November 2, 1998 * Volume 1, Number 13
A R O U N D T H E R E G I O N
Activists oppose plan to hold Winter Olympics in Slovak Tatras
Saying they fear damage to the "sensitive ecosystems" of national parks, a group of environmental activists wrote an appeal to the International Olympics Committee, opposing plans to hold Winter Olympic Games (WOG) in the Poprad-Tatry region of Slovakia in 2006. The appeal, which is being circulated to the general public by an e-mail dated Oct. 20, states in part: "Organising of WOG in national parks and even in the territory of national nature reserves should be in direct contradiction to some Slovak laws." The statement also complained of inadequate public participation in the decision to seek Winter Games in Slovakia: "The Candidacy of Poprad-Tatry was a political act, not being officially discussed with all relevant environmental bodies. The attitude of all influential environmental NGOs in Slovakia is common in refusal of organising WOG in the Tatras." The appeal lists the Society for Sustainable Living in Slovakia as its return address, but it also contains a list of 50 e-mail "signatories," who come from a diverse group of organisations from around the world. The appeal is also posted on the web site of Slovakia's Society for Sustainable Living at: http://www.fns.uniba.sk/zp/stuz/eng/movz.htm.
Contact: Society for Sustainable Living, tel/fax: (421-7) 531-3968; email: huba@savba.savba.sk.
Oil slick discovered off Latvian coast
An oil slick of several kilometres in length appeared off Latvia's western coast near the Baltic Sea port of Ventspils, said Reuters, citing reports appearing in the local media on Oct. 26. According to Reuters, the slick was discovered Oct. 24, but its cause had not been determined when the initial reports appeared. Authorities said clean-up operations began immediately and were expected to last several days, according to Reuters. The tree-covered coastline in that area of Latvia is relatively untouched, Reuters said. Ventspils, home to Ventspils Nafta oil terminal, is the busiest port in Latvia.
Contact: Latvian Environment Minister Anatolijs Gorbunovs, tel: (371-7) 026-400; or Girts Strazdins Environmental Protection Club of Latvia, tel: (371-7) 226-042; e-mail: vak@vak.org.lv.
Deadly wind, high water hit Czech Republic
Fierce winds, occasionally reaching speeds of more than 100 km per hour, battered the Czech Republic for at least three days, killing one person, injuring several and causing widespread damage throughout the country, according to an Oct. 30 Radio Prague report. The gusts caused a tree to fall onto a car on Prague's largest highway on Oct. 28, killing a passenger and severely injuring the driver and a child, the report said. Meanwhile, according to Radio Prague, flood alerts were in force in many parts of the Czech Republic as of Oct. 31, after several days of heavy rain created potentially dangerous situations - especially in the upper reaches of the River Elbe near the East Bohemian town of Hradec Kralove, where the Elbe meets several smaller rivers.
Contact: Czech interior ministry: (420-2) 335-1111; or Czech environment ministry, tel: (420-2) 6712-2040.
E U A C C E S S I O N A N D P A N - E U R O P E A N N E W S
Topic list for major environment and health conference takes shape
Organisers are already determining which key issues will be on the table when top environment and health officials from around the world gather to discuss the environment and health of Europe this summer. The Third Ministerial conference on Environment and Health, a summit which is expected to include ministers from all 51 states in the European region that belong to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is to take place in London in June. According to a statement from WHO, the main issues are water and transport: "A new legally binding Protocol on water and health is being proposed. . . . [and] ministers from all 51 member states in WHO's European region, are asked to sign a charter on transport and health. New issues have been proposed and accepted in the last six months, namely climate change and its effect on human health; and environment and child health." The "London99" summit is expected to include health and environment ministers and some transport ministers, as well as NGO participation via a special parallel event, the statement said. Journalists, and others, who want to keep track of developments leading up to London99 are encouraged to join the WHO's new Environment and Communication Network by contacting Viv Taylor Gee, e-mail: vge@who.dk.
NGO coalition urges tougher nuclear standards
for accession nations
A coalition of environmental groups said on Oct. 28 that Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations should not be allowed to join the European Union unless they achieve higher nuclear safety standards, according to the Environmental Data Services (ENDS) daily newsletter. The activists said in a report, issued in Brussels, that the accession process is the best opportunity the EU will have to have an affect on nuclear safety in the CEE, according to ENDS. The EU has developed a list of specific environmental requirements that must be met by the EU accession nations before they can be accepted, but this list does not include very detailed requirements about nuclear safety standards. While EU officials have said that they intend to insist that CEE nations achieve nuclear standards on par with their own, the coalition, consisting of EU Enlargement Watch and several other NGOs, reportedly said this was not enough. EU Enlargement Watch and its partners want the EU to oblige CEE countries to set "immediate" closure dates for their older, first-generation reactors, which pose the greatest safety risks, according to the ENDS report.
Contact: EU Enlargement Watch, tel: (44-171) 923-0412.
J O U R N A L I S M N E W S
English-language monthly in Prague seeks environmental stories
"Transitions," a Prague-based, English-language monthly magazine covering Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, has sent an announcement encouraging writers to submit stories on environmental issues. Contributions from in- country authors are especially welcomed, and need not be in English, the announcement said. Stories can range from short, news-related items of 500-700 words or longer features of 1,500- 2,500 words, the announcment said.
Contact: Executive Editor Kees Schaepman, e-mail: schaepmank@ijt.cz.
Online database lists hundreds of local
environmental contacts in CEE
A new database accessible via the web lists more than 500 people responsible for environmental concerns in town and city governments all around the ten "accession nations" of Central and Eastern Europe. According to an e-mail announcement, the database was put together as part of the Coordinated Action for Pan-European Transport and Environment Telematics Implementation Support (CAPE) project, which aims to encourage the implementation of telematics technologies among local and regional authorities across Europe. Telematics applications use networks of computers, telecommunication systems and other technologies to help local authorities manage environmental and transportation issues. The database put together for this project is an excellent way to find local environmental specialists in large towns and cities anywhere in the nations of the region which are in line for membership in the European Union: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. To search the CAPE database check out: http://www.rec.org/REC/Databases/LocGov/LocGovFind.html.
For more information on the CAPE project, see: http://www.rec.org/REC/Programs/Telematics/CAPE.
Keep up on Buenos Aires climate change
conference via e-mail
Those who can't attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Fourth Conference of the Parties, to be held in Buenos Aires Nov. 2-13, can keep up by e-mail. This major conference, which is likely to influence international policy on greenhouse gas emissions, will be covered by The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), according to an e-mail announcement. IISD, which has raised more than USD 100,000 from ten government ministries and the UN Development Programme for its coverage, will publish daily 2,000-word issues of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) in French and English on the state of negotiations, the announcment said. In addition to daily reports, IISD will maintain its bi-lingual multimedia web site on climate change, located at http://www.iisd.ca/climate/ba/ with photos, RealAudio broadcasts of interviews and conference side events, as well as links to official documents and analyses, the announcment said. To subscribe to free e-mail reports from Buenos Aires, visit the online subscription form.
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.
