G E T T I N G  A H E A D

  This summer, the European Commission adopted Agenda 2000 in an attempt to outline the development of the European Union and its policies beyond the turn of the century, its financial framework and the impact of enlargement in Central and Eastern Europe.

  Agenda 2000 attempts to explain the way the European Commission considers the various applications for membership, the main issues raised by those applications and the timetable for starting negotiations. The document draws the main conclusions and recommendations from these opinions and presents the Commission's views on initiating the accession negotiation process.

  Eight chapters have been discussed in Agenda 2000. They include: external dimension, economic impact of enlargement, structural funds, agricultural policy, internal market and monetary union, horizontal policies (including culture, education and training), justice and home affairs, and sectoral policies.

  It is important for environmental trainers working in the region to understand the key points of Agenda 2000 because it will affect the future training needs of the countries that have been considered for EU membership, namely the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.

  On the whole, enlargement should benefit EU consumers by increasing their choices and by improving industrial and consumer regulations in acceding countries. Research and development institutions are also expected to benefit from the inclusion of countries with an important scientific potential, and all countries can look forward to increased energy resources and improved transportation and communication.

  The countries seeking to join the EU can also offer significant human and natural resources that can contribute to the union's strength when competing in world markets. However, the addition of more agricultural enterprises to those already receiving financial support from the EU administration poses a potential setback in enlarging the alliance. A reorientation of the Common Agricultural Policy, with less focus on price support and more on direct income, rural development and environmental policy has been suggested. The final impact of the enlargement on the internal market will largely depend on the extent of economic benefits resulting from the enlargement itself.

  The potential new member states, which all face severe environmental problems, will present a challenge to EU policy in the field of the environment. The gap between potential and present members in the levels of environmental protection will gradually have to be bridged. One major way this may be achieved is through the provision of environmental training in the countries of accession. Massive investment is envisioned mainly in the public utility sectors for water, energy and waste, but also by enterprises. A major effort will also be needed in the development and training of the administrative structures for implementation and enforcement of EU environmental regulations.

  The social policy of a larger European Union would also have to address the acute social problems of some potential new members, including unemployment and public health. Investment in human resources will be imperative, and the adaptation of the acceding countries to the EU's existing social policies will be needed. The European social model ultimately could be set back by insufficiently developed vocational training networks and by the large number of citizens who have a standard of living below the EU average.

  No major problems are envisioned from the participation of acceding countries in the EU's cultural, educational and training activities; but new members are likely to require significant amounts from EU programs and structural funds. Cooperation among member states is encouraged and, if necessary, support will be provided through programs such as Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Youth for Europe and Kaleidoscope. Sustained cooperation in the run-up period to accession (i.e. from now until 2001 or beyond) will contribute to improving the viability and efficiency of these sectors.

  While Small and Medium-sized enterprises will be exposed to competitive pressure, enlargement will offer additional business opportunities in this sector. Legislative alignment will be necessary for the audio-visual sector to improve the technical infrastructure and to avoid distortions in competition. Similarly, although the union's fisheries resources will not increase substantially, some of the acceding countries have problems with over-fishing, and restructuring is therefore needed.