Environmental journalists receive press prize

• The Fondazione Lanza announced the winners of their environmental journalism competition at the Third International Conference on Ethics and Environmental Policies held 26-28 September in Bratislava. The Fondazione Lanza Press Prize was awarded to Hungarian environmental journalist, Andrea Nagy for her article "Ethical Consumption and Corporate Responsibility," published in Teszt Magazine, Hungary and Mikulas Huba for his historical overlook "Environment and Sustainable Development 1989-1995" which appeared in Sudost Europa. The award recognizes exceptional articles dealing with sustainable development and the culture of consumption within the context of the transformations which are characterizing the "new" Europe.

Banned Russian report now on the Internet

• The Bellona report "The Russian Northern Fleet Ð Sources of Radioactive Contamination" was banned in Russia following the St. Petersburg customs confiscation of 1505 copies on 18 October.

  The Bellona report on the Russian Northern Fleet is the first book to be prohibited in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The prohibition constitutes the most severe setback to the freedom of speech in the new Russia to date. In addition, this decision violates the Russian constitution, which states that everybody is free to publish literature which does not sympathize with nazism. The constitution emphasizes in particular, that it is not legal to keep information on environmental conditions secret. The Bellona report is based entirely on open sources, describing the problems concerning nuclear wastes and submarines in the northern Russian region.

  This report is the foundation of the spy and treason charges against jailed Bellona worker Alexandr Nikitin. Nikitin is co-author of the report.

  Full Norwegian and English versions of the report are available at, http://www.grida.no/ngo/bellona/cphome/. Contact: BELLONA, Box 2141 Grunerlokka, N-0505 Oslo, Norway, Tel: (47) 2238-2410, Fax: (47) 2238-3862, E-mail: bellona@sn.no.

Croatian authorities close independent radio

• The Croatian authorities announced on 20 November that they would not renew the license of the popular Radio 101, Novi List reported. Radio 101 is probably the only independent station there that deals with news and politics as well as broadcasting rock music. One of the largest mass meetings in Croatian history resulted the next day in Zagreb's central Jelacic square. 100,00 protesters representing a broad cross-section of society showed their support for Radio 101. The authorities had meanwhile restored the license in the course of the day, but the crowds turned out in the evening anyway. What began as a protest in favor of freedom of speech turned into one for democracy as well. (Source: Patrick Moore, OMRI)

Oil spills are good for business

• A Norwegian environmental impact assessment report of the future Butinge oil terminal has been derided by the Latvian Environmental Defense Club. The organization expressed dismay at a section of the report, prepared by Norwegian firm Det Norske Veritas Industry AS, of the economic benefits of an oil spill in the region in promoting tourism. "People are attracted to catastrophes, and it has been observed that in cases of oil spills thousands of spectators are drawn to the area", reads the report. "I have seen many reports about the impact of industrial objects on the environment, but this is the first time I have encountered such a cynical evaluation," said Club official Pavils Raudonis He explained that the Latvian government had sought to cooperate with the Lithuanian government in analyzing the environmental impact of the Butinge terminal project, but had been told that such an assessment had already been made by a Norwegian firm. (LETA, 31 Oct.)

Hungary invites bids for commercial broadcasts

• The National Radio and Television Commission will publish tenders for commercial television and radio stations in early December, Hungarian and international media reported on 26 November. Two commercial TV channels and two commercial radio stations will start broadcasting on 1 September 1997. The primary owner can have up to 49% ownership and the secondary owner 25%, with a minimum of 26% remaining in Hungarian hands. Under the media law, at least 51% of the programs must originate in Hungary and another 30% from other parts of Europe. US-led consortia headed by Ronald Lauder and Mark Palmer, Germany's West Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and Bertelsman Group, as well as France's TF1 are all expected to bid. (Zsofia Szilagyi, OMRI)

Funds from USAID Hungary

• USAID in Hungary has awarded a 100,000 USD grant to REC for a three-pronged program aimed at increasing citizen participation in local decisionmaking. The grant will support the RECs Public Participation Training Project; help to finance local grants for NGO/Government cooperation through the Local Office Hungary; and fund an environmental journalists workshop for Hungarian media.

