January 2001 Preparation for the capacity building workshops in Hungary and Slovenia including preparation of detailed agendas, background materials and other support materials for main topics to be discussed, final list of speakers, participants and facilitators, etc. by REC, RFF and NYU.    Background materials among others will include short discussion papers by the country consultants and a reference manual that project participants can use to easily access examples of different country practices from the United States, European Union member states and Central and Eastern European countries, corresponding to priority issues highlighted by the October scoping meeting.    The background materials are being developed by REC, RFF and NYU experts. The EU part will be prepared by the EU environmental law consultant. The reference manual will be finalized after the capacity building events based on the feedback from project partners and workshop participants.   The REC Country Office in Slovenia will be responsible for coordinating and organizing the capacity building workshop in Ljubljana. The REC CO will have several preparatory meetings with the Slovenian environmental law consultant and the representatives of the Ministry of Environment to finalize the agenda, list of participants, background materials, etc.    She will be in touch continuously with the Project Manager and the PIT. Aprroximately, 30-35 participants are expected to attend the workshop including experts from the Ministry of Environment, related agencies dealing with environmental and water issues, representatives of other ministries dealing with environmental information and NGOs. The workshop will be held in local language with translation for the foreign participants. Foreign experts will include REC, RFF and NYU experts.   The REC staff at Szentendre will organize the capacity building event in Hungary, in Szolnok on Jan. 30-31, and the Hungarian Country Office will provide advise and support. Approximately 40-45 participants will attend the Hungarian meeting including officials/experts from environmental inspectorates and water directorates, municipalities and NGOs along the Tisza river and officials from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Transport and Water Management and business representatives. The meetings will be organized in local languages with translation for the foreign participants. Foreign experts will include REC, RFF and NYU experts.   Preparations for the study tour to Netherlands, New York and Washington, D.C including selection of candidates, plane ticket and hotel reservations, developing the programmes, contacting speakers, etc. 4 Hungarian and 4 Slovenian candidates will be selected including government experts from the environment and water sector dealing public access to environmental information and 1 NGO expert from each countries. The Netherlands study tour will be organized by the REC with the help of a consultant being selected and hired to assist with the logistics and organization. The US study tour is being organized by RFF and NYU with input from the REC and the future participants.   2-day capacity building workshop to be held in Hungary, Szolnok Jan. 30-31, 2001. REC, RFF and NYU experts will travel to Szolnok previous day to prepare the event ad to participate in it. Last preparatory meetings will be held on Jan. 29 in Szolnok.   Meetings will be held with project partners from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Transport and Water Management in Hungary to discuss technical assistance and further steps in the project during and following the workshop. February 1-day capacity building workshop in Slovenia, Ljubljana, Febr. 2, 2001. The REC, RFF, NYU experts will travel by train from Hungary to Ljubljana previous day to have the last preparatory discussions.   Meetings with project partners from the Ministry of Environment in Slovenia to discuss technical assistance and further steps in the project following the workshop.   Planning and preparations by REC, RFF and NYU for the study tour to Netherlands, New York and Washington, D.C. This will include the following activities: continuing to identify the appropriate issues and sub-issues that will best address and advance the needs of the Hungarian and Slovenian participants; identify the appropriate experts in Netherlands, New York and Washington, D.C. to address these issues; prepare meetings with the identified experts to maximize the utility of study tour meetings; and prepare the identified experts for the kinds of questions and concerns that must be addressed in these meetings. Also, logistics will need to be organized.   Evaluation and minutes of the capacity building meetings to be prepared by the PIT. The minutes will be sent to the participants. The recommendations of the capacity building events will be taken into consideration in the future project activities with special regards to the guidelines to be drafted.   Finalization of the reference manual after the capacity building events based on the feedback from project partners and workshop participants.   REC, RFF and NYU will continue to be focused on furthering the activities that were identified in the needs assessments and in identifying and pursuing concrete outputs for the project including starting to develop the legal and practical guidelines and citizens’ manual. March Febr. 28- March 4, 2001 Netherlands part of the study tour. 8 participants from Hungary and Slovenia will travel to Amsterdam and have meetings before continuing their trip to the US. One REC expert responsible for the Dutch part fo the study tour will accompany the group.   March 5-March 17, 2001 US part of the study tour. 8 participants from Hungary and Slovenia will travel from Amsterdam to the US. One REC staff responsible for the US part of the study tour will accompany them.   Draft legal and practical guidelines to be prepared before the study tour. Early consultations and discussions on the guidelines during the study tour.   Evaluation of the study tour and follow-up discussions on how to utilize the lessons of the study tours in the further activities related to the project with study tour participants with the involvement of other relevant decision-makers and NGOs. Meetings with project partners, relevant decision-makers and NGOs in Hungary and in Slovenia.   Technical assistance, including comments on draft legal and practical guidelines and citizens’ manual, and other assistance requested by project partners which will become more sharply focused following the in-region national language meetings. The electronic communication/discussion list created in this quarter will be an essential part of this effort.   The Project Manager will conduct regular consultations with Hungarian and Slovenian partners in the respective ministries and in the NGO community. These will include e-mail, telephone contacts and personal meetings, travel to Slovenia and to the Hungarian country side. The above items will incur expenses related to the time of the PIT experts, consultants, travel expenses, expenses related to logistic arrangements for the capacity building events in Hungary and Slovenia and the study tour. The expenses of the US study tour will be partly covered by another contribution to NYU from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

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