INFORMATION EXCHANGE

The importance of access to information to environmental protection was officially recognized by Europe's environment ministers at Sofia when they unanimously endorsed the UN ECE Guidelines on Access to Environmental Information and Public Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking. The Regional Environmental Center has long believed that access to timely and accurate information is essential if the public is to take an active role in solving Central and Eastern Europe's environmental problems. The REC's Information Exchange Team helps this process along by collecting and disseminating useful environmental information, answering information requests about environmental issues in the region, and promoting collaboration among environmental experts and concerned citizens to solve environmental problems.

LIBRARY/INFORMATION SERVICES The REC's librarian and information specialists answered 585 information requests in 1995, twice as many as in 1994. Requests ranged from drinking water quality in a local community to environmental contamination left behind at ex-Soviet military bases. Part of this program is the Media Information Service, a program that fulfills journalists' requests on a priority basis because of their tight deadlines.

AT THE SOFIA conference, REC disseminated information on its activities to NGOs, policymakers and business professionals from all across Europe.


In order to more effectively and more efficiently answer information requests, the REC improved its collection of information resources in 1995. Reference collections were established in each of the REC's local offices to complement the expansive library at head office. These local reference collections will bring the REC's information services closer to end-users. The REC also updated its collection of CD-ROMs and expanded its in-house databases, including the REC/CEDAR experts database which grew from 300 entries to 690. REC also developed an events database that lists environmental conferences and workshops that are relevant to Central and Eastern Europe.

BUSINESS INFORMATION SERVICE The REC believes the businesses sector must be involved in the environmental debate if sound environmental policies are to be developed and the health of the region's environment improved. For this reason, the Center launched an information service in 1995 that assists and encourages the business sector to adopt sustainable development practices in Central and Eastern Europe.

In 1995, the Business Information Service (BIS) conducted a needs analysis of the environmental marketplace in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to identify the information needs of environmental businesses in these countries. As a result of the needs analysis, The Emerging Environmental Market was published to provide a snapshot of the environmental market in the Visegrad countries, estimated at USD 2.5 billion annually. The Environmental Business Directory was also published, listing areas of specialization and other invaluable information for over 700 environmental firms. The directory is a useful tool for finding project partners, and is available in printed form or as an electronic database.

REC BROUGHT BUSINESS professionals and government officials together to discuss key business and environment issues as part of a four-country workshop series entitled "Competing in the New Environmental Marketplace".


Four workshops, entitled Competing in the New Environmental Marketplace, were also conducted in 1995, one each in the four countries surveyed. These workshops helped to encourage a closer business-to-government dialogue by providing a forum for discussion on regulatory changes related to the EU approximation process and industry quality standards. Since its inception, the BIS has continued to operate a fee-based research service for the business sector. To date, projects have been completed for such leading firms as Andersen Consulting, Thyssen AG and Procter & Gamble.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS To improve access to environmental information for local users, and to improve the quality and delivery of REC products and services, the Regional Environmental Center kicked off its RECNet project in 1995. Basic e-mail connections were established between REC head office and twelve of the thirteen local offices, enhancing the REC's ability to transfer information around the region: Over 345,000 e-mail messages were sent and received from REC offices. REC also initiated eight electronic discussion lists in 1995, providing a forum for users around the world to exchange information on environmental issues in Central and Eastern Europe.

In addition, REC established a solid presence on the World Wide Web, FTP and Gopher, making REC information and products readily available to users in the region and around the world. Several of the REC's databases were made available on-line in 1995, including the NGO Directory and Grant Project Summaries, the archives of the REC's electronic discussion lists, and the events database.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS EXPERTS, like Chuck Lancaster from the Sustainable Development Network at undp, gathered in Budapest as part of the Center's new RECNet Project.


RECNet usage was phenomenal in 1995: In total, the Center's on-line resources were accessed over 80,000 times; on-line databases were searched more than 4,500 times; and fully formatted copies of The Bulletin were accessed by more than 680 readers since they were added to the REC's home page in October, proving that electronic communications is the way of the future for Central and Eastern Europe.

PUBLICATIONS In addition to the business publications mentioned above, the second edition of the Government and Environment Directory was released at the Sofia conference. For the 1995 version, contact information and organizational charts were updated and three new sections were added. This made the directory a more effective tool to facilitate public access to environmental protection and the exchange of information and experience between different governments.

The Center's English-language quarterly newsletter, The Bulletin, was redesigned for 1995, making it a more effective medium for disseminating information about the Regional Environmental Center's programs and services, and about important environmental issues in the region. The Bulletin took on a more magazine-like appearance, and contributors from the region were encouraged to contribute in-depth articles on environmental issues that concerned them.

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER * ANNUAL REPORT 1995