July 20, 1998 * Volume 1, Number 6
A R O U N D T H E R E G I O N
Historical pact on BiH environmental cooperation
In a voluntary move to cooperate peacefully for the benefit of their own environments, the environment ministers of the two "Entities" of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on July 14 signed an agreement to work together, according to a press release. The signing of the "Szentendre Agreement" -- one of the most far-reaching agreements signed to date between the two Entities -- took place at the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) in Szentendre, Hungary. Under the Dayton Peace Agreement, the environment was not mentioned as a responsibility of BiH, but left in the hands of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the two Entities which comprise BiH. By signing the agreement, the two Entities officially chose to cooperate in harmonising their environmental policies for the BiH state, according to the press release, issued by the REC and the Office of the High Representative, which is overseeing implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The environmental policy of the Entities will be guided by a joint committee, which will receive expertise and support from the REC.
Contact: Steve Stec, REC, tel: (36-26) 504-000; view full press release on web at: http://www.rec.org
Chinoin to build safety pool after toxic spill in Danube
French-owned Hungarian pharmaceuticals company Chinoin Rt. said on July 9 it would construct a one-billion-forint (USD 4.7 million) emergency retention pool following a toxic chemical spill in May, according to Reuters. Chinoin Rt. has officially taken responsibility for the damage caused by a spill of insecticide into the Danube, and may be liable for compensation payments of 50 million forints (USD 237,000), Reuters reported. The emergency pool, which Chinoin officials said was planned years ago, would catch overflows, the report said.
Contact: Chinoin, tel: (36-1) 169-0900, fax: (36-1) 169-0293, e-mail: tkelly@interchem.com
NGOs cooperate for Danube
Environmental nongovernmental organizations are pooling resources for the sake of the Danube River, thanks to workshops held in conjunction with the Danube Pollution Reduction Programme. "The overall long-term goal of the Pollution Reduction Programme is to stimulate sustainable, institutional and financial arrangements for effective environmental management of the Danube River Basin," according to a statement from the Regional Environmental Center of Central and Eastern Europe (REC). The REC is coordinating NGO participation in the programme, the statement said. The programme involves more than 50 stakeholders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. NGOs should be a driving force behind the programme, but there were concerns that they were not involved enough, the REC statement said. To remedy the situation, the REC is holding workshops in the nations involved, so that NGO members can network and learn how they can contribute. The national workshops, held in 11 countries of the Danube basin and started in April, will wrap up this month, the statement said.
Contact: Entela Pinguli, REC, tel: (36-26) 504-000.
N U C L E A R R O U N D U P
Top expert: Mochovce OK so far
Wolfgang Kromp, the head of an international team of nuclear facility experts, said July 15 that Slovakia's Mochovce power plant passed initial safety inspections, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. A U.S. member of the team said the plant's safety nearly equals that of plants in the West, the report said. Austria has objected to the opening of the Mochovce plant.
Contact: plant operators Slovenske Elektrarne, tel (42-17) 569-1111; or Dr. Martin Bartenstein, Austrian environment minister, tel: (43-1) 313-040.
Institute's report on web
The Vienna-based Institute of Risk Research has made its final report on Slovakia's Mochovce plant available on the web. To download the report, go to: http://www.irf.univie.ac.at/.
U.S., Romania to cooperate
The U.S. government on July 15 approved an agreement for cooperation between the United States and Romania on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, according to Environment News Service. The agreement is to allow transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Romania.
Contact: Romanian Environment Ministry, tel: (40-1) 631-6146.
Bulgarian malfunction reported
Operators said a "malfunction" at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant caused radiation levels at the facility to double, the Associated Press reported on July 16. Bulgaria has spent tens of millions of dollars to upgrade the plant and rejects calls by the EU to shut down, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Contact: Bulgarian Atomic Energy Committee, tel: (359-2) 720-217.
B A C K G R O U N D E R
Gauging the real environmental cost of EU accession
How much will Central and Eastern European nations have to spend on their environment in order to be ready to join the European Union? The exact answer is difficult to give, but it's likely to cost a great deal, according to two pieces in the latest issue of the "Newsletter on Green Budget Reform," published by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) in its role as Secretariat of the Sofia Initiative on Economic Instruments.
