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NGOs voice concerns about possible EU
threats to agriculture
By Tom Popper What do officials in the European Commission (EC) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have in common? A lot more than might be expected. Both recently demonstrated a strong desire that more CEE countries join the EU, that CEE governments better involve the public in environmental decisions and that EU environmental policies improve. They also agreed that NGOs from the accession countries could do a lot to further these goals. "Your part in this process is very important," said the EU's new environment commissioner, Margot Wallstrom, to NGO representatives at a recent dialogue in Brussels. Some 30 NGO representatives of EU accession countries participated in the dialogue with EC officials. Held Oct. 20-21, the dialogue, organized with REC assistance, was sponsored by the EC's environment directorate to ensure that NGOs in the region are well informed about issues pertaining to accession and the environment and to discuss mutual concerns. Input from NGOs is so important because they are the best means of involving the public in accession, said Timo Makela, head of the Enlargement Unit of the environment directorate. "The work that we are doing in the directorate is going to be very important to the man in the street" who is presently not adequately informed, he said. One lesson gained from the meeting is that the EC can offer NGOs more than money. While EC presentations focused on pre-accession funding instruments, the NGO representatives seemed equally interested in obtaining the commission's political support. Activists said the EC should use its clout to force their governments to be more transparent when making decisions about the environment. Several NGO representatives complained that their governments are stingy with information about environment and accession issues. "We have limited power against these governments if we don't get support from you," said Vida Wagner of the Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development. "We expect from the commission that it's not just left to us from civil society to push for transparency." The process of accession naturally forces governments to be more open, responded Makela. "We've told governments straight out that local governments are going to play an important role in accession, which means the public will have to be more involved," he said. "Public participation is essential. Things need to change there." Wallstrom agreed that her environmental directorate should find new ways to enhance public participation. "If we can do more, we should. So please give us examples of situations where there's a lack of transparency," the commissioner said. Another common theme of importance to NGO representatives was the need for integration - making other sectors of government, such as agriculture and transport, integrate environmental concerns into their policies. "Though integration seems challenging now, just remember, this whole way of looking at the issue started only 18 months ago," responded Wallstrom. "As you know, we have identified six sectors to start with. Some are better than others: development and transport are showing an understanding. Other sectors are worse." One sector that was discussed in detail was agriculture. Indeed, some of the more impassioned exchanges of the dialogue occurred during the question and answer session with Kaj Mortenson of the EC's agricultural directorate, who had come to explain the "SAPARD" funding instrument for agricultural programs. Concern was expressed about the type of environmental screening needed before agricultural projects receive SAPARD funds. "Will you reject applications that do not consider agri-environmental concerns?" asked Lithuanian Fund for Nature representative, Ruta Vaiciunaite. Agri-environmental concerns relate to the impact of agricultural activities on the environment (e.g. the over-use of fertilizers containing nitrogen, or cutting down trees to increase arable land). Most agricultural land in accession countries already fulfils EU agri-environment measures simply because the farming there is less intensive, noted Miroslava Cierna, a representative for the Slovak-based NGO, the DAPHNE Center for Applied Ecology. She added her worries that EU accession could change that. Mortenson replied that he is mostly interested in promoting competitive practices and maintaining high food quality. He added that responsibility for ensuring that projects meet environmental guidelines rests with the environment directorate. "We don't focus on assistance to high-intensive farming," Mortenson said. But, he added: "If [CEE farmers] think they can afford to be intensive, this is another issue. Economic viability is important: There would be no agri-environmental policies if we couldn't afford it." Similar dialogues are to be held twice a year for the next couple of years. The next one will be held in Hungary. |
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