Sunday, October 9, 2011

Court disputes with NDR resolved – NDR apologises

PRESS RELEASE
German public-law broadcasting company NDR apologises to Ecolog and the
Destani family
02/11/2010, Düsseldorf - The public-law broadcaster NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk, member of
the ARD) has apologised to the international company Ecolog and its founder, and has sent
personal letters expressing its regret at the suspicion-based reporting and the resulting damages.
In a report broadcast on 26 February 2010 as well as in the Internet, the NDR incorrectly claimed
and published that orders from NATO to Ecolog AG had possibly been misused for illegal actions.
German courts immediately forbad the broadcaster from making these and further defamatory
claims. NDR itself has now issued a voluntary statement to Ecolog and the Destani family that its
information has not been confirmed as correct and has issued an undertaking not to repeat these
comments and to delete corresponding publications. The letter reads “If this report has created a
suspicion of illegal actions by the company Ecolog or your family, this is a matter of regret for the
Norddeutscher Rundfunk, the employees and editors involved.”
NDR also thanked Ecolog and the company founder for their willingness to reach an out-of-court
settlement and to accept NDR’s apology for the inconvenience caused by the report.
“Naturally, we are pleased that NDR has thought better of the matter and withdrawn its incorrect
claims”, commented a spokesman of Ecolog. “In view of the irritation triggered amongst the
employees by this unfounded claim, it was important for us that the broadcasting company not only
delete its articles but also express its regret. This has been done and we can now regard the
matter as fully closed.”
As early as May, NATO Headquarters, Joint Forces Command Brunssum, declared that the
accusations expressed by the NDR to General Ramms had shown no indications of irregularities
when checked. Furthermore, Joint Forces Command Brunssum made it clear that “in view of the
possibly misleading reporting by the NDR, it should be noted that General Egon Ramms in no way
had suspicions against the company Ecolog prior to the discussion with NDR reporter Christoph
Heinzle.”
Ecolog provides integrated service solutions, with international presence, in Germany, USA, UAE,
Turkey, China, Kuwait and Macedonia. Ecolog-Macedonia has been based in Tetovo for more than
ten years and quickly established itself as the largest employer in the region. The company moved
into a new office building in Tetovo in autumn 2009. Over 120 employees work there in one of the
most modern complexes in the Balkans. The family Destani, with origin from Tetovo-Macedonia, is
known for its involvement in strengthening the local business location. Most recently, Ecolog
donated three modern refuse collection vehicles worth 200,000 euro in order to support the
regional efforts to improve management of the local refuse disposal problem, thereby setting an
example for more environmental friendliness and European standards.
Information on Ecolog can be found at www.ecolog-international.com