Background | Objectives | Implementation | Specific outputs Background The EU Commissioner for the environment, Ms. Margot Wallström, has invited the Applicant Countries to participate in drafting the 6th EAP since, once adopted, the implementation of the 6th EAP will most likely coincide with the period during which the first Applicant Countries from Central and Eastern Europe will be admitted to the European Union. Despite the fact that the 6th EAP will have an influence on the policy-making and implementation in number of CEE countries, so far there exists no mechanism to make the contribution of the Applicant Countries into the 6th EAP effective. In particular, the approximation process of EU environmental legislation by the accession countries will need to be taken into account. Objectives The main objective of this project is to help the Applicant Countries to contribute effectively to the drafting of the 6th EAP. The specific objectives include: Identifying areas of the 6th EAP where Applicant Countries' contribution could improve the document and to solicit those contributions. Providing relevant expertise in synthesizing the contributions and in drafting the input to the 6th EAP based on the guidance provided by the Applicant Countries.   Implementation The project will be implemented in four phases: Phase 1: Inception During this phase, the REC will carry out the following tasks: Mobilize experts with relevant expertise; Collect information on the ongoing process of drafting the 6th EAP; Establish contacts with key individuals at Ministries of Environment in the Applicant Countries, EU Member States and at the European Commission; Finalize the methodology for making the Applicant Countries' contribution; Build a core group of 3-5 key individuals representing CEE stakeholders who will provide guidance throughout the project implementation. Phase 2: CEE Consultations After preliminary consultations with the members of the core group, which will be carried out via email, phone and fax, a workshop will be organized at the REC in Szentendre to discuss possible contributions, building on the experience and specifics of Central and Eastern Europe. Approximately 20 participants will take part, representing all Applicant Countries. The workshop will be chaired and facilitated by the REC staff. It is expected that the workshop will identify key areas where Applicant Countries' contribution to the 6th EAP is relevant, give input to those areas and provide further guidance to the project team and the core group. Results of the workshop will be compiled and disseminated throughout the relevant institutions in the Applicant Countries and additional comments will be solicited. Phase 3: Drafting the contributions Using the results of the workshop and additional comments provided by the stakeholders, a process of finalising the contributions will begin. This will be done through a synthesis of materials collected during the previous phase and through several rounds of commenting among the members of the core group. The final outcome of this phase will be a draft paper outlining the main issues to serve as input into the 6th EAP and, if applicable, it will contain exact wording agreed among the Applicant Countries. Phase 4: European Union Consultations Once consensus is reached within the core group on the key contributions to the 6th EAP, the REC will contact representatives of the EU Member States and the European Commission in order to discuss the best possible use of the contributions provided by the Applicant Countries in drafting the 6th EAP. It is expected that extensive travel will have to be conducted by the members of the project team in order to carry out the described consultations and to participate in the main stages of the 6th EAP drafting process. The implementation plan, as described above, may have to be amended, given the possible changes and time schedule in the drafting process of the 6th EAP. Also, the recommendations of members of the core group and of the European Commission will be taken into consideration when drafting the final methodology (see Phase 1).   Specific outputs The project team will provide altogether 154 work days of input. The following tangible results will be produced throughout the implementation of this project, subject to final methodology approach: Final project methodology outline; Core Group consisting of three to five representatives from the Applicant Countries (Ministry of Environment); Workshop for 20 participants from the Applicant Countries to be held in Szentendre, Hungary; Workshop proceedings; Records of individual discussions carried out with representatives of Applicant Countries; Draft paper with the Applicant Countries' contributions to the 6th EAP; and Records of discussions carried out with representatives of the EU Member States and the European Commission.

Project Home Page Send in your contributions Discuss the contributions About the Project Follow the project implementation                                                                       Sponsored by: European Commission, Directorate General Environment REC Contact: Miroslav Chodak mchodak@rec.org