Feb. 19, 1999 * Volume 1 Number 18
CONTENTS:
A R O U N D T H E R E G I O N
Hungary's death toll hits 18 as harsh weather wracks region
Extraordinary weather this month claimed at least 18 lives in Hungary, Arpad Banki of the National Police Command told the Hungarian news agency, MTI, on Feb. 14. Some of the victims froze to death and others were killed on snow-covered roads due to careless driving, according to an MTI report. On Feb. 13, about 450 Hungarian villages were cut off by snow, but the situation improved quickly over the next few days, according to MTI. Snow and strong winds have been hitting the region since early February. On Feb. 4, winds of up to 150 km/hour were registered in the Czech town of Usti nad Labem, according to Radio Prague. In some areas of the Czech Republic electricity supplies were temporarily cut off, while heavy snow caused the police to close down sections of road near the German border around Karlovy Vary, Radio Prague said. Contact: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, tel: (420-2) 401-6503 or (420-2) 409-5111; fax: (420-2) 401-0800; or Dr. Judit Moser of the Hungarian environment ministry's press office, tel: (36- 1) 201-2619.
Estonia to tax utilities for carbon dioxide emissions
The Estonian parliament on Feb. 9 passed a pollution-tax law enacting high taxes on emissions, according to a report from Baltic News Service (BNS). The law requires large power companies, which are already paying pollution taxes under previous legislation, to pay an additional "carbon dioxide" tax starting next year, the report said. According to BNS, the business newspaper "Aripaev" estimates that the new law will raise the tax burden of the three power plants owned by the national energy utility from the current 40 million kroons to approximately 150 million kroons (USD 10.85 million). Contact: Estonian utility Eesti Energia, tel: (372-6) 252-222; fax: (372-6) 252-200; e-mail: info@energia.ee; web: http://www.energia.ee/; or Estonian Green Movement, tel: (372-7) 462-532; fax: (372-7) 462-084; e-mail: oja@erl.ew.ee.
Estonian forestry quotas debated at seminar
At a Feb. 12-13 seminar, Estonian forestry officials and members of the Estonian Green Movement debated how many trees should be cut down in their country each year, according to an Estonian TV journalist. Andres Talijarv, director of the National Forestry Board, argued "there is no reason to make limitations for cutting a mature forest," while Rein Ahas, the head of the forest group of Estonian Green Movement, argued that no one has done enough research to determine the actual growth of the forest or what level of cutting is reasonable, according to a report from Riho Vastrik, a news editor for Estonian Television. The export of wood, wood products, paper and furniture formed 17.5 percent of the total export capacity of Estonia, and Talijarv said forest exports could grow -- but Ahas maintained that it made poor business sense to rely heavily on wood exports because other parts of the world could produce much of the wood at a lower price, Vastrik reported. Contact: Dr. Kalle Karoles, director, Estonian Forest Research Institute, tel: (372-7) 436-375; fax: (372-7) 436-381; or Estonian Forest Survey Center, tel: (372-2) 539-876; or Estonian Green Movement, tel: (372-7) 462-532; fax: (372-7) 462-084; e-mail: oja@erl.ew.ee.
Macedonian environmentalists oppose imports of Greek coal
Macedonian environmentalists have voiced strong objection to a deal to import high-sulphur lignite coal from Greece, according to a Feb. 18 report from Environmental News Service. Macedonia hopes to make an annual profit of USD 10 million from the deal, which would see Macedonia import 600,000 to 1.6 million tonnes of the coal per year and then sell Greece electricity generated by burning the coal at a plant in Bitola, Macediona's second-largest town, the report said. But environmentalists complain that the lignite coal was not utilised in Greece because Greek environmental standards do not permit it to be burned, the report said. This lignite has 2.8 times more sulphur than other forms of coal, and, experts warn, the ore coming from Greece will leave 41 percent more cinders after burning, according to the report. Contact: Molika-DOM Environmental Movement (Dvizene za okolinata Molika-DOM), tel: (389-97) 48-469; fax: (389-97) 48-469; e-mail: molika@mpt.com.mk; or Vasil Tupurkoski, director, Macedonian Agency for Revival and Development.
Lithuania bike tour promotes environmental awareness
The Zvejone Environmental Club/Bicycle Information Center and the Lithuanian Cyclists Community are holding their annual environmental cycling tour through southeastern Lithuania July 16-25, according to a report from Environmental Network News. The tour aims to promote protection of cultural heritage and ecological ideas in Lithuania while using a sustainable mode of transportation. On the trip, cyclists ride through the Lithuanian countryside while learning about the nature, history and culture of the country, the report said. In addition, the tour will travel through two national parks -- Dzukija and Trakai -- and five regional parks, including valuable ecological areas such as the Nemunas river curves and the Veisejai lake district, the report said. Contact: Mr. Saulius Ruzinskas, (370-6) 310-870; email: zvejone@klaipeda.omnitel.net.
Bardot lends support for Hungarian wolves
Former film star and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot is to step in to help save a family of wolves in southern Hungary, according to a Feb. 17 report carried by Agence France Presse. Hunters want to target the wolves, which have been picking on sheep in the Kiskunsag National Wildlife Park in southern Hungary since last May, when they strayed, probably from Romania, the report said. Bardot says she backs the park authorities who have refused to grant official permission to kill the animals, and was quoted as saying: "I shall consult my advisers about the situation, on how we could save the wolf family." The head of the park, Istvan Tolgyesi, issued a ban on shooting them last week, according to Hungarian newspaper Blikk. Contact: Brigitte Bardot Foundation, tel : (33-1) 4505-1460; fax : (33-1) 4505-1480; e-mail: ; web: http://www.fondationbrigittebardot.fr/uk/index.html; or Dr. Judit Moser of the Hungarian environment ministry's press office, tel: (36- 1) 201-2619.
T R A N S P O R T
Conference to cover transport and environment in Baltics
A conference on sustainable transport solutions in the Baltic region has been scheduled for March 5-6 in Stockholm, Sweden. According to an announcement distributed by e-mail, the objectives of the international NGO seminar are: to identify obstacles and opportunities to shipping as an environmentally sound alternative to roadway traffic in the Baltic Sea Region; and to develop common positions among the environmental NGOs around the Baltic Sea in order to promote long-term sustainable solutions for goods exchange, especially between the Baltic region and continental Europe. Contact: Susanne Ortmanns, tel: (46-8) 644-5270; fax: (46-8) 644-6340 e-mail: susanne.ortmanns@stockholm.snf.se.
Montenegro backs Adriatic road project
President Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro told Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos in Podgorica on Feb. 10 that his government supports the construction of the proposed Adriatic highway, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The road, which is being promoted by Greek officials, would link Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia and Italy, and planners say it would facilitate travel and shipments. Contact: Montenegro Ministry of Environmental Protection, tel: (381-81) 25-726, Milica Kadic, public relations; or Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Ministry for the Economy, tel: (381-11) 695-734.
E U A C C E S S I O N / P A N E U R O P E A N
Electricity consumption expected to accelerate
Electricity consumption in both Western and Eastern Europe is expected to accelerate in the next decade, according to a study published by the UNIPEDE-EURPROG workgroup and reported by Radio Prague on Feb. 16. The report said the demand for electricity in Europe is expected to go up by 17.3 percent, an acceleration of 0.6 percent when compared to the previous decade. In Central and Eastern Europe, the acceleration figure is expected to reach 2.5 percent, the report said. The UNIPEDE-EURPROG workgroup has been issuing reports on expected and real development in the energy sector since 1970. Contact: UNIPEDE, tel: (32-2) 515-1000; e-mail: unipede@unipede.org; web: http://www.unipede.org/.
Minister: Poland must increase environmental spending
Poland must spend USD 550 million more each year on improving the environment to meet European Union standards by 2010, the nation's environment minister told Reuters in an interview published Feb. 17. Minister Jan Szyszko noted that Poland spent more than EURO 2 billion (USD 2.2 billion) on environmental measures in 1997, but added that it was not enough, Reuters reported. Szyszko refused to confirm that Poland was requesting a 10-year delay in implementing EU environmental rules as part of membership negotiations, saying "at the moment talks are being held and it's too early to say what we have requested," according to the Reuters report. But Polish press and Brussels diplomats say the EU will have to grant Poland some grace period on meeting environmental legislation, Reuters reported. Contact: Environment Minister Jan Szyszko, tel: (48-22) 253-355 or (48-22) 251-111.
N U C L E A R R O U N D U P
Lithuanian plant may operate for more than 10 years
Lithuania's controversial Ignalina nuclear power station may continue to operate for more than a decade under the country's new draft energy strategy, according to reports. One variant of the strategy envisages the plant operating until the end of its design life -- between 2009 and 2014, according to a Feb. 10 report by ENDS Environmental Daily newsletter. The alternative is the "early" closure of the plant, with compensation provided by the European Union and "domestic sources," the ENDS report said. The strategy implies that the early closure of Ignalina could happen by 2005, a report by Reuters said. A study by Swedish firm Grufman Reje, made in conjunction with a local energy institute, found the closure of the reactors would cost Lithuania USD 3.3 billion-USD 3.9 billion in lost opportunities alone, Reuters reported. Still, there is financial pressure for Lithuania to close the plant, as EU officials have said that a timeline for closure of the plant should be a pre-condition for Lithuania to enter EU accession talks. Lithuania is the world's most nuclear-energy-dependent country, meeting 80 percent of its power needs with nuclear power. Contact: Lithuanian environmental spokeswoman Natalija Gedvilaite, tel: (370-2) 723-251; e-mail: Leidybos.biuras@nt.gamta.lt.
Bulgaria praised for upgrades at nuclear plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Jan. 28 that the controversial Kozloduy nuclear energy plant has made "considerable progress in the areas of safety," according to an Associated Press report carried by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. IAEA deputy chief Zygmund Domaratzki said the main challenge is to maintain that level of safety, the report said. The Bulgarian government has refused requests from the West to close any of the four older reactors at the plant before their 30-year lifespans are over. The plant is Soviet-designed but Bulgaria has invested in costly upgrades by such Western companies as Siemens and Westinghouse. Contact: Bulgarian Atomic Energy Committee, tel: (359-2) 720-217; or Polina Kireva of Ecodefense in Sofia, tel: (359) 265-8216.
J O U R N A L I S M N E W S
Last chance to apply for free radio journalism course
Feb. 19 is set as the deadline for applying for a free, English-language course on radio journalism, set to begin March 8 in Budapest, at the Center for Independent Journalism, according to an announcement. The four-week long intensive training introduces students into the BBC's techniques of reporting and news editing. Contact: the Center for Independent Journalism, tel: (361) 317-5448; e-mail: cij@mail.datanet.hu.
Waste-to-energy lecture at CEU in Budapest
The next lecture in the public lecture series offered by the Environmental Sciences and Policy Department of Central European University is to be held on March 9 and cover the topic of converting waste to energy, according to an announcement. G. Edward Someus of the Thermal Desorption Technology Group has prepared a lecture entitled "The Advanced Environmental Capacity and Economical Efficiency of the Thermal Desorption Technology: Sustainable Waste to Clean Energy," the announcement said. Contact: Environmental Sciences and Policy Department of Central European University, e-mail: Envsci@ceu.hu.
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.
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