EU officials have become fond of quoting a recent study which says it will cost ECU 100-120 billion (USD 132 billion) to bring environmental protection programs in 10 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) up to E U level, but this figure may be based on the wrong data, according to an article in the newsletter. Furthermore, another newsletter article points out, when figuring out the true cost of EU membership, "consideration must be given to all the costs of achieving the desired level of environmental quality, rather that just to compliance."
The estimate of ECU 100-120 billion comes from a report entitled "Compliance Costing for Approximation of EU Environmental Legislation in the CEEC," which was prepared for the European Commission. The report reviews and c ompares 15 recent studies related to estimating compliance costs of the EU environmental legislation in CEECs, according to the newsletter. The report's estimated price tag for the 10 CEE nations in the region that are cl osest to joining the EU amounts to ECU 1100 per capita. This translates to 2.9 percent of 1994 GDP in the CEECs, assuming investments are spread over 20 years, the newsletter says. According to the newsletter article, thi s report provides a lot of information, but the relevance for the approximation process is limited because several cost studies analyzed in the report are not related to EU approximation, and, different assumptions and co st indicators make results hard to compare. The newsletter article concludes that: "Thus the compatibility as well as reliability of the data are in question and additional future cost estimations may correct the picture."
Any estimation of the price of attaining EU approximation should take into account a wide range of costs, according to another article in the newsletter. The article discusses a study entitled "Cohesion Countries: Experie nce in Countries on the European Periphery," which looks at the work that Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have had to do to improve their efforts to achieve the level of environmental protection that are applied for t he rest of the EU nations. According to the article, "The report summarizes several conclusions and practical recommendations for CEECs. First, operating and maintenance costs can increase sharply as a result of investmen ts in new plants and can pose financial problems and operational constraints. Second, it is essential to institute cost recovery and the polluter pays principle to encourage innovation and efficient use. Third, desired am bient quality should be determined first, before emission standards are determined. Fourth, the planning of new measures must involve consultations with customers beforehand, in order to find out their demand for new serv ice, better quality or willingness to pay for improvement."
Contact: Read "Newsletter on Green Budget Reform" online or contact editor, Jurg Klarer, tel: (36-26) 504-000. Get "Compliance Costing for Approximation of EU Environmental Legislation in the CEEC," from DG XI, fax (32-2) 299-4123.
J O U R N A L I S M N E W S
Environment news photos on the web
The Planet Ark web page, a good source for environmental information, now hosts regularly updated environmental news pictures, courtesy of Reuters. The photos are taken by Reuters photographers from around the world. To c heck them out, go to http://www.planetark.org and click on the "News in Review" banner.
Book contributions sought
Greenleaf Publishing has announced it is seeking writers' contributions in the area of "environmental management in developing countries," to produce a book, edited by Dr. Walter Wehrmeyer and Dr. Yacob Mulugetta from the Centre for Environmental Strategy at University of Surrey in the UK. The publishers say they are looking for theoretical (but applicable and relevant) papers as well as appropriate case studies. Papers or outline abstrac ts for papers should be submitted by September, to: Dr. Wehrmeyer or Dr. Mulugetta, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, tel: (44-148) 325-9075; e-mail: w.wehrmeyer@surrey.ac.uk or y.mulugetta@surrey.ac.uk.
Ministry requests articles on Aarhus
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency, which was instrumental in organizing last month's meeting of environment ministers from around the world in Aarhus, Denmark, is seeking to gather examples of press coverage about the conference. Articles can be faxed to: Rikke K.B. Pedersen, fax: (45-32) 660-425; or call tel: (45-32) 660-100.
W H O W E A R E
About Green Horizon
Green Horizon is a free newsletter designed to help journalists stay ahead of environmental news in Central and Eastern Europe. Twice a month, we'll offer tips on upcoming stories to watch for, as well as information and ideas to help you develop in-depth pieces about the region's environment. Green Horizon is produced by the Media Information Service (MIS) of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. The goal of the MIS is to assist the media in covering environmental issues. It is funded by the European Commission's DG-XI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For a free subscription, research assistance or to find a source: Send
e-mail to: GreenHorizon@rec.org, or call Tom Popper at (36-26) 504-000, fax (36-26) 311-294.
Funded by European Commission's DG-XI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
