Minutes from the 17th BMU Meeting, May 30th 2016, Vrsac, Serbia
The 17th meeting of the Balkan Mountaineering Union (BMU) took place in Vrsac, Serbia, hosted by the Planinarski savez Srbije (PSS)
The BMU meeting attended the presidents and delegates of all ten members of BMU: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey.
As well as the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) Executive board president Frits Vrijlandt,
Cesky horolezecky svaz (CHS) president and Erasmus group representative Jan Bloudec,
Club Alpine Italiano representatives: Umberto Martini, ex-president, and Lucia Foppoli.
Keynote address was given by the BMU President Jovica Ugrinovski
Moment of Silence was held in memory of late Gjorgi Karpacev, the oldest member of the Bulgarian BMU team
– Presentation of Planinarski Savez Srbije (PSS), video spot 115 years anniversary –
– BMU Expedition Kilimanjaro 2015, report given by the expedition leader Zivko Temelkovski, FPSM
– Next BMU expedition. No ideas by the participants. Proposal by the FPSM:
9 day tour to the highest peaks of Macedonian mountains, trekking tour. New proposals welcomed after the break.
Discussion:
Jani Ziso, Albania, the level of the proposal is not the big challenge because it will not be the high mountains climbing, but a trekking tour.
Mr. Karaga, president of theTurkish Mountain Federation invitation: Kachkar Mountain climbing, Turkey (30 August 2016); invitation given also to the UIAA president to attend the climbing. Next year Turkey will be hosting the event Ararat 2017(depending of the political situation, winter or summer). The project could be discussed additionally
– Project: Ten Balkan peaks, report given by the Bulgarian Tourist Union (BTS) representative Ivaylo Ivanov Hristov: the project is ready (Greece and Croatia has to add some details). The final price of the booklets will be 50 cents (the number of booklets for each association to be delivered additionally). The voting for the project closure passed unanimously
– Project proposal given by the PSS president B. Micic: Kajmakcalan peak climbing (Nidze mountain, Macedonia/Greece) in memory of the Battle of Kajmakcalan, 21 August, (participants Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece) to be organized in celebration of the 92 anniversary. All federations are invited. Moto: Not to be repeated again. Organizers: 2 mountaineering clubs from Serbia and Macedonia (Kosovska Mitrovica & Bitola). Under the support of BMU.
The project proposal accepted.
– New project proposal by the PSS president, B. Micic: Natural rock climbing championship, Balkan competition to be organized under the umbrella of BMU (similar to Mountaineering Orienteering Competition)
Discussion:
The bad decision by the PSS was that the international climbing association decided that mountain associations that has no climbing in their registration are not allowed to participate in the international competition.
Bojan Rotovnik (PZS): we have to have in mind the nature preservation, not to make any harm to the nature
Theodoros Tsavdaridis, Hellenic Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing (HFMC): the word competition to be substituted by the word activity (or climbing marathon)
Jovica Ugrinovski, BMU president suggestion: the word competition to be substituted by festival: Rock climbing festival
The project proposal was unanimously accepted to be developed step by step.
Coffee brake
– Next BMU expedition proposal: Mt. Blanc 2017, organized by the PSS, accepted by the delegates (with the support of CAI and UIAA)
– Project proposal: Development of Trekking tour of the mountains of BMU member countries
– Presentations given by PZ Slovenia president Bojan Rotovnik:
1. International Mountaineering Orienteering Competition – IMOC 2016 (imoc@pzs.si)
2. Report from the BMU Seminar in Bavsica (October 22-25, 2015), training course for instructors with the participants from Croatia, BiH, Macedonia. The next seminar to be organized in Paklenica, Croatia, February-March 2017.
3. Slovenian-Croatian joint ice climbing cup 2013-2016. (link to the presentations)
– PZS president Bojan Rotovnik announced the project: Regional Ice climbing cup competition, development of this sport in the frame of the BMU member countries (2003 started the Slovenian cup; 2004 the Croatian cup; Joint cup of Slovenia and Croatia started in 2013. Serbia joined in 2016, for the 2017 November-December cup to think about the Macedonian participant)
– Milano meeting: BMU authorized representative Bojan Rotovnik gave the report about the establishment of the European Mountaineering Association (EMA).
Discussion:
CAI representative Umberto Martini: the initiative for establishment of EMA was given in Bormio meeting 2012. During the Milano meeting new working group of 10 members was constituted. For more info contact CAI or the Working group members.
Jan Bloudec (CHS) Erasmus group representative (Hungary, Check, Croatia, Slovenia): direct cooperation with EMA committee. The Memorandum of Understanding has to be signed
Boris Micic (PSS): to invite CAI and Erasmus to participate; not to make organization which will be against the UIAA rules. Standpoint for discussion and suggestions. It should be low cost organization with no participation fee.
Karaga: when BMU was initiated it was the small group of countries. By the time thank to the BMU president Ugrinovski it has the nowdays profile. And all the BMU member countries respect the rules and laws of each country although they all are not EU members.
Turkey and UIAA relationship is not very good. With the EMA organization the importance of BMU will be diminished.
Jani Ziso: Albania is not UIAA member. The creation of EMA will be supported by Albania.
Bulgaria: not member of UIAA. Official statement will be given by the BTA presidency.
BiH: the idea was approved by the BiH.
Croatia: supported the idea.
Greece: supported and accepted the establishment of EMA.
Macedonia supported the idea.
Montenegro: strongly supported.
Serbia: accepts the idea.
Slovenia: PZS was part of the project from the very beginning, strong support. The new EMA organization to be the observer member of UIAA. 7 years is a long time since the initial idea, still debating to find the proper form. The working group will prepare some good proposal.
The BMU executive board has the meeting conclusions and proposals:
1. BMU in general supports the idea of EMA establishment (against NO, sustained Turkey)
2. BMU supports UIAA in general: (voting: unanimously).
3. New European mountaineering Association should be complementary, not competitive to UIAA. (Voting: against NO, Turkey sustained)
-Frits Vrijlandt, president of UIAA:
3 main pillars of UIAA:
Safety
Sustainability
Sport
Ice climbing to become Olimpic event (during the 2020 China Olympic games)
Management Committee members nomination (election)
– Collaboration with UIAA.
Discussion:
Measuring the ratio between the benefit and the membership fee cost (cost and benefit ratio)
Bojan Rotovnik: cost benefit is not OK. Slovenia pays 8000 euros membership fee, plus GA travel costs (about 20.000E per year costs). Proposal: UIAA should cover the travel costs for the commission members.
Montenegro interested in promotion and development of mountaineering sports, needs help from UIAA.
Karaga: concerning the UIAA Statute: UIAA should respect the rules. The 3rd article of the Statute has not been respected.
J. Ugrinovski: to find a way to decrease the membership fee, for ex. sponsorship, some sources for the small federations.
INFO: UIAA has the GA election meeting, use the possibility of proxy vote
– Youth camp info given by Neda Milosevic (PSS): Global Youth Summit will take place in Serbia, Ovcar Cablar Gorge, August 2016. Disciplines: orienteering, hiking, rock climbing
Next BMU meeting will take place during the mountain festival in Kolasin, Montenegro, first weekend of June 2017.
Report from BMU seminar in Bavsica 2015
2016-05-BMU-Report from BMU seminar in Bavsica 2015
Slovenian – Croatian joint iceclimbing cup
2016-05-BMU-Slovenian – Croatian joint iceclimbing cup
Invitation to IMOC
Group photo
