Europe Days in Murmansk

It’s the second year on end when MSTU arranges “Europe Days” inMurmanskwithin the frameworks of the project “Establishing the EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia”, implemented under the financial support of the European Union. On May 24 the seminar “International Experience in the Sphere of Energy Efficiency and Energy Supply” will be conducted. The co-organizer is Murmansk Regional Demonstration and Education Centre of Energy Efficiency and Energy Supply. On May 28 the Day of Finnish Culture will be arranged in the regional library for children and young people with the assistance of Murmansk Branch of Consulate General of Finland inSt. Petersburgand on May 29 the attractive trip toGermanyand also the complex exhibition “Northern Renaissance” will be organized in the library. The exhibition will demonstrate volumetric maquettes of architecture, great artists and writers ofGermanyof this epoch. During the whole May literary translation contest is arranged during “Europe Days” (translation from Italian, French and German). “Europe Days” will be completed by the festival of German culture with theatrical costume performance, quizzes, live vocal performance of the ensemble in Swabian costumes, degustation of traditional German food, and many other things.        

“Europe Days” have been open inMurmanskon May 21, 2013 by the scientific and practical seminar “Ecological Security of Water Resources in the Arctic Region of the EU andRussia” in the conference hall of the hotel “”Park Inn Polyarnie Zori (Polar Dawns)”.  The reports were represented by the candidates of sciences, professors of Murmansk Naval Biology Institute of Kolar Research Centre of RussianAcademyofSciences, director of the Institute for Industrial Ecology Problems of KSC RAS in Apatityand MSTU, specialists of “Kolar Ecological Centre” in Apatity, “Murmanskvodokanal” (“Murmansk Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant”), Limited Liability Company “EcoService” and others. There were the following reports: “Cooperation of Russia and the EU in the Sphere of Radiation Ecology in the Euro-Arctic Region”, “Ecological Security of the Mining and Smelting Industry of the Barents Region”, “The Experience of Waste Water Treatment in Scandinavian Countries”, “Water Resources Monitoring in Russia and Finland”, “Cooperation of Public Associations in the Sphere of Supply of Ecological Security of Water Resources of the Arctic Region of Russia and the EU”, “Practice of  Phosphates Removal From Waste Water”, “Comparative Analysis of  Standardization of Water Resources in Russia and the EU” and others.          

The participants of the seminar discussed some essential and topical issues as environmental pollution is the most topical problem of the modern times because anthropogenic activity affects all spheres of the Earth including hydrosphere. Nadezhda Kasatkina, candidate of chemical sciences of Murmansk Naval Biology Institute (MNBI) of KSC RAS investigated the questions related to radiation pollution of Arctic seas and told about international projects and collaboration of MNBI with organizations and research institutes of EU countries in the sphere of radiation security.              

Grigory Voskoboinikov, professor of MNBI of KSC RAS, gave a report on the role of biota in the purification of the offshore strips of the Barents Seafrom oil products. The speaker is convinced that in spite of efforts of specialists from various spheres the problem of offshore strips pollution exists and will exist in the future. The increasing pace of surface and underground water pollution raises concerns not only in Russiabut in Europetoo. The team of MNBI in cooperation with the colleagues from the Universityof Tromsø carried out investigation related to the possible role of seaweeds and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria in the neutralization of oil pollution and offered the scheme of algal sanitary plantation for the offshore strips purification. Natalia Stepanova, chief technologist of the state regional unitary enterprise “Murmanskvodokanal” (“Murmansk Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant”) presented the report “Theory and Practices of Phosphates Removal From Waste Water” and Olga Fedorova, Head of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection told about technologies of waste water treatment which are used inFinland and municipalities ofNorway. Intensive development of the consumer market provokes continuous growth of the amount of formation and accumulation of municipal waste. Thus, the problem of municipal waste utilization is one of the most essential goals of mankind. Waste recycling is acquiring a special role as for each state as for the whole planet. The report on the role of Russian and international public organizations, action groups and ecological movements in the sphere of environmental protection was also presented at the seminar.

Seminar has demonstrated that from year to year the development of cross-border cooperation in the sphere of water resources protection is becoming more topical. The processes of cross-border cooperation may serve as an effective method for search of solutions to various ecological problems, adoption of efficient and resource saving technologies and equipment, resource management and simultaneously may encourage the economic growth at the international and local levels.