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Commissioner Wallström promotes New Environmental Partnership at Kiev Conference

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström will lead the European Union delegation together with Greek Environment Minister Vasso Papandreou at the Conference on pan-European environmental cooperation, which takes place in Kiev on 21-23 May 2003. Commissioner Wallström will promote the strategy adopted by the Commission earlier this year for pan-European environmental co-operation fitting with the new political landscape that will be a reality with EU enlargement. The strategy renews the Commission's commitment to bilateral environmental co-operation with the countries of the Western Balkans and the New Independent States (NIS). The Kiev conference will set out the roadmap for future European co-operation in the era after enlargement of the European Union. On this occasion, Ministers will assess the "Environment for Europe" process launched in 1991 after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and discuss future environmental co-operation.

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström commented: "Since the launch of the 'Environment for Europe' process in 1991, the political landscape of Europe has changed dramatically. We now stand on the verge of a historic enlargement of the European Union that will also alter the way we work with our new neighbours further to the East. The Commission has renewed its commitment to environmental co-operation with these countries through our bilateral agreements with them. We also stand ready to intensify our bilateral co-operation with NIS countries". The Commissioner added: "Thanks to the "Environment for Europe" process environmental co-operation across Europe has made good progress. Now we need to ensure that the legal and other agreements resulting from our co-operation such as the Aarhus Convention - are made fully operational and are implemented." She continued: "The Commission urges the Conference participants to sign the three UN-ECE protocols on Strategic Environmental Assessment, Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR), and Civil Liability. The Commission also expects approval of the Environmental Strategy for the New Independent States and agreement of guidelines for the full implementation of UN-ECE Conventions and Protocols."

Commission goals for the Kiev Conference

The Kiev conference (21-23 May 2003) will be the fifth Ministerial Conference in the "Environment for Europe " process, which was launched under the UN-ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) in 1991. Participants include environment ministers from all UN-ECE countries

The Commission seeks a successful Kiev Conference, to achieve the consolidation of the "Environment for Europe" process and its institutions so that those countries in particular need of further environmental assistance will benefit. The Regional Environment Centre for Central and Eastern Europe which focussed on candidate countries - will play an important role by facilitating the exchange of experience and know-how among the countries of the wider European Region.

The new Regional Environmental Centres established in the NIS region should, in the future, play a major role as vehicles for the strengthening of civil society to improve environmental awareness.

The Commission expects the following outputs from the Kiev conference:

• A 'Kiev Assessment' on the state of the pan-European environment prepared by the European Environment Agency, will be publicized and debated.
  
  
• Two UN-ECE protocols will be signed on
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  • Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
    
    
  • Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR).

• A strong political push will also be made for all participants to sign up to the Civil Liability Protocol.
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  • Signature or recognition of several sub-regional initiatives, in particular the post-Johannesburg EU Water Initiative for the NIS, the Environment Strategy for Countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, the Carpathian Mountains Convention and the Water and Security initiative for Central Asia
    
    
  • Agreement on guidelines for the full implementation of agreements made under the auspices of the UN-ECE and other multilateral sub-regional networks of multilateral cooperation.
    
    
  • Agreement on the development, priorities and perspectives of the "Environment for Europe" process.

The Commission's strategy for its relations with its neighbours

The Kiev Conference provides the Commission with the opportunity to set its strategy for the years to come for its environmental relations with its neighbouring countries. The Commission Communication to the Council and the European Parliament of 6 February 2003 presented this strategy. It should be considered in conjunction with the Wider Europe Communication of the Commission which set the scope of the overall relations with our neighbours.

The enlargement of the European Union to 25 member states by 2004 and the development of significant bilateral partnerships between the EU and its other neighbours in South-eastern Europe, the NIS and the Mediterranean basin will fundamentally change regional environmental cooperation in Europe.

The goals of the Commission strategy in the countries that are neighbours to the enlarged Union include supporting the pursuit of sustainable development and overall environmental protection, with particular emphasis on achieving implementation of the agreements made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development of September 2002. Other instruments for such co-operation will be provision of assistance in the improvement of environmental laws in neighbouring countries, to help them move toward EU standards, and in the implementation of the Doha Development Agenda, particularly its trade and environment dimension.

The Commission proposes to pursue a regionally differentiated environmental policy with the close European neighbours through the development of the environmental provisions included in the bilateral agreements that the EU has signed with these individual countries, such as:

• The Europe agreements with the 10 new Member States as well as with Bulgaria and Romania
  
  
• The Association Partnership with Turkey
  
  
• The Stabilisation and Association agreements with the five Western Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYROM, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania).
  
  
• The Partnership and Co-operation agreements with Russia, Ukraine and other New Independent States.

More specifically, the Commission will seek to focus cooperation in the Balkans towards more institution building, support to environmental civil society and reducing environmental health threats. In the NIS the Commission proposes combating climate change, efficient use of energy, improving public health, and improving resource efficiency as specific priorities.

In addition, environmental co-operation will also be further developed through sub-regional approaches initiated and promoted by the Commission. Such networks of cooperation include the EU Northern Dimension, the Regional Reconstruction Environmental Programme (REReP) in the Balkans and the Danube-Black Sea Task Force.


Background

"Environment for Europe" was established under the UN-ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) in 1991, at the conference held in Dobris Castle (Czech Republic). Further conferences were been held in Lucerne (Switzerland) (1993), Sofia (Bulgaria) (1995) and Aarhus (Denmark) (1998). These conferences have created a framework of cooperation in which a common Environmental Action Programme was agreed served by a Task Force and an international financing committee. In addition, six Regional Environmental Centers were established in Budapest, Moscow, Kiev, Chisenaw, Tbilisi and Almaty. Finally, agreement has been achieved on a number of pan-European Environmental Agreements including the far-reaching Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

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