E D I T O R I A L

  I'd like to introduce myself as your new editor. I arrived in Budapest in late April to take on the role of Communications Officer here at the REC; leaving a similar post at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Bidding adieu to Jeff Gailus, I'd also like to credit him for more than half the work on this issue.

  As with any changing of the guard, this is an important opportunity to re-evaluate the position and this newsletter. Feedback from REC team members and leaders has been decidedly positive. Most staffers are enthusiastic about The Bulletin's progression from an information piece to the current, more-professional magazine format.

  I echo their sentiments and forward kudos to the former editors for establishing a substantial and useful publication. My hope is to continue to meet The Bulletin's defined objectives: to report on the activities of the REC and its constituents, and to inform those constituents of environmental developments in the CEE region; and to keep the tradition of putting out a simple, clean, and easy to understand publication.

  Finally, dear readers, you are the key to making this newsletter even better. I'd like to hear your ideas, comments, criticism, or contributions. The Bulletin should be your voice too, so put pen to paper and tell us about your projects, businesses, or developments in your region. Or even express your opinion on an environmental topic of importance to REC constituents.

Wendy Muzzy
Editor of THE BULLETIN