FaridAbdulganiev: “Mobilization of all forces intensifies to hold events at highest level”. Environmental support for FIFA World Cup and Confederation Cup discussed in Moscowtoday

FaridAbdulganiev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, reported on the ecological situation in Kazan today. In Moscow, a meeting was held on the environmental support for the preparation and holding of the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the Confederation Cup 2017. The event was chaired by RustamRabadanov, Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. “Preparation for the upcoming major international events – the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup – is a very challenging and important task! Given the short time left, mobilization of all forces is intensified in order to hold the events at the highest level. One of the tools to ensure environmental safety is environmental supervision. In view of this, as in the preparation for past events, the need to consolidate all forces was noted. For the current period, the control and supervisory activities are carried out both in the regular mode, in accordance with the assigned powers, and in a special mode with the involvement of colleagues from the RosPrirodNadzor Administration in the Republic of Tatarstan, the Department of RosPotrebNadzor in the Republic of Tatarstan, and the prosecutor’s office. Tatarstan has accumulated vast experience of joint reaction to prevent damage to the environment. A new task in the sphere of ensuring environmental safety in preparation for the events is the need to confirm the compliance of sports stadiums with the highest international environmental standards. As a part of the certification work in Kazan, the Kazan Arena football stadium is currently being certified according to the standards of “green” (environmentally sustainable) construction in the system of voluntary certification “Football stadiums. Rating assessment of the habitatsustainability” (SDS “RUSO. Football stadiums”). To date, the first stage of the work has been completed. The project and executive documents related to the object of certification have beenanalysed, experts preliminarily inspected the facility. Ensuring environmental safety is an important element and a guarantee of successful implementation of the event!” – reported the Minister of Ecology of Tatarstan.

Positive experience of Tatarstan was assessed by Natalia Sokolova, Head of the State Supervision and Regulation Department in the field of waste management and biodiversity of RosPrirodNadzor of the Russian Federation. In particular, she noted that in Tatarstan, the issue of environmental safety in preparation for the World Cup was worked up, in particular, the Concept of Environmental Protection of Kazan and the Kazan Zone for the period of preparation and holding of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017 and the Football Cup in 2018. The developed concept provides a comprehensive description of the environmental problems that are most important for Kazan in the preparation and conduct of the CC-2017 and Football Cup 2018, to systematize the measures aimed to reduce the negative anthropogenic impact during the preparation and holding of the events and environment in general.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation and RosPrirodNadzor, ministers and staff of regional environmental agencies.

Press Service of MENR of RT