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 ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE
In the region of the UN Economic Commission for Europe
that includes 55 countries of Europe, Central Asia and North America "Environment
for Europe" became a slogan that is already known for environmental
authorities and environmentally concerned public.
In June 1991 the first formal conference under the title
"Environment for Europe" was held in Dobris (Czechoslovakia). It was
followed by conferences in Lucerne (1993) which endorsed the
Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe; the
conference in Sofia (1995) which adopted the Pan-European Biological and
Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) and Sofia Guidelines on Access to
Environmental Information and Public Participation in Environmental
Decision-making.
At the conference in Aarhus (1998) the ministers adopted
the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus
Convention) and decided to refocus the "Environment for Europe" process
towards the new independent states – 12 countries of former USSR.
The fifth "Environment for Europe" conference took place
in Kiev, 21-23 May 2003. At the conference in Kiev, the ministers
adopted three protocols (Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer
Registers, Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment, and Protocol
on Civil Liability). They endorsed the Environmental Strategy for
Countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) and the
basic mechanisms for the development of EU Water Initiative for EECCA
countries.
The recent "Environment for Europe" conference took
place in Belgrade on 10-12 October 2007. The Conference initially aimed
at evaluating the progress in implementation. The Ministers adopted a
decision on the need to reform the "Environment for Europe" process.
 In the framework of open coalition "European ECO-Forum“
www.eco-forum.org
non-governmental organizations take active part in the "Environment for
Europe" process. The goal of the coalition is to serve the NGO community
and to facilitate its participation in the "Environment for Europe"
process and related processes like Environment & Health, Environment &
Transport, Environment & Agriculture etc.
 European ECO-Forum takes part in the negotiations during
the preparatory processes before ministerial conferences. At the
conferences in Aarhus, Kiev and Belgrade, the European ECO-Forum
organized joint sessions of Ministers and NGOs.
European ECO-Forum has the Coordination Board and Issue
Groups. The Coordination Unit and Information Centre of the European
ECO-Forum is currently based in Moscow, Russia and hosted by Eco-Accord.
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Environment for Europe |
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The “Environment for Europe” process is a unique partnership of the
member States within the UNECE region, organizations of the United
Nations system represented in the region, other intergovernmental
organizations, regional environment centres, non-governmental
organizations and other major groups. The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe, which has been closely associated with the
“Environment for Europe” process since the beginning, serves as
secretariat to the process.
Official site of the EfE process |
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EfE Reform |
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At the 6th Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" (EfE)
(Belgrade, Serbia, 10-12 October 2007), the Ministers agreed that the
EfE process should continue; however, it should be reformed. The UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy (CEP) will have to
develop, by the end of 2008, a plan for EfE reform so that it can be
endorsed, at a political level, by the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe at its next session in spring 2009.
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