ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΠΤΙΚΟ ΡΕΠΟΡΤΑΖ ΓΙΑ ΤΗ ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΧΩΜΑΤΕΡΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΗΣ, ΤΗ ΒΟΡΕΙΑ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ

  

Saska Cvetkovska

Journalist based in Skopje. Founder and president of the Investigative Reporting Lab-Macedonia. Member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

 How big is 'Europe's Waste Dump?/Πόσο μεγάλη είναι η χωματερή της Ευρώπης;

 

Beijing and Mumbai are well known for their high levels of pollution. But what many don’t realize is that parts of the Balkans — like my city, Skopje — rival these mega-metropolises when it comes to harmful air quality.

My name is Saska Cvetkovska. I’m an investigative reporter in North Macedonia who worked with OCCRP to uncover a hidden source of pollution in my home country: dirty, chemical-laden oil that is being used to heat buildings across the country.

Our findings have sparked public outrage and an official investigation in North Macedonia. But I’m emailing you today because this investigation also matters beyond my country’s borders.

At the center of our investigation is Evrotim, a politically connected North Macedonian company that has made millions by supplying this low-quality product. But it turns out, Evortim is far from the only company to profit from this trade. Experts told OCCRP that increasing amounts of fuel oil are arriving in the Western Balkans laden with heavy metals and other pollutants. Much of it originates in the European Union. “This is how the Balkans have become Europe’s waste dump,” a Serbian inspector told OCCRP. How many people in the Balkans suffer because dirty oil is being passed off as a benign product? Is the EU doing enough to police the trade in this harmful fuel, much of which is burnt at the bloc’s edge? In order to get to the bottom of these questions, we need more investigations like this one.

Don't Let Companies Pollute in Secret