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ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE: Pan-European Ministerial Process

Explore the history, structure, and preparatory process of the Environment for Europe (EfE) initiative, focusing on harmonizing environmental quality across UNECE member States. Get insights into legal instruments and the upcoming Belgrade Conference.

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ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE: Pan-European Ministerial Process

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  1. ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE:Pan-European Ministerial Process Mary Pat Silveira Secretary of the Environment for Europe process UN Economic Commission for Europe

  2. CONTENTS • History • Structure • Preparatory process • EfE and legal instruments

  3. HISTORY • The process was initiated by Mr. Josef Vavrousek, Environment Minister of what was then Czechoslovakia; • The first Ministerial Conference took place near Prague, at Dobris Castle, on 21-23 June 1991.

  4. HISTORY TOTAL OF FIVE CONFERENCES HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED: • Second in Lucerne (1993) • Third in Sofia (1995) • Fourth in Aarhus (1998) • Fifth in Kiev (2003) Sixth Conference will take place in Belgrade, in 2007

  5. EfE FOCUS • Harmonize environmental quality and policies across all 55 UNECE member States • Use environmental cooperation to work toward peace and stability and sustainable development in the region • Support partnerships, with a special focus on EECCA countries (Aarhus)

  6. THE STRUCTURE The EfE process is a unique partnership of: • the member States within the UNECE region • organizations of the UN system • other intergovernmental organizations • regional environment centres • non-governmental organizations and other major groups.

  7. THE STRUCTURE 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.

  8. THE STRUCTURE Active partners include,e.g. • European Commission • OECD • The Council of Europe • The EEA • UNEP, UNDP and WHO • World Bank and EBRD • EcoForum

  9. PREPARATORY PROCESS • Open-ended EfE Preparatory Group is established for 2 year preparation of Conference: next meeting is Oct 2005 • All member States and partners participate in Preparatory Group and both take initiatives and assume responsibility for bringing items to the Conference agenda

  10. PREPARATORY PROCESS Open-ended EfE Preparatory Group is responsible, inter alia, for: • Deciding the agenda for the next (Belgrade) Ministerial Conference • Accepting proposals for who will take the lead in preparing an item and monitoring the readiness of the item for the Conference

  11. PREPARATORY PROCESS • Negotiating the draft Ministerial Declaration • Undertaking all other substantive preparations • Working closely with the Host Country in its local preparations

  12. EfE AND LEGAL INSTRUMENTS The Ministerial Conferences have three functions re regional environmental legal instruments:

  13. LEGAL INSTRUMENTS • Introduce or support new areas in which negotiations should begin or are underway: (e.g., work on Protocols to “Air Convention” for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and on VOC emissions supported at Dobris Conference; completion of negotiations on European Energy Charter supported at Lucerne; Aarhus Convention supported at Sofia Conference)

  14. LEGAL INSTRUMENTS 2. Include on the Conference Agenda adoption and signing by the Parties of a new legal instrument (e.g., Aarhus Convention in Aarhus; Carpathian Convention and three new ECE Protocols (Strategic Environmental Assessment, Civil Liability and Damage Caused by the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on Transboundary Waters and Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers) in Kiev

  15. LEGAL INSTRUMENTS 3. Encourage member States to sign and ratify legal instruments Neither the Ministerial Conference nor its Preparatory Group themselves negotiate new instruments. They may welcome and encourage such negotiations initiated by other fora.

  16. PREPARING FOR BELGRADE • New issues for Belgrade should be brought to the Open-ended EfE Preparatory Group, Oct 2005 • Preparatory Group could decide that issue may proceed to Belgrade if: • All members of the Group agree • A State or organization volunteers to take the lead • A State/s or organization/s provides financing for the preparatory process

  17. TARGET GROUP • Focus should be inclusive of all UNECE member States • EfE process is geared to harmonization across all 55 States and cooperation among them. • Example: EECCA Environment Strategy, adopted in Kiev, was conceived as a partnership – it is not limited to EECCA countries

  18. EECCA STRATEGY & GMOS • Reference in Section 4.4: Agriculture • Action stated as follows: • “Control application of growth promoters, antibiotics; apply cautious approaches for decision-making on use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), based on the precautionary principle.”

  19. Thank you Mary Pat Silveira Secretary, EfE Mary.pat.silveira@unece.org

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