Black Triangle Grants

• The Black Triangle Programme and the REC have agreed to a contract for supplying specially tailored local grants for NGO activities in the polluted Black Triangle regions of Poland and the Czech Republic. Twenty-five thousand ECU will be made available in both countries for projects based on raising public awareness on issues in the region. A special announcement for NGOs will be made through our Local Offices in Prague and Warsaw in the new year.

Environmental Businesses in CEE

• In 1995 the REC initiated a Business Information Service to encourage businesses to adopt the principles of sustainable development and to help build their capacity to solve environmental problems. BIS publications include an Environmental Business Directory and a survey on the information and training needs of environmental professionals in selected CEE countries. To date these publications have covered the Visegrad countries, and will be expanded to Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia. The Directory and the Environmental Market Survey for Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia will be an important resource to business and government leaders involved in procurement and technology decisionmaking as well as interested individuals. In particular, the directory can facilitate partnerships between Western and CEE firms, thereby strengthening the capacity of CEE firms to solve environmental problems and raise the standard of their performance. It will be published in English as well as in the local languages. Both publications will be available early next year. A limited amount of advertisement space is available in the directory for quality promotional spots. If you are interested in placing an advertisement or in receiving a copy of the publication, please contact Gerald Fancoj in the REC Head Office, gfancoj@rec.org.

Position announcement

• REC is looking for a Project Office for its Public Participation program team. The Project Officer will coordinate training, policy research and monitoring activities. Qualifications: university degree in environmental or international field; understanding of participation issues; familiarity with CEE environmental issues; fluency in English; strong project management skills, including budgeting and facilitation experience. Contact Mozes Kiss at REC Head Office, Tel: (36-26) 504-000, E-mail: mkiss@rec.org

Local office opens in Tallinn

• The REC opened a new Local Office in Tallinn on 7 October. This Office is the eleventh office opened in Central and Eastern Europe, and the first in Estonia. While REC has been active in Estonia since 1995, the operation now has an official site in the capital city. Nearly 40 people from national nongovernmental and governmental environmental organizations were present at the opening, including a representatives of the Finnish Ministry of Environment who was one of the main donors for setting up an office in Estonia, as well as a delegation from the REC head office and the representative of the REC Latvia Office.

New REC in CIS

• If the New REC Feasibility Study was the architectural blueprint, then the International Supervisory Board (ISB) meeting, held in Tbilisi, Georgia from 23-24 September, represents the construction team preparing the foundations for REC's sister organization.

  The ISB, made up of international funders, host country Ministries of Environment and NGOs, has the role of implementing and coordinating the setting up of the "new" Regional Environment Center for the CIS countries. The structure will be different from the original REC, as the national offices will have greater influence over the international coordination office. Even so according to Robert Atkinson, the REC's representative at the meeting, it seems that there will be some conflict over where the international office should be located.

  The EU TACIS Programme has promised five million ECU over three years for the Center and the US has released 500,000 USD for activities in Ukraine. A consultant has been hired to supply a secretariat and develop the Project Implementation Unit for the first phase. In this phase, lasting one year, the first four countries (Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine) will have their national offices prepared. Belarus is likely to be included in the next phase of developments.

  The original REC is being asked to assist with training of the Project Implementation Unit staff and also national office staff. Atkinson said that "we feel the old REC has a great deal of experience to offer the people setting up the new organization, particularly in legal, financial and operational procedures."

  The second ISB meeting will take place from 10-11th December in Kiev, Ukraine.

Advising citizens

• This special earmarked grants initiative supported NGO efforts to establish advisory services and to promote public participation in CEE countries. This publication highlights the activities of nine grant recipients. Case studies clearly show that there is tremendous potential to assist citizens and NGOs in building capacities to encourage more efficient use of legal and nonformal instruments for public participation in environmental decisionmaking. To order a copy of Advising Citizens contact REC Head office at Tel: (36-26) 504-000, Fax: (36-26) 311-294 or via E-mail: info@rec.org.