Europe’s Environment Third assessment - 2003

1. Europe’s Environment Third assessment - 2003 European Environment Agency Report no. 10

2. The Third Assessment is the environmental report for Europe was prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the environment ministers’ conference in Kiev in May 2003. The report follows two former editions published in 1995 (Dobris Assessment) and 1998 (Second Assessment). The report is giving an overview of progress in the EnvironmentalvProgramme for Europe. It covers wider area in comparison to former reports, including also data from Russian Federation, the Caucasian and central Asian countries

3. The Report as the .pdf file can be found and read from the EEA web site: www.eea.org.int Here you can read only a brief information what can be found in this report in order to upgrade your knowledge on recent environmental problems throughout the Europe. You are adviced for using this additional reference material for your study in Environmental Sciences course.

4. The assessment presents theindicators in a series of summarising boxes: • positive trend, moving towards qualitative objectives or quantified targets; • some positive development, but either insufficient to reach qualitative objectives or quantified targets, or mixed trends within the indicator • unfavourable trend.

5. The assessments in this report are based on indicators of the assessment which cover important aspects of the socio-economic and environmental framework They are: driving forces, pressures, state of the environment, impacts and societal responses. The name used for the framework is DPSIR, (from the first letters of the driving forces) Source: EEA

6. The assessment covers 4 main areas: • Developments in socio-economic sectors • Prominent environmental problems • Cross-cutting impacts • Policy management • and annexes showing • • Country tables of key statistics • • Ratification of multilateral environmental agreements • • Comparisons with other parts of the world

7. Developments in socio-economic sectors covers: • Material flows • Industry • Energy • Agriculture • Forestry • Fisheries and aquaculture • Transport • Tourism

8. Cross-cutting impacts: • Biological diversity • Environment and human health • Policy management • Progress in managing the environment • Information gaps and needs

9. Prominent environmental problems concentrate on: • Climate change • Stratospheric ozone depletion • Air pollution • Chemicals • Waste Water • Soil degradation • Technological and natural hazards

10. Most of data presented and discussed in the assessmentare covering the period of late ninieties, up to the year 2001 when the conference on European ministers responsible for environment took place in Kiev.