European ECO-Forum News Digest

1. JOINT MEETING OF PPC AND EAP TASK FORCE

The joint meeting of the EAP Task Force and the Project Preparation Committee took place in Berlin on 21-22 September 2006. The meeting was attended by representatives of 23 European and EECCA countries, except Ukraine, as well as international organizations. Olga Ponizova (Eco-Accord Center, Russia) and Gevorg Arakelyan (Association "For Sustainable Human Development", Armenia) represented the European ECO-Forum.

The main issues on the agenda were: implementation of the activities of EAP Task Force and PPC, proposed activities of EAP TF and PPC in 2007, facilitating the achievement of EECCA Environmental Strategy objectives, preparations for Belgrade "Environment for Europe" Ministerial conference (10-12 October 2007), and activities beyond Belgrade.

The documentation of the joint meeting is available at
http://www.oecd.org/document/23/0,2340,en_2649_34291_37305175_1_1_1_1,00.html

1.1 Activities of EAP TF

Activities of EAP Task Force in 2006 and projects for 2007 were reported by Brendan Gillespie and Xavier Leflaive. Mr.Gillespie in his first report described ongoing and planned projects in water and finance programmes and the programme on environmental policy.

Two reports by Leflaive were devoted to trends in environmental financing in EECCA countries and the role of financing strategies for environmental activities. ECO-Forum asked a question on effectiveness of projects financing. The speaker answered that this is a very interesting issue but effectiveness was not really studied because it was too complicated. They will try to study effectiveness where it is possible.

The second report by Mr. Gillespie was devoted to priorities in environmental cooperation with EECCA countries after Belgrade conference. He said that the possibility to move the EAP TF Secretariat would be discussed in 2007. In the current moment, this issue is premature.

1.2 PPC activities

PPC activities were presented by Craig Davies, the PPC Executive Secretary/ He reported on PPC2005-2006 activities, plans for 2007 and informed participants on mobilizing finance for environmental investment projects in EECCA and SEE.

PPC activities were also covered in reports of PPC consultant Ashot Baghdasaryan on water supply and sanitation services improvement in EECCA and Jean-Marie Frentz, PPC and EBRD, on enhancing environmental cooperation in EBRD projects.

ECO-Forum asked whether NGOs were involved in discussion and selection of projects. PPC representatives acknowledged that cooperation with non-governmental organizations was insufficient and promised to develop interaction with NGOs.

1.3 Future of the EAP TF, PPC and other organisations

Participants of the meeting highlighted that environmental policy in EECCA region is still far from being effective. Therefore, further assistance to EECCA within the "Environment for Europe" process is needed. At the same time, a number of donors stressed that continuation of the "Environment for Europe" process is still under the question mark. In general, EECCA countries were not very active and did not demonstrate strong interest to continue this work.

As for the future activities on environmental policy, there are two major issues to decide: 1) what areas to work on (EAP TF in its paper suggested four topical areas: water supply and sanitation, environmental policy and institutions, financing, EECCA Environmental Strategy), and 2) how to coordinate activities - through EAP as it is now with headquarters at OECD in Paris, or through Regional Environmental Centers in EECCA countries.

Many countries and the European ECO-Forum stressed the effectiveness of EAP Task Force as multilateral mechanism for East-West cooperation and coordination between donors (West) and between EECCA countries (East). RECs reported that they were eager to replace EAP TF for EECCA countries. Some countries (Czech Republic, Norway, Belarus) were concerned that RECs were not a single network, therefore the work might become just a bilateral cooperation (when each REC will cooperate with some donors without overall coordination), while the strength of EAP TF is exactly in multilateral basis of cooperation. ECO-Forum suggested keeping the EAP TF Secretariat in OECDas it is now. It was decided to discuss this issue further at future meetings. The decision will be taken after Belgrade conference.

As for the PPC, countries were not sure whether it should stay as an office within the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This issue is still under consideration. EECCA countries did not show any particular interest in this respect. In general, it was decided to continue discussion about future assistance to EECCA.

1.4 Eco-Forum EAP Issue Group activities

European ECO-Forum EAP IG is currently discussing EECCA Environmental Strategy implementation electronically. The subregional seminars on this issue will take place in Moscow, in Tbilisi and Almaty at the end of October - early November 2006. Besides the other areas, they will specifically focus on the discussion of the progress in the implementation of the Goal 6 of EECCA Environmental Strategy, in particular education and public participation, as well as preparatory process to Belgrade (see announcement concerning these seminars below).

Other issues (for example, compliance with environmental legislation) will be debated through electronic discussion list [eecca_env_strategy] (for subscription contact accord@leadnet.ru).

For more information contact:

Olga Ponizova, Eco-Accord Center
Coordinator of ECO-Forum EAP Issue Group
E-mail: ponizova@leadnet.ru
Gevorg Arakelyan, Association "For Suatainable Human Development"
E-mail: argev@web.am

2. BIODIVERSITY AT THE BELGRADE AGENDA - THE PEBLDS BUREAU MEETING

The Bureau of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) met in Strasbourg on 22 September 2006. Victoria Elias, the Chair of European ECO-Forum Coordination Board, represented ECO-Forum.

The Bureau discussed the preparation of a draft paper on the options for streamlining of the PEBLDS process based on results of the survey (covering PEBLDS role and implementation as well as member countries vision for the PEBLDS future); PEBLDS inputs to Belgrade Conference (a short paper concerning PEBLDS achievements on the Kyiv Biodiversity Targets and a biodiversity segment in ministerial declaration), and necessity to keep biodiversity within the Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe".

See documentation of the meeting at
http://www.strategyguide.org/200609/Documents.html

The particular attention was given to the content and preparation of the Biodiversity session on Belgrade Ministerial EfE agenda. European ECO-Forum and PEBLDS are going to organise a joint session on Biodiversity during the Belgrade Conference (10-12 October 2007). The session will be in a format of roundtable for Ministers and stakeholders (mainly NGOs, but other stakeholders will also be invited).

The current draft agenda allocates for this roundtable 2 hours in the afternoon on the 1st day of Belgrade Ministerial Conference (10 October 2007).

Currently, the joint session on Biodiversity follows the session on Education for Sustainable Development. Both of them are under a subtitle "Parallel processes" in a current Belgrade agenda draft. The sessions are not parallel to each other, they go one by another.

The current joint proposal (presented to the Bureau as an initial joint draft agenda) suggests the following topics for biodiversity roundtable:

Block 1:
General intro on the PEBLDS status and implementation
Countdown 2010
Indicators

Block 2:
some concrete case studies and examples on Biodiveristy and agriculture Forests (also cooperation to MCPFE- Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe)
Protected areas and Pan European Ecological Network (PEEN)

Block 3:
Public participation, stakeholders contribution and involvement
Finance.

ECO-Forum stressed the importance of ensuring NGO interventions during the session. It was also stressed by all participants that active participation of different stakeholders is very important for the success of the process. IUCN and ECNC expressed their interest to actively participate in the session preparation and organisation along with other interested organisations. The preparatory work will be continued jointly by the PEBLDS Secretariat and European ECO-Forum.

For more information contact:
Victoria Elias
ECO-Forum CB Chair
Eco-Accord, Russia
E-mail: velias@mail.ru

3. THE THIRD MEETING OF WGSO WILL DISCUSS THE AGENDA OF BELGRADE CONFERENCE

The third meeting of the Working Group of Senior Officials (WGSO) will take place in Geneva on 12-13 October 2006 back-to- back to the Thirteenth session of the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy (CEP) that will be held on 9-11 October 2006. The WGSO was established by the CEP for preparing the Sixth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" (Belgrade, Serbia, 10-12 October 2007).

The WGSO will consider the revised document on the possible framework for the Belgrade Conference. It will be also updated on the progress by partners in the framework of the "Environment for Europe" process in preparing several activities as part of the Belgrade agenda. The WGSO will be informed on and invited to consider developments with regard to:

Additional proposals for the agenda of the Conference, such as South-East European perspectives, the Central Asia Initiative for Sustainable Development, the Mountains Initiative, the Strategic Environmental Assessment Initiative, Water and Sanitation and Partnerships with the Private Sector are expected to be submitted to the Secretariat closer to the Third meeting of the WGSO.

The host country will update the WGSO on the national preparatory process for the organization of the Conference.

The WGSO will also be invited to consider the draft outline of the Communication Plan for the Belgrade Conference.

The documentation of the meeting is available at:
http://www.unece.org/env/efe/wgso/Belgrade/WGSOMeetings.htm

4. CONSULTATION MEETING WITH EECCA NGOs ON "BELGRADE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT"
(The Forth Assessment Report - State of the Environment in the Pan-European Region)

The European Environment Agency (EEA) in the framework of the Tacis project and in consultation with the European ECO-Forum announced a consultation meeting with non-governmental and other bodies from EECCA countries in the context of the preparation of the fourth pan-European assessment report on the state of the environment. The meeting "Review of Draft Pan-European Assessment report, Belgrade 2007: Consultation with Non- governmental and Other Bodies" will take place on 16-17 November 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Until now, the European Environment Agency has produced 3 pan-European State of the Environment reports in support to the "Environment for Europe" process. The Fifth Ministerial conference held in Kiev in 2003 called upon the EEA to prepare the Fourth assessment report for the next "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference. The Belgrade Report will cover all UNECE countries from Europe and Central Asia (52). USA, Canada and Israel (also UNECE members) will not be covered. Moreover, the Ministers explicitly asked for strengthening partnership in the report preparations between EEA and in particular UNECE and UNEP.

In order to support the EECCA participation in the Fourth assessment report, the EEA receivced a grant to implement a specific Tacis assistance project "Support to the EEA data collection in EECCA".

The draft Belgrade report will be sent for consultation in both English and Russian in October for a two month period.

In the framework of the review process on the Belgrade assessment report, the EEA for the first time is convening a specific consultation with NGOs in order to help improve the draft report and give good visibility to EECCA countries and their environmental priority issues. In this context, the consultation meeting will aim to review in detail the different chapters of the Belgrade Assessment report to complete them with relevant and recent information.

For more information contact:
Ms Ilona Schioler at the EEA (Ilona.Schioler@eea.europa.eu)

5. EECCA SUBREGIONAL NGO SEMINARS ON EECCA ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY ASSESSMENT IN PREPARATION TO BELGRADE EFE MINISTERIAL

EECCA NGO Subregional seminars on the assessment of the EECCA Environmental Strategy implementation will take place in Almaty, in Tbilisi and in Moscow in the end of October - early November 2006. These events will be organised by the European ECO-Forum EAP Issue Group in cooperation with the EAP TF Secretariat. The participants of the seminars will:

With requests on participation please contact the following persons before 10 October 2006:

For more information please contact:
Olga Ponizova, Eco-Accord Center, Coordinator of EAP Issue Group
of European ECO-Forum
E-mail: ponizova@leadnet.ru

6. MEETING OF THE TASK FORCE ON ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TOOLS

The Task Force on Electronic Information Tools established under the Aarhus Convention will meet on 23-24 November 2006 in Geneva. Organisations interested to take part in the meeting and seeking financial support should send a registration form and financial support request form to the Secretariat of Aarhus Convention before 19 October. Both forms can be requested from the Secretariat by contacting andrea.Hegedus@unece.org or public.participation@unece.org Please copy completed forms to Mara Silina, European ECO-Forum Public Participation Campaign Coordinator, at mara.silina@eeb.org. The working language is English. There will be no interpretation to other UNECE languages (Russian and French).

To make participation effective, the participants are encouraged to read the report of previous, fourth, meeting of the Task Force. It is available in English, French and Russian at http://www.unece.org/env/pp/wgp.htm#6thwgp

For more information contact:
Mara Silina
Coordinator of Public Participation Campaign of European ECO-
Forum
E-mail: mara.silina@eeb.org

7. UNECE COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TO HOLD ANNUAL SESSION

On 28-30 November 2006, the UNECE Committee on Sustainable Energy will hold its 15th Annual Session "Sustainable Energy Policies: The Key to Energy Security" in Geneva. This three-day meeting will focus on the confluence between energy security and sustainable energy policies and will include a series of thematic sessions looking at:

For more information see http://www.unece.org/ie/

8. DRAFT MANUAL TO SUPPORT APPLICATION OF THE PROTOCOL ON SEA

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the Regional Environmental Center for Central & Eastern Europe announced a consultation on the Draft Manual to Support Application of the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment.

The Draft is available in English and Russian. It has been released with permission from the small editorial group established by the Meeting of the Signatories to the Protocol. An interactive version is available through the web at http://www.unece.org/env/eia

All interested organisations are invited to submit suggested amendments to the Manual by email until 31 October 2006 to eia.conv@unece.org. All submissions will be taken into consideration by the authors and the small editorial group.

It is expected that the small editorial group will review the suggestions and advise on the amendment of the draft Manual accordingly. The revised draft Manual will be presented to the third meeting of the Signatories to the Protocol, the date of which has yet to be determined (probably either May or November 2007).