I N F O R M A T I O N S O C I E TY
Informatiton becoming a basic green right
"A feature of Communist rule in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries was that comprehensive environmental information was not collected, and what was collected was not made available for public use." (from The Environmental Challenge for Central European Economies in Transition)
Obstacles to public access to environmental information and to the public's involvement in decision-making have continued during the early years of transition after 1989. Just a few months before the signing of the international Aarhus Convention on access to information in 1998, Kai Barlund, Director of the United Nations Economic Commissions for Europe, argued that "industry and government agencies collect environmental data, but they either do not report them to the public or report them when they're out of date."
Since then, CEE countries, and especially the ten trying to get into the European Union (EU), have been hard-pressed to improve their sharing of information with the public. One key driving force is the EU Directive on Access to Environmental Information which accession countries will have to comply with. The Aarhus Convention on access to information signed in June 1998 by the EU and European environment ministers is another. There are global pressures to improve informational efficiency in the light of current technological advances, especially Internet growth. And the EU's Research and Technological Development directorate (DG XIII) is driving to support a transparent and cooperative European Information Society for the next millennium. Part of the DG XIII effort was the financing of the Coordinated Action for Pan-European Transport and Environment Telematics Implementation Support project (CAPE). One objective was to examine the status of information society development in the EU accession countries and the needs and priorities for Information Society Technologies (ISTs) in the environment and transport sectors.
The results of a recent CAPE survey on the Requirements and Framework for Environment and Transport Telematics Implementation show that nearly all EU accession countries (8 of 10) have developed informational "concepts" within the last five years, usually supported by a corresponding environmental information system and legal framework (See Figure 1 at left for highlights).
For example, Latvia's Concept for an Information Technology Development Strategy (1997-2002) calls for a United Environmental Data and Information System based on six Topic Centres and seven Regional Centres. As part of the State Information System, it will provide access to information to the public via the Internet and to governmental institutions and authorities via the Governmental Data Communications Network. The concept is supported by the 1991 Law on Environmental Protection, which gives the public the right to enjoy full access to information regarding the state of the environment, and the 1998 Law on Access to Information.
In Slovenia, a standardised system for environmental data collection called ONIX is under development. A digital database will support procedures dealing with physical planning and environmental protection, such as tracking the environmental impacts of new developments at the national and municipal level (e.g. the city of Ljubljana). Legal support comes from Article 14 of Slovenia's 1993 Environmental Protection Act, which cites that environmental data is public property.
Both countries have signed the Aarhus Convention and expect to ratify the agreement by 1999-2000.
The end result of improved informational capacity in CEE is expected to be more effective decision-making based on meaningful environmental data supported by tools such as the Internet.
This in turn will support compliance with policies and legislation, improve the state of the environment and quality of life, save time and resources and help implement sustainable development in CEE.
(Visit:http://www.rec.org/ist/cape or e-mail: jsimpson@rec.org.)
