Bookshelf
- For late night reading, best with some green tea
Doors to Democracy: Current Trends and Practices in Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making in Western Europe
Published by The Regional Environmental Center
ISBN: 963 8454 58 X
193 pages
Public participation in Western Europe
Much is written and discussed about the need to increase public participation in the governmental decision-making process in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. But what is the status of access to information and public participation in Western European countries? A new REC publication, prepared for environment ministers last June, takes a closer look. Doors to Democracy - Current Trends and Practices in Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making in Western Europe is a country-by-country survey of where Western Europe stands on the issue of public participation. Laws in Western Europe are more developed than those in the CEE countries, the publication finds, but Western countries with long traditions of democracy still seriously fail to provide their citizens with the adequate rights and tools to participate in their development. More info or text online.
Enlarging the environmental information society
The full proceedings of the DETERMINE conference, held last June at the REC, are now available. The purpose of DETERMINE was to discuss the potential for telematics applications and the emerging Information Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on behalf of the European Commission. Telematics is the use of sophisticated communications technologies to coordinate information from many points over long distances. It has particular applications in climate and transport, including emergency early warning systems and traffic control systems. CEE delegates voiced their demands for air, water and waste telematics systems while EU representatives learned about the roadblocks CEE countries face in implementing such systems. CEE countries will be eligible to participate in EU-funded telematics research under the forthcoming 5th Framework R&D Programme's call for proposals to be made mid-February 1999. For info: Jerome Simpson or view the proceedings.
Twinning ties East, Central and West
Originally designed to contribute to peace and mutual understanding, twinning ties between West, Central and East European (CEE) cities date back decades. Following the recent political changes in CEE, these twinning ties have increased in significance, as has the importance of technical assistance, socio-economic change and the environment for twinning relationships. The Milieukontakt Oost-Europa foundation has noted, however, that even with opened borders, telecommunications and other communication tools such as electronic mail, a culture gap remains between Eastern and Western European cities. With the publication of Culture Matters: Ten interviews on environmental twinning between Central Europe and The Netherlands, the foundation, looking through the eyes of the participants involved in twinning relationships between the Netherlands and CEE countries, shows how they have worked to overcome cultural differences.
For more info: e-mail: info@milieukontakt.nl or website: www.milieukontakt.nl.
New periodical for energy investors
For readers with a business interest in the CEE and NIS countries, a new periodical covering the energy and power sector promises to provide a valuable service. Energy Frontiers, published by U.S.-based Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications, aims to provide information on energy industry trends and analyses of the most promising export opportunities in the CEE/NIS region. The newsletter covers 24 countries in the region to provide information on growth possibilities for investors and businesses. For more info: ldiefenbach@dieselpub.com, or visit www.dieselpub.com.
REC * PUBLICATIONS * THE BULLETIN * AUTUMN-WINTER 1998
