The Environment for Europe process was launched as an ad hoc government initiative in 1991 at a ministerial conference in the town of Dobris of the former Czechoslovakia. Since then, several ministerial conferences have been held, each resulting in important ministerial declarations, international agreements and binding documents. The Environment for Europe process has been successful in establishing dialogue among all environmental stakeholders and involving them in all of its activities and initiatives. The next conference of the series will take place in May 2003 in Kiev, Ukraine. The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) has been a major contributor to the Environment for Europe process. The REC is providing more than 30 background documents and publications (Category II and III) for the Kiev Ministerial Conference. The REC is helping non-governmental organisations and other environmental stakeholders to prepare for the conference and organising important side-events. It also contributed to the development of nearly all protocols, guidelines and documents to be presented to the ministers in Kiev. The Aarhus Ministerial Declaration solidified the REC's active role in the implementation of the Environmental Action Programme (EAP) by assigning it the role of Secretariat of the CEE sub-programme of the EAP Task Force.  The Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme for South Eastern Europe (REReP) initiated environmental cooperation in the region under the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. REReP assists countries in strengthening their environmental institutions, reforming their environmental policies and legislation, building civil society, and attracting environmental investments. REReP carries out this mission by promoting regional cooperation, dialogue, cross-border initiatives, and transfer of best practices and lessons-learned from the more advanced EU accession countries. REReP was endorsed by SEE ministers of environment in March 2000, and the REC received a ministerial mandate to implement the programme as Secretariat of the REReP Task Force. The REC will present its highly successful Green Pack and participate in the discussions on environmental education. It has also prepared a background document "Governance principles for foreign direct investment in hazardous activities."

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