HE PROF. DR ROKO ŽARNIĆ, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND SPATIAL PLANNING AT THE ICPE

Prof. Dr. Roko Žarnić, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning visited the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises – ICPE on Wednesday, 1 September 2010. He was accompanied by dr. Mitja Bricelj, current president of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River – ICPDR.

ICPE Director General, Dr. Bogdan Štefan Šalej welcomed the guests and briefly introduced the centre's activities, focusing on the International Conference on Integrated Environmental Management of the Adriatic/Mediterranean – Black Sea Coastal Areas and the Danube Sava River Basins and also the new postgraduate programme Green Industry MBA. 

Janez Podobnik, Director of the International Institute ECPD for sustainable development, who also coorganises the International Conference emphasized that we need to build a cross border and interdisciplinary cooperation for successful management with water resources. He presented an idea to the Minister that the ICPE/ECPD consortium should take over the part of coordinators for development projects in the region in the frame of the new European strategy for the Danube River. Furthermore, he highlighted that the concrete project proposals should foster the practice of social responsibility.

Honorary president of ICPE Council, Dr. Anton Vratuša presented the individual project proposals that will form a middle term action programme of the International Conference and should last for years in advance.

Minister Žarnić welcomed the organization of the Conference, where he will actively participate in and suggested that an invitation can be sent to state representatives from different continents, who have experiences with sustainable management of large rivers. He supported the idea that the Conference should be established as an open forum for exchange of different approaches on forming project solutions and proposed that the attention should focused on natural and cultural heritage.

Minister is positive, that Slovenia has a lot of knowledge in the environmental field, that we need to use in the projects, that will benefit Slovenian economy. ICPE can evolve into a highly competitive International Center, that can engage in environmental technologies and other fields of sustainable development.

Dr. Plinio Nastari, Brazilian expert on biofuels also participated at the meeting, where he presented the economic success of manufacturing and use of biofuels in Brazil. He pointed out that Brazilian representatives should also be invited to the International Conference.

ICPE Director General Dr Šalej also presented to the Minister the new Green Industry MBA, a joint degree programme Master in Ecotechnology  in climate change management between International Postgraduate School Jožef Štefan and ICPE. The programme is groundbreaking in applying innovative management to climate change problems and thus combines the knowledges in clean technologies and their industrial applications with the necessary management skills.

The one-year Green Industry MBA curriculum covers a two year programme, based on a dynamic, project-based approach, with internships and study tours around Slovenia and the neighbouring countries. Students come from various countries around the world: India, Brasil, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, etc. Professors from Slovenia and abroad are world-class experts in their field.

Minister Žarnić expressed his full support to the Green Industry MBA programme and promised to be a VIP speaker at the inauguration ceremony on 18 October 2010.

Minister Žarnić also promised to give a lecture to the students in 2011 and explained the »Climate for Culture« project where he has been involved.