Returning from Bosnia Herzegovina, Local Office Team Leader Alexander Juras described the country as war-torn and ravaged but not without hope. "Sarajevo looked like how we imagined Beirut or Saigon in the past, almost everything is destroyed, and there is still the presence of war with many soldiers and military vehicles, but at the same time all the restaurants and coffee houses are full of people," he said. By Worldbank estimates, the costs for reconstruction will total USD 50 billion. So far only USD 5 billion has been pledged by donors over the next three years.
It is in this reconstruction period that there may be the greatest role for the REC. While there is not much interest in rebuilding the big industries which caused much of the pollution in the past, the donor community has not acknowledged the environment as a priority in reconstruction efforts. "There are so many problems that if a project faces difficulties with the environment donors will just shift to another one. The REC can help keep environmental issues on the table," says Juras. This is a key time to introduce eco-efficient practices to industry and for government to establish guidelines for business and development.
On the NGO side, Bosnia Herzegovina once supported a lively NGO community, but virtually all activity was stopped during the war. As these NGOs are just beginning to recover and think about new activities it is likely that the REC would be most involved in development work, providing direct assistance and training. Juras added that even in the developmental stages support to NGOs is likely to have significant impact by contributing to stability in the region.
In the FRY, the REC delegation found a different set of issues. While the country suffered primarily from the indirect effects of war, the challenges of developing a civil society and protecting the environmental remain.
The FRY government, and in particular the Ministry of Environment (MoE) suffered from the isolation in the time of the sanctions. The MoE has had little involvement in the developments of environmental policy in Europe during the last years. There is a large potential for the REC to assist them with information and in particular with fellowships.
Despite the difficult conditions under the embargo the NGO community in the FRY remained active. According to a recently published directory, there are almost 80 different environmental NGOs, most of which are operating with no funding. "It was encouraging to see that even without funds these groups were still doing work," Juras remarked. In addition to financial support, the main needs which were identified for NGOs are training, contacts, and cooperation and exchange of experience.
The REC delegates were optimistic about prospects for the two nations to become part of the REC network and plans are underway to introduce REC programs including the Fellowship Program and the Earmarked Grants and REC Initiatives programs.