E N V I R O N M E N T A N D H E A L T H
Aarhus and health
By Magdolna Toth Nagy
The European Union and 35 European governments signed the UNECE's Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters last June 25 in Aarhus, Denmark. The Aarhus Convention, in effect, was highlighted as the greatest achievement of the whole inter-ministerial "Environment for Europe" conference. The next step is to get it ratified in the countries themselves.
Since then, four more countries signed up and one ratified. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), all but three countries -Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Yugoslavia Ð have now signed.
The first meeting of the signatory countries to the convention took place in Chisinau, Moldova from April 19-21. Countries, international organisations and environmental citizen organisations (ECOs) reported on activities conducted so far and the general level of implementation and ratification of the convention. Magda Toth Nagy, Head of the REC's Public Participation Program, presented a report, which found that preparations for ratification have started in most CEE signatory countries. Albania, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia, Poland and Romania plan to submit or have submitted documents for ratification to their parliaments this year, while Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia plan to ratify by the end of 2000. Bulgaria and Croatia have set no date, while ECOs have been strongly lobbying in Slovakia to sign and ratify before the end of 2000.
The report also found that ratification and implementation could be facilitated by an integrated working group with officials from different ministries, ECO representatives, independent experts and the media, following the example in the Czech Republic. This would ensure transparency and public participation. "Ratification does not necessarily mean the convention will be implemented at once," adds Toth Nagy. "A sufficient legal framework must be in place and many CEE countries will still have to make legislative changes after ratification and apply the provisions of the convention in practice."
Meeting host Moldova was the first country to ratify the convention. At least 16 ratifications are expected by the end of 2000, including those by most CEE countries, thereby ensuring that the convention will come into force 90 days later.
During the meeting, Task Forces were formed for Pollutant Inventories and Registers (see The Bulletin Vol.7 #1), led by the Czech Republic, Genetically Modified Organisms (see Bulletin Vol.7 #4) led by Austria and Compliance Mechanisms led by the UK. A Task Force for Access to Justice is under consideration in response to concerns from ECOs which had their own meeting in Chisinau April 17-18.
Following their meeting, ECOs made a "Chisinau Declaration" calling for extension of the convention's principles to other fields such as health, worker safety and consumer protection. They suggested additional working groups on the promotion of access to information in electronic form and public participation in decision-making on programs, policies and plans. ECO prizes included the Best Delegation Prize for the Czechs who had three ECO representatives in their official delegation, and the Cactus Prize shared between Germany and France for their attempts to block the future work of the PIR and GMO Task Forces.
During the meeting, the UK announced that it will host a workshop in December focusing on implementation of public participation at the local level. A Danish initiative to produce an Implementation Guide to the Convention received broad support (to be prepared, by the REC and the Environmental Law Institute, by year-end as an official UNECE publication). The UNECE Secretariat will set up a website with information about the ratification and implementation of the convention. And an Advisory Board was established to help with the implementation of the convention.
