On 12 March 2008, in the premises of the Buchim mine in Radovis,the Ambassador and the General Manager of Bucim mine, Mr. Vasilij Barutskij, were attending the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the project “Sustainable mining clean up and pollution management in Bucim and Lojane Mines” between the Mayor of Radovis, Mr. Robert Velkov and the UN Resident Coordinator / UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Maria Luisa Silva Mejias.

The project is part of the regional programme “Strengthening capacities in the Western Balkans countries to address environmental hot spots through an integrated approach”, which is financed by the Kingdom of Netherlands with approximately US$ 15 million and implemented by UNDP in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. Every national component envisages handling of one or two priority hot spots. The project in Macedonia is being coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. The implementation of the project will be co-financed by the concessionaires of the mines for up to 50% of the resources provided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

The visit of Radovis coincided with the initiative “Tree Day – Plant Your Future” organized by the NGO sector and supported by the Government of Republic of Macedonia and various other institutions, organizations and individuals. Ambassador Filippini who actively promotes environmental protection, contributed by planting trees at the premises of the Bucim mine and in the schoolyard of the new primary school in Radovis.