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Hungarian minister visit
Hungarian Minister of Environment Pal Pepo (top left) visited the REC's Szentendre headquarters last October. The minister, accompanied by five senior ministry officials, was introduced to the programs and facilities of the Center. REC projects in the fields of environment-friendly utilisation of EU structural funds and the implementation of the Environmental Action Plan for Central and Eastern Europe (EAP/CEE) were the focal points of the subsequent discussion with the REC's Executive Director, Jernej Stritih (top right), and other staff. The REC is happy to announce that the Junior Fellowship Program (JFP) is back for 2000. Originally established in 1993, the JFP has proven to be one of the REC's most popular initiatives. Fellows follow a four-week program of integrated and interactive workshops at the REC headquarters in Szentendre, Hungary, addressing the particular needs of the region and its younger NGO members. Topics covered include project and NGO management, community action and strategic planning, communications and media work and meeting the challenges of EU accession, among others. Fellows should be between 20-30 years old, have a strong interest in improving the environment in the region, be active in an environmental NGO and speak/write fluently in English. Four sessions are offered from April to November 2000.
WORKSHOPS The Financing Climate Protection in Central and Eastern Europe workshop took place at REC HQ from February 21-22. The workshop's goal was to discuss opportunities and channels for financing climate protection measures and projects, such as those related to the flexible mechanisms identified under the international climate change convention, in the region. Participants to the workshop, funded by the USEPA and carried out jointly by the REC and the WRI, included governments, financial and business representatives from CEE and OECD countries, international financial institutions and NGOs. Visit the REC's climate change Web site. From October 16-17, a Workshop on Environmental Indicators for Transition Economies was held at the REC's Szentendre headquarters. The workshop brought together officials and experts from both CEE and NIS countries and international organisations to discuss the development and use of indicators to track economic and environmental linkages in transition countries. Environmental information systems in transition countries were also discussed. Participants agreed on the importance of using indicators, especially headline indicators, for environmental reporting and for communicating environmental issues to policy- and decision- makers, thus encouraging policy integration. It was noted that while many CEE countries use indicators in their national reporting, the linkage between economy and environment could be improved. Further, it was suggested that a pilot project be used to test headline environmental indicators in the Baltic States. Finally, it was agreed that CEE and NIS countries become more involved in headline indicators being developed by EU member states for the Helsinki Summit in December 1999.
PROJECTS A new REC project has been initiated to study the international and domestic
legal aspects of the Tisza River spill. Its main objective is to assess the
adequacy of existing legal instruments to guard against and prevent such
events in the future, and to make recommendations for the steps that should
be taken by the international community and nations to fill existing gaps.
The project will examine the international legal obligations A new project aims at awareness raising, education and the promotion of dialogue among stakeholders on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice on environmental matters. Implemented by the REC's public participation experts and Country Offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Yugoslavia, the Danish-funded project includes bi-monthly newsletters and information services, training manuals prepared by local experts based on domestic and international legislation and practices on public participation and training for various stakeholders in the five countries. It also includes networking meetings for NGOs to improve their cooperation with ministry officials, roundtable discussions between NGOs, government officials and parliamentarians to develop joint recommendations and local grants for NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia to develop public participation practices. The Danube Environmental Forum (DEF) became officially registered as an independent NGO with its own logo in October 1999. The forum was established within the framework of the NGO Participation in the Danube Pollution Reduction Program, facilitated by the REC's Grants Program. The forum, established during a meeting at the REC's Szentendre headquarters in November 1998, is an independent body representing NGOs active in environmental programs in the Danube region. Thanks also go to GEF/UNDP who financed the process. On February 18, a panel of independent experts chose the six
final winners for the Matra I Region-Wide Environmental Cooperative Grants
for 2000, managed through the REC's NGO Support and Capacity Building
program, and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Matra
Programme. The winning projects include (with lead country in brackets): The
Environmental and Security of Supply Implications of the Increased Use of
Natural Gas in an Enlarged European Union (Hungary); Joining Europe against
Bird Crime (Slovenia); Changing Climate Change Policy: Toward JI as an
Effective Policy Tool (Hungary); POPs Elimination and Alternatives in
Central and Eastern European Countries (Czech Republic); Protection of
Eagles in the Carpathian Mountains (Poland); and Odra as an Ecological
OTHER NEWS DEPARTURES NEW STAFF OTHER CHANGES
PUBLICATIONS
The Global Environment Outlook 2000, the flagship publication of the
United Nations Environment Program, was recently released, and the REC
played an important role in its production. Also known as GEO-2000, the book
provides an authoritative and comprehensive review and analysis of global
environmental conditions. For Chapter Three: Policy Responses, the
After getting through the long name of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, you can now use the new Guide to the Aarhus Convention to better understand and use it. According to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the guide's foreword, the convention is "the most ambitious venture in the area of environmental democracy so far undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations." He adds that the guide can serve as an invaluable tool for assisting governments, parliaments and public officials in implementing the convention, and as a useful reference point for environmental citizens' organisations. The Guide was produced by the REC and published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) with financial support from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
EU accession is sure to have a major impact on the environment in Central and Eastern Europe. But do citizens care, or know what the effects might be? To answer these questions and more, the REC has produced a series of three publications, financed by the EC's environment directorate, entitled The EU Accession Process: Public Acceptance and Its Impact on the Environment, for three countries - Hungary, FYR Macedonia and Romania. Each publication is written in the local language while a separate Comparative Report in English compares the results of the three countries, including indications of what environmental issues are more relevant for which countries. Users of the publications can include national and municipal governments, NGOs and EU accession-related institutions.
The Guide to Implementing Local Environmental Action Programs in Central
and Eastern Europe is a new useful reference document for environmental
officials, NGOs and other stakeholders at the community level. Developed by
the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and the REC, the guide
explores how to launch local environmental action plans
The Green Budget Reform Newsletter is back with its 6th edition focusing on international economic instruments that could affect climate change. Articles include a look at the Kyoto Protocol's flexible mechanisms and their market potential in CEE/NIS countries and a review of carbon and energy taxes in the EU. Now available on-line, the newsletter promotes the exchange of information on priority issues in environmental economics and policy in Central and Eastern Europe.
The REC's Media Information Service has just published a new guide listing more than 1,000 experts who are available to give interviews concerning the region's environment. The publication, entitled Media Source Directory: A Journalist's Guide to Environmental Contacts in Central and Eastern Europe, lists English-speaking experts by country, specialisation and sector - academic, business, government or NGO. Hundreds of journalists from around the region will be receiving the guide by mail. An announcement about the guide's availability on the web is expected soon.
Green Horizon, a publication designed to encourage media coverage of
environmental issues in Central and Eastern Europe by keeping journalists |
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