1 / 14

Beyond Compliance: how regions can help build a sustainable Europe Budapest, 17 May 2007

Explore how regions can foster sustainability beyond compliance with the help of organizations like the REC. Learn about the multi-stakeholder approach, projects, and strategies for sustainable development.

maryhull
Download Presentation

Beyond Compliance: how regions can help build a sustainable Europe Budapest, 17 May 2007

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Beyond Compliance: how regions can help build a sustainable EuropeBudapest, 17 May 2007 Marta Szigeti Bonifert, Executive Director

  2. Bridging Stakeholders • The REC is an international organisation with a mission to assist in solving environmental problems • The REC is legally based on a charter signed by the governments of 29+ countries and the European Commission • Multi-stakeholder International Board • 190 staff (some 30 nationalities) • 100% project based organization (over 300 running projects) • 10 million Euro annual turnover • 17 country offices & 2 field offices • Population served ~ 200 million • Operations beyond Central and Eastern Europe

  3. REC office network

  4. Corrado Clini - Chairman of the Board- Director GeneralMinistry for the Environment Land and Sea, Italy Nadya BonevaDirectorProme Consulting, Bulgaria Ferruh ErtürkProfessor, Yildiz University, Turkey Tom HarveyGlobal Environment & Technology Foundation, Founder and Chairman of the Board, USA Jon OpemSenior AdvisorMinistry of the Environment, Norway Adriaan OudemanCoordinator Ministry of HousingSpatial Planning and Environment, Netherlands Istvan PomaziChief AdvisorOffice of the Prime Minister, Hungary Claude RouamHead of UnitEuropean Commission Yukio YanagisawaProfessor of Environment SystemsUniversity of Tokyo, Japan Board of Directors

  5. Main directions of work following the strategy 2006-2010 • Strengthening institutions • Sustainable development strategies and plans • LEAP Development and implementation • Environmental law, national, EU and international • Environmental financing • Environmental enforcement and compliance • Capacity building of stakeholders and assisting partnerships • Education for sustainable development • Capacity building • NGO financing • Providing environmental information • Assisting the practical implementation of the Aarhus Convention

  6. Main directions of work following the strategy 2006-2010 • Sustainable management and use of natural resources • Biodiversity, agriculture and rural development • Water management • Resource and waste management • Environment and security • Sustainable enterprise • Sectoral integration • Environmental assessment • Climate change and sustainable energy • Sustainable transport • Health and environment

  7. REC Partners • EEA – Several topic centers of the European Environment Agency • EC - Environmental Experts Group on Structural Funds (DG Env.) • OECD - EAP Task Force, Development Assistance Committee Working G. on SEA • UNDP - Danube and Black Sea Task Force • UNEP - Finance Initiative Task Force, Joint work on the Carpathians Convention, Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles • CSD – Commission on Sustainable Development • UNECE - Cooperation with UNECE on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention, the Espoo Convention, the International Water Convention, the International Accidents Convention and related protocols • ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River • MEDREP – Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme Initiative • E3G, HBLF, VIU, CEU, Agroinnova, Bellagio Forum, IUCN, EPE, AMCHAM • TOYOTA, JIBIC, Philips, GE, ITDH • EECCA RECs

  8. Sustainable development is already a component of European policy-making, and has been for many years. Now, however, in the context of the new Cohesion Policy and EU-fund allocations, new challenges are arising for European regions seeking to integrate economic and social concerns – primarily through meeting “Lisbon Agenda” targets for environmentally sustainable economic growth and employment.

  9. Greening Regional Development Programme (GRDP) project GRDP is a EU wide network funded by the INTERREG IIIC programme with 17 legal partners from 8 EU member states(Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom) + 20 other associated organizations(non legal partners)

  10. Project’s main aim Develop a common European methodology for integrating the environment into regional development programmes

  11. Project milestones • July 2004: approval of the Project Proposal • December 2004 Bath: official project launch • February 2005: audit report • May 2005 Vienna: IRT1 “Identifying good practices into regional development programs” • September 2005 Debrecen: IRT2 “Influencing the implementation of the EU Structural Funds post 2006” • February 2006 Exeter: IRT3 “Making the environment an economic case” • November 2006 Patras: IRT4 “Integrating the environment into ALL future regional development programs” • April 2007 La Rioja: GRDP Final Conference

  12. Main GRDP products The final and crucial project products are: THE GRDP METHODOLOGY/TOOLKIT • on environmental integration. THE GRDP CHARTER • set of principles/golden standards on environmental integration

  13. „I believe that environmental protection is a driving force for the economy” Corrado Clini Director General Ministry for the Environment Land and Sea, Italy Chairman of the Board

  14. Thank you for your attention.

More Related