarge Cement themselves. According to these data the cement plant excessively pollutes the
environment with sulphur dioxide (SO2). Therefore they are within the environmental rehabilitation programme
presently building a desulphurization plant (for SO2) only.
• Following the secret Rehabilitation Programme she publicly adopted the attitude that Lafarge Cement may during
the implementation of this programme continue with unrestricted pollution of environment.
• Also she claims that Lafarge Cement operation is “in public interest” and the public health “a private interest”.
 Janez Podobnik
Minister of Environment and
Spatial Planning

Janez Podobnik, minister of environment and spatial planning, directly upholds the illegal procedures in Lafarge
Cement. His following steps are a proof for it:
• He defends Lafarge Cement on the basis of the data from periodic monitoring of emissions, carried out incorrectly
during the time when all electrostatic precipitator are in regular operation.
• With false data of emissions he is misleading the Slovenian public as well as the European Union.
• He believes that the data of continuous monitoring as carried out by Lafarge Cement themselves are plausible but he
does not make them available to the public.
• He allowed the legalisation of illegal buildings whose aim is to prepare incineration of the hazardous wastes in
Lafarge Cement.
• He allows the use of illicit fuels in Lafarge Cement.
• He ordered elaboration of a programme of rehabilitation for Lafarge Cement. The programme however is secret for
the public.
• Allegedly aiming at improving situation of air in Zasavje, he appointed a working committee which is pure eyewash:
The committee is totally useless and serves actually only to buy time. The local environmental activists who participate
in the committee are helpless since the activities of the committee are controlled by the Ministry of Environment.
• He too ignores the requirements and even does not respond to questions put by the public concerning Lafarge
Cement.
 Janez Janša
The Prime Minister
of Republic
of Slovenia

Janez Janša, the Slovenian prime minister has been kept informed in the course of the last two years about the
disastrous circumstances in the Zasavje region and about the deliberate non-activity of the responsible authorities
above all of the Ministry of Environment. Upon pressure by the local population, the prime minister replied once only
saying that the question had been conveyed to the Ministry of Environment. Thus he would not tackle the problem and
he shifts the responsibility to others.

Though it is true that the present Janša's government inherited the issue Lafarge Cement from the previous
government (with prime minister Anton Rop and minister of environment and spatial planning Janez Kopač) who
even allowed the Cement Plant a test incineration of over 30.000 tons of hazardous wastes the Prime Minister Janša
has since 2004 done nothing to solve the situation with the Lafarge Cement. Moreover in spite of the obvious
evidences of devastating and even illegal activities of Lafarge Cement the problem has been aggravated in the course
of the last two years (e.g. Lafarge Cement built illegally the appliances necessary for incineration of hazardous wastes.
They obtained the permits from the authorities ex post and were fined a small penalty payable for usurping the land).

Today the Janša's government boast with the construction of desulphurization plant as if the sulphur dioxide were the
only culprit for the catastrophic health situation of the region Zasavje. What they are boasting about is the solving of a
marginal problem.

HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION: What would the French government do if a Slovenian cement plant operated
with similar environmental impact on the French territory?
 SLOVENIA
=
LCK
=
Latent Corruption Kingdom
 WHY SLOVENIA?
As in 1991 Yugoslavia disintegrated, Slovenia gained not only sovereignty but also changed the political system. On
one hand it turned into a democratic society on the other hand the former socialist system was replaced by a rather
orthodox capitalism commencing with property transformation and ruthless materialistic competition. Socially safe
society with strong middle class has been intensely polarised on poor and rich. The driving power of the system has
become: Be resourceful (in terms of “grab what you can but do not get found out”).
…

To understand the state of mind in Slovenia it is more important to know that there is a public known confidential
information that some of the leading politicians were allegedly involved in sale of weapons to Croatia and Bosnia and
Herzegovina during the last Balkan war.
…

In short a small country with uncontrolled social stratification, greed in all social layers (even in political élite),
record delays in court procedures … In Slovenia there are excellent conditions for corruption!
STOP Lafarge Cement!

STOP killing citizens!

STOP corruption in Slovenia!

Help us at least by transmitting this presentation of our local drama on
to other people. Hopefully it may reach those who are willing and capable
of taking appropriate measures. While waiting for the slow Slovenian
legal procedures to be completed (too) many may fall ill or may even die.

!
For more detailed information contact non-governmental organization
(NGO) EKO KROG: eko.krog@gmail.com
www.eko-krog.org

Author of this presentation: