European ECO-Forum News Digest

The negotiations on the text of Ministerial Declaration for Belgrade-2007 "Environment for Europe" Conference took place on 2-3 July 2007 in Geneva. As the Serbian WGSO Chair had stepped down, a new Chair was elected, Mr. Vesic, assistant Environment Minister of Serbia. The EU was represented by Portugal, the new EU Presidency.

The European ECO-Forum was represented by Olga Ponizova (Eco-Accord Center, EAP Issue Group of the European ECO-Forum) and John Hontelez (European Environmental Bureau, PPC Campaign of the European ECO- Forum). ECO-Forum's delegation suggested numerous amendments to strengthen the text.

The role of the European ECO-Forum was challenged by the USA delegation. It felt that ECO-Forum should not be allowed to present amendments in the text. The maximum it could accept was that ECO-Forum could make oral recommendations, but for reflection in a paper with amendments it would need explicit support from a government. Denmark, and later the EU supported ECO-Forum. They felt that ECO-Forum's amendments could be presented in the drafts. However, the USA continued to refuse to consider ECO-Forum's amendments as long as no government was endorsing them. At some point the US delegate threatened to call the meeting to a halt if this principle was not accepted.

The drafting group discussed two documents, one being a draft Ministerial Declaration (on the basis of input of previous meetings and beyond), the other being a paper on future of the "Environment for Europe" process. There were a number of amendments to the draft Declaration proposed by delegations; however, none of the controversial issues was resoled. The text of the draft Ministerial Declaration with amendments is available in English at
http://www.unece.org/env/efe/wgso/Belgrade/
documents/WGSO/WGSO-5/Declaration(060707)AdvanceCopy.doc

The delegates had an active discussion on the Secretariat's paper on the future of the EfE process and related paragraphs in the Ministerial Declaration. Diverse opinions were voiced. In particular, the USA bracketed any reference to a next EfE meeting.

The next meeting of the Drafting Group for preparing the Ministerial Declaration will take place on 29-31 August 2007.

For more information contact:

John Hontelez, European Environmental Bureau
Chair of PPC Campaign of European ECO-Forum
E-mail: hontelez@eeb.org
and
Olga Ponizova, Eco-Accord Center
Coordinator of EAP Issue Group of European ECO-Forum
E-mail: oponizova@rambler.ru

2.AD HOC EXPERT GROUP REVIEWS THE DRAFT ELEMENTS FOR A LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PLAN

Ad hoc Expert Group on Long-Term Strategic Planning for the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters met in Rome in June 2007. The European ECO-Forum was represented by Mara Silina (European Environmental Bureau, Public Participation Campaign).

In Rome, the expert group discussed public comments on the draft elements for a long-term strategic plan submitted during a three months open consultation in spring 2007. Some 20 comments were submitted from 14 countries and the Council of Europe (see http://www.unece.org/env/pp/LTSP/Compilation_public_comments_2007_06_01.pdf )

The expert group produced a new draft which was an outcome of consensus reached by the group. The proposed document went to the Bureau of the Aarhus Convention (19 June) and will further be discussed by the Working Group of the Parties on 31 October - 2 November 2007 in Geneva. The process should lead to the adoption of a long-term strategic plan for the Convention by the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Convention (Latvia, June 2008).

The draft elements for a long-term strategic plan identify three strategic goals for activities under the Aarhus Convention:

-Achieve full implementation of the Convention and PRTR Protocol by each Party;
-Expand the reach and influence of the Convention and Protocol in the UNECE region and beyond;
-Further develop the provisions and principles of the Convention.

The document names a number of concrete objectives which are to be reached in each focal area (implementation; expansion; and development).

The objectives, among others, include:

-bringing the number of Parties of the Aarhus Convention to 50 by 2011;

-getting the amendment on GMOs to enter into force by 2009;

-having 5 Parties which are not Member States of the UNECE by 2011;

-gradually widening the range of environmental information by developing and implementing mechanisms to ensure availability of product information, and by considering measures to ensure access to environmental information held by the private sector;

-gradually expanding the scope of public participation beyond site-specific activities and the placing on the market of genetically modified organisms to possibly encompass product-related and other decision-making;

-reviewing and further developing the provisions of the Convention relating to public participation in the preparation of plans, programmes and policies relating to the environment, as well as executive regulations and other generally applicable legally binding normative instruments that may have a significant effect on the environment, to afford stronger guarantees.

The new draft will soon be available at
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/ltsp.htm

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

3. 54 SIDE-EVENTS REGISTERED FOR BELGRADE-2007

54 side-events were registered by the organizers of the Belgrade-2007 "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference. See the list of side- events in the Information Paper No. 3/Rev.1 at
http://www.unece.org/env/efe/wgso/Belgrade/documents/
WGSO/WGSO-4/Informal%20papers/InformationPaperNo3Rev1.pdf

Less than one third of side-events were submitted by large non-governmental organizations and networks (the rest - by governments, international organizations and projects, and RECs). The rent of a cheapest room for a side-event is 590 euro per hour, while the cheapest exhibition space costs 89 euro per m2.

The WGSO Executive Committee at its Sixth meeting (Geneva, 1 June 2007) voiced concern about the large number of side-events registered for the Conference. The Chair of the Committee informed the Committee that all registered side-events would be distributed evenly over the course of the Conference, provided that there was enough space at the Conference venue and they would not interfere with the official Conference sessions.

The schedule of the side events and exhibitions will soon be available at the host country web-page www.efe-belgrade2007.org Organizers of side events and exhibitions should contact the host country secretariat regarding any practical arrangements.

4.UPCOMING MEETINGS TO FINALIZE PREPARATION TO BELGRADE-2007

The fifth meeting of the WGSO will be held half a day on 29 August 2007 back-to-back with the third meeting of the Drafting Group for preparation of Ministerial Declaration (Geneva, 29-31 August 2007). The WGSO meeting would consider pending issues related to the organization of the Conference and its provisional agenda, as well as to the future of the "Environment for Europe" process.

The sixth meeting of the WGSO is tentatively scheduled for 6-8 October 2007 in Belgrade. The seventh meeting of the WGSO's Executive Committee, if necessary, would be held back-to-back with the sixth meeting of the WGSO.

5.BELGRADE REPORT GOES TO PRINTING

The English version of the Belgrade State of Environment report (the 4th Assessment) has now been finalised. It is available on the Circa Belgrade Interest Group at the following address:
http://eea.eionet.europa.eu/Members/irc/envirowindows/
belgrade_07/library?l=/report_development/final_draft_report&vm=detailed&sb=Title

The Russian version will be gradually made available over the summer as the translation progresses. Meanwhile, the report in English went to printing. A limited edition is being prepared for distribution to all countries and WGSO delegates to support preparations for the Belgrade conference.

For more information contact:
David Stanners
European Environment Agency
E-mail: david.stanners@eea.europa.eu

6.PPC WEB-SITE IS BACK

The web-site of the Public Participation Campaign of the European ECO- Forum (http://www.participate.org) is up and alive. It has a new look and new possibilities to post information directly. There is an online registration if you want to submit information. It is expected that the communication within the PPC will get better and information exchange will increase. You will be able to submit news from your group, country, region etc., take part in discussions about different issues, tell others about your activities at the national, regional or local level and share information about forthcoming events. At the moment, the website is in English only but it is technically possible to post text in Russian or other languages.

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

7.ALMATY WORKSHOP ON TRANSBOUNDARY WATER COOPERATION

The workshop on "River basin commissions and other institutions for transboundary water cooperation" will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan 23-25 October, 2007, back to back with the annual regional meeting of the "UNDP Water Community of Practice" 25 -26 October 2007. The two consecutive workshops are co-organized by UNECE, UNDP, and OSCE.

The objective of the workshop on "River basin commissions and other institutions for transboundary water cooperation" is to build capacity and exchange experience between EECCA countries, organizations and projects with regard to institutions for the joint management of transboundary waters; and to promote the establishment of efficient joint bodies - river basin commissions or other appropriate institutional arrangements - in the region.

The workshop will bring together representatives of established joint bodies, policy - and decision-makers, scientists and representatives of international organizations and NGOs involved in transboundary water management from EECCA countries. The workshop will illustrate good practices and lessons- learned in EECCA, and in the rest of the UNECE, UNDP and OSCE areas, and identify recommendations and steps needed to support the establishment of a sustainable framework for cooperation on transboundary waters.

The workshop is part of the project "Capacity for Water Cooperation (CWC) in EECCA", developed under the work programme of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

More information will be available at
http://www.unece.org/env/water/cwc.htm