N E T W O R K I N G
As the environmental picture changes more and more throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), so do the training needs in each of the countries. While a number of Central European countries are approaching European Union membership, others in the region continue to address training needs through their national context. A regional approach to environmental training is one way to fulfill both national and international training needs. Such an approach has been undertaken by 13 leading environmental training institutions in CEE.
In 1994, the Environmental Management and Training Center Network (EMTC Network) was established in an attempt to successfully meet the training needs in CEE through a coordinated regional approach. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) originated the idea, and the Regional Environmental Center (REC) took responsibility for coordinating the network. In its three years of existence, the network has borne a number of interesting and fruitful experiences.
One of the most important aspects of the EMTC Network is the joint implementation of training seminars. Training material is provided to each of the member institutions and is later adapted to each country's situation and translated into each institution's working language. This procedure enables EMTCs to tackle training needs in the region while finding out in their own countries where such training is needed, by whom, and how it will be used later. After a "hands-on" experience with national training issues, each institution becomes able to understand and address regional training needs.
Bilateral cooperation is another way member institutions provide training. The desire of many Central European countries to join the European Union has opened up a whole new area of joint cooperation to provide training on EU environmental issues. Training on EU environmental policy, regulations and standards for municipal authorities in the Danube river basin is one such example, while a great deal of other related issues continue to exist.
An electronic bulletin board set up at the REC has made it easier for member institutions to share their experiences. This has helped them identify and pinpoint problem areas, such as those related to training implementation, as well as contribute to debates on training issues in the region. In addition, a monthly information sheet on Training, Management and Funding (TMF) is sent to each of the member institutions to provide new information that can be used by the trainers.
Consideration of the dual membership structure of the EMTC Network - that is, those members exclusively established and those already existing - brought to light a number of interesting observations. For example, the organizations established within the EMTC Network are less likely to be ready to assist in selfsustaining the network. The issue of sustainability of the network was addressed to identify whether such a network will continue to meet the changing training needs in the region.
Sustainability is needed if the EMTC Network is to continue its mission independently from any future potential clients. The introduction of a participation module fee is one way the EMTCs may become financially sustainable. But there are a number of difficulties with charging fees, especially in view of the nonprofit status these organizations bear in their home countries.
Nearly all the member organizations said the network has helped them achieve their individual mandates. Therefore, the member organizations widely support a central coordinated unit that would serve in the following manner:
After confirming the need for a coordination unit, participants debated the need for new members, and the discussion shifted toward criteria for new training institutions. Future network members will most likely be institutions that provide environmental training as part of their mandate, have gained a thorough experience in environmental training, and will comply with the network's mission.
The EMTC Network will increasingly face challenges in the future. While the member institutions continue to strengthen the network, they must also work to sustain the network's coordination unit. The commitment of the EMTCs to support such a unit demonstrates their willingness to strengthen their partnership, which in turn will better enable them to provide training at all levels - local, national and international. At the next EMTC Network Meeting, to be held in September in Romania, member institutions will join forces and formulate an international training project based on the needs assessed and experience gained before then.
The CEE region clearly needs environmental training programs. However, whether individual training institutions can meet those needs without regional cooperation is not as clear. The EMTC Network has taken the field of environmental training one step further by providing training at a grass-roots level while actively participating in international training forums. Future challenges remain to be seen, but expanding the network further may be one direction the EMTC Network wishes to explore.
