Towards Belgrade - 2007 : Towards Belgrade - 2007 By Victoria Elias, European ECO-Forum / ECO-Accord, Russia
Environment for Europe: Ministerial Conferences : Environment for Europe: Ministerial Conferences 1991 Dobris, Czechoslovakia
1993 Lucerne, Switzerland
1995 Sofia, Bulgaria
1998 Aarhus, Denmark
2003 Kiev, Ukraine
2007 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Environment for Europe : Environment for Europe
"Environment for Europe" process is aimed to harmonise environmental quality and policies on the continent, and to secure its peace, stability and sustainable development
Lucerne, 1993
Some EfE outcomes : Some EfE outcomes Dobris, 1991: decision on SoE reports, agreement to cooperate on protection and improving the environment
Lucerne, 1993: endorsed EAP, shaped EPE, established WGSO
Sofia, 1995: PEBLDS, EPE,”debts for nature”, Dobris Assessment, review of EAP/NEAPs, new RECs
Aarhus, 1998: Aarhus Convention, Protocols on Heavy Metals, POPs, Leaded Petrol phase-out strategy, refocusing on the NIS, Sustainable Energy initiative, env. management at enterprises, etc
Kiev, 2003: Protocols on SEA, PRTR, Civil Liability; Carpathian Convention, EECCA Environmental Strategy, UNECE Strategy on ESD, Biodiversity resolution, Water and Security in Central Asia, Future of the EfE process, etc.
Ministerial Declarations
6th EfE Ministerial Conference : 6th EfE Ministerial Conference When? 1st or 2nd week of October 2007
Where? Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro,
Sava Centre
Working Group of Senior Officials (WGSO): established in Oct 2004
WGSO Chair, Mr. Miroslav Spasojevic, Ministry of Science and Environment protection of Serbia, elected in October 2005
WGSO-1 established ExeCom : WGSO-1 established ExeCom Members
S&M – Chair, Miroslav Spasojevic
Hungary – Aloisa Lakosz
Italy – Massimo Cozzone
Sweden – Jon Kahn
Switzerland – Jorg Schneider
USA – Chuck Ashley
Russia –person t.b.c.
Kyrgyzstan - person t.b.c.
Observers:
EU Presidency - currently UK.
European Commission - person t.b.c.
EAP Task Force Secretariat,
PEBLDS – by the Chair
ECO-Forum - CB Chair Victoria Elias
RECs - Bulat Essekin of CAREC (will be rotation).
Belgrade -2007: new balance in UNECE : Belgrade -2007: new balance in UNECE By Autumn 2007:
55 UNECE member states =
= 27 EU members + 28 others (including USA, Canada and Israel)
Issues on agenda (proposed by UNECE CEP) : Issues on agenda (proposed by UNECE CEP) Belgrade State of Environment (SoE) report
Review of EECCA Environmental Strategy implementation
Special segment on ESD and UNECE ESD Strategy implementation (together with Ministers of Education)
Addressing sustainable production and consumption issue (SPAC) – now clear yet in which format
Energy and progress report on energy efficiency initiative
Experience of the 2nd round of EPRs
UNECE Conventions, their coordination and implementation
Closer links to other int. processes (in particular Environment and Health and Forests)
Additional Member states proposals at WGSO-1 : Additional Member states proposals at WGSO-1 Strong focus on implementation, independent report on EfE decisions implementation
No Ministerial Declaration
No more instruments (incl. legally binding and soft law)
Special attention to some regions (Balkans)
Closer links to CSD cycle
European ECO-Forum proposals : European ECO-Forum proposals Action oriented reviews of implementation:
SEA and PRTR protocols (Kiev-03)
EECCA Environmental Strategy (Kiev-03)
Aarhus-98 Guidelines on phasing out leaded petrol (deadline was 1 January 2005)
Decisions of Aarhus-98 on phasing out environmentally harmful energy subsidies
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (Sofia-95)
Environmental Program for Europe (Sofia-95)
Special segment on ESD and UNECE Strategy on ESD implementation
European ECO-Forum proposals (2) : European ECO-Forum proposals (2) Decide to work in the EfE framework on a pan-European regional strategy to phase out unsustainable production and consumption patterns, with a period of implementation of 10 years.
Discuss in Belgrade how REACH can be extended to the pan-European region
roundtable for Ministers and NGOs with the main focus will be made on biodiversity (in light on “Countdown 2010” initiative, UN Millennium Ecosystems Assessment, etc.
Overarching theme for Belgrade : Overarching theme for Belgrade “Conference of Implementation (EU)
Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (ECO-Forum)
….
discussion will continue
Upcoming events of the preparatory process : Upcoming events of the preparatory process 01.12.2005 – deadline for proposals on the agenda in written format (to the UNECE Secretariat)
28.02.2006 – ExeCom-2 (also to deal with Communication Strategy), possibly Belgrade
After 6-7.06.2006 – Execom-3 and WGSO-2 (decision on the themes), Geneva
October 2006 – UNECE CEP, WGSO-3, ExeCom-4
February 2007 – Execom-5
June 2007 – CEP and WGSO – all documents for the Ministerial adopted
October 2007 – final WGSO and 6th EfE Ministerial
Invitation to ECOs/NGOs in UNECE : Invitation to ECOs/NGOs in UNECE Join ECO-Forum process of the position papers drafting
Issue Groups List serves
Send your proposals to IG coordinators
Contact ECO-Forum CB
(http://www.eco-forum.org/board.htm)
Lobby your governments!
For Contacts: : For Contacts: