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CONTENTS: PAN EUROPEAN
Chernobyl nuclear plant to close by year's end
Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma announced June 5 that the Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Plant, site of a deadly nuclear accident in 1986, will close
permanently on Dec. 15, according to reports. The plan was announced in
Kiev, Ukraine, during a visit by U.S. President Bill Clinton, and at the
same time Clinton announced additional assistance of USD 78 million from
the U.S. for the Chernobyl sarcophagus project, which will reconstruct and
stabilise the structure that covers the ruined Reactor Four at the
Chernobyl plant, according to a report from Environment News Service (ENS). NEWS FOR JOURNALISTS Web database lists 1,000 CEE environmental experts for interviews
The Media Source Directory, a list containing contact information for
more than 1,000 environmental experts from around
the region is officially online in a convenient database. Produced by the
Media Information Service of the Regional Environmental Center for Central
and Eastern Europe, (REC) the database is meant to help journalists find
English speaking professional interview sources who can discuss the
environment of the region with expertise. The database, available on the
web, lets users search for experts by country, by area of speciality and
by sector (academic, business, government or NGO). OSI offers journalism internships in Slovenia
The Open Society Institute office in Slovenia is seeking applicants
from southeastern Europe and European Union candidate countries for its
media internship program, according to a freely circulated e-mail,
received May 27. Interns will participate in a one-or-two-week study visit
to media organisations and media-related institutions in Slovenia, with
travel and accommodation paid and a daily allowance of USD 30, the
announcement said. The deadline for applications was listed as June 15. AROUND THE REGION Wallstrom, CEE environment ministers set summit at REC birthdayEuropean Commission Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom will meet with environment ministers from around the region in Szentendre, Hungary, to discuss environment and EU accession matters at a summit timed to coincide with the June 17-20 celebration of the 10th birthday of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC). Wallstrom and the ministers are scheduled to give a 1:45 pm. June 19 press conference about their meetings, which will take place at the REC's head office in Szentendre. Other events scheduled to take place during the REC's anniversary celebration include a meeting between EC officials and NGO representatives from the region and a business leaders' lunch with Wallstrom. Lower Danube states sign pact to restore Danube, Black Sea wetlands
Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova signed
accords on June 5 in Bucharest to restore flood plains and wetlands in the
River Danube and Black Sea and create a river delta protected area, according
to a Reuters report. Environment ministers from the four countries signed the
first accord to create the Lower Danube Green Corridor, intended to add some
300,000 hectares to the existing protected areas of 773,166 hectars, said the
report, which was carried by Envirolink News Service. Romania to temporarily close polluting plant
Romanian Environment Minister Romica Tomescu said on May 22 that the
chemical plant at Turnu Magurele, Romania, which has frequently polluted the
Bulgarian town of Nikopol across the Danube River, will be "temporarily
shut down" for repairs, according to a report from Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty. Part of the plant was closed in November 1999, after
ammonia levels in Nikopol reached 20 times the permitted level, the report
said. Latvian population drops in 1999According to figures released by the Latvian Statistics Department on 30 May, Latvia's population dropped by some 15,200 last year, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Latvia's total population currently stands at 2.4 million, the report said. The leading cause of death was accidents, and the second was suicide, with 764 individuals taking their own lives, down by 75 from 1998, the report said. However, the birth rate rose for the first time since 1988: 19,400 children were born in 1999, the report said. The number of reported abortions stood at 18,000 in 1999, down by 1,900 from 1998, while 39 percent of children were born out of wedlock, the report said. Contact: Latvian Environment Minister Vents Balodis, tel: (371) 702-6400. Estonian environment ministry one of 4 told to speed reforms
The Estonian government on May 31 said that four ministries - environment,
agriculture, social affairs, and transportation and communications -- need to
speed up the implementation of the European Integration Action Plan, according
to a June 1 report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The government said
the four ministries must make a "serious effort" in the summer to
catch up in order to maintain Estonia's plans for EU entry by the end of 2002,
the report said. Press can tour new Estonian hazardous waste facility
The press is invited for a June 12 tour and opening ceremony at Estonia's
new Vaivara hazardous waste treatment facilities, according to an e-mail
announcement. The European Union and Denmark provided substantial
international assistance for the construction of Vaivara Transfer/Reloading
Station and Secure Landfill, and it is now ready for operation, the
announcement said. Those interested can also get free transportation to the
plant from Tallinn, the announcement said. EBRD meeting in Riga prompts environmental protestsFour members of Greenpeace were detained and questioned by police in Riga,
Latvia, on May 22, outside Congress House, where the annual meeting of the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was still in session,
according to a May 23 report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The
protesters, who would not be charged, were removed for staging an unsanctioned
demonstration against the EBRD's plans to finance the construction of two
nuclear power stations in Ukraine, the report said. The previous day, 20
protestors from the local Environmental Protection Club gathered outside
Congress House, holding posters that called for the prevention of "globalisation"
and "financial totalitarianism" the report said. EU signs loan for Bulgarian nuclear modernisation
Pedro Solbes, EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, has signed
a USD 212 million loan for the modernisation of Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear
power plant, according to a May 30 report from Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty. The same day, the Bulgarian River Shipping Corporation warned that
the country's idle Danube ship owners will not survive more delays in clearing
the Yugoslav section of the river, the report said. The corporation's
executive director, Dimitar Stanchev, who said the ship owners already
suffered too much last winter, was responding to an earlier statement of a
Danube Commission official, who had said in Budapest that the reopening of the
waterway navigation system will be delayed by one year, the report said. Austrian provincial government pledges money to fight Temelin
The province of Upper Austria has set aside AUS 16 million, or roughly USD
8 million, for activities in opposition of the completion of the Temelin
nuclear power plant in South Bohemia, Czech Republic, according to a May
25 report from Radio Prague.
About Green Horizon"Green Horizon" is a free newsletter
designed to help journalists stay ahead of environmental news
in Central and Eastern Europe. We 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 Regional Environmental Center for Central
and Eastern Europe. To join the mailing list: Send e-mail to:
GreenHorizon@rec.org. Funded by the European Commission's DG-XI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. |
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