There was once a time when many in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) looked to theWest for inspiration andmodels to follow. Western Europe’s democracies, while far from perfect and with many of their own problems to solve—willingly or not—nonetheless stood as role models for their Eastern neighbours. The West was building a good record on economic prosperity, human rights, rule of law, good governance and, not least of all, nature protection, which many in the East sought to replicate. The aspiration to join with theWest was probably the most powerful driver of change in CEE during the transition period of the late 1980s and early ‘90s; and those CEE societies which have entered the EU now need to live up to their dreams and become role models themselves—for countries further east, for countries in the global south. But are they ready to do so?

This is a question that resonates quite strongly when, for instance, you visit a small town in Belarus that doesn’t seem in any obvious way to be much different from your average CEE community. With tidy schools full of active children, clean and orderly streets, regular public transport, a functional health system, paying jobs for everybody and crowded supermarkets, life in Belarus doesn’t seem so bad. But there is one thing that is missing inside what is often referred to as Europe’s sole remaining dictatorship: freedom of choice. And this is precisely where CEE can serve as a model and inspiration.

But this isn’t about choosing between different brands of washing powder or nappies, MP3 players or automobiles. Consumption is part of the picture, and has been here ever since CEE adopted the original Western model. But consumption is only part of a package of choices that also includes choosing where to live or work, which way to travel or whom to vote for. It is the overall package of free choices that CEE has accomplished over decades of transformation that societies emerging from the former USSR or the developing world can look up to.

Many would say that CEE countries still have a long way to go to complete their own transition, and it’s a valid criticism as far as environment and health protection are concerned. Some regional authorities have bypassed nature conservation provisions like Natura 2000 in favour of construction and infrastructure, while others have struggled to ease carbon emissions targets in favour of polluting industries or have creatively avoided energy efficiency planning in favour of new nuclear plants. Maybe this kind of short-sightedness will become a thing of the past. Of all the pressing issues of environmental degradation, one has gained remarkable prominence in recent years: climate change. As with other populations the world over, Central and Eastern Europeans have been exposed to an ever-growing volume of messages—not only from books, newspapers and TV screens, but fromcinema, fiction, drama and fine arts. The voices of Al Gore, LeonardoDiCaprio, Madonna and otherwellknown figures have provided momentum to local leaders advocatingmore environment and health protection, and have caused a swell in public interest and awareness in CEE. Whether it’s about nuclear power projects in Bulgaria, military radar in Hungary or a national motorway in Poland, mostly young and active citizens are forming dynamic communities that are willing to take and demand action for a better environment.

In making a positive change, each small step counts, such as efforts in Poland to ban free plastic shopping bags (page 12). After effectively clearing its nightclubs of tobacco smoke, Riga is now introducing traffic congestion charges to clear its streets, with Vilnius and Prague following suit (page 24). Another regional frontrunner, Slovenia, now holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency after the bloc’s successful offensive in Bali where an agreement on the post-Kyoto climate change regime was reached (page 14). The Bali ‘road map’ will also travel through CEE, with climate change convention parties meeting later this year in Poznan, Poland. With a bit of optimism and lots of hard work, 2008 could finally set the region firmly on course toward becoming a role model in environmental sustainability.