Belgrade, December 23, 2002 — Environmental groups aim to get better organised and create a stronger impact on civil society through an initiative based on electronic networking. This was the conclusion of a December 7 meeting in Belgrade concerning Volvox, an electronic network of Yugoslav environmental groups. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC); BlueLink, an information network from Bulgaria; and StrawberryNet, an NGO information network from Romania. The latter two organisations presented their experiences in electronic networking and demonstrated their respective web portals, (www.bluelink.net and www.ngo.ro) to some 50 Yugoslav NGO members of Volvox. Milena Georgieva, from BlueLink, said it was important that NGOs exchange information on the regional level through electronic networks. “The countries of the Balkan region have a lot of common environmental problems,” Georgieva told Ekoforum. “They can cooperate to solve them and one country can learn from the other through the exchange of experience.” Radoje Lausevic, director of REC country office in Yugoslavia, said the goal of Volvox was to “enhance exchange of information between NGOs concerning their programmes, members and experts; to facilitate access to donor organisations, fees and grants; and to enable more effective organisation of campaigns to influence government.” (Story by Jovana Bukeljovic, Ekoforum)   ABOUT SEE ENVIRONMENT WATCH SEE Environment Watch is an electronic newsletter designed to keep journalists informed about interesting environmental stories developing in South Eastern Europe (SEE). It is sent to everyone on the Green Horizon mailing list. SEE Environment Watch is published by the Regional Environmental Press Center, which has the goal of encouraging more press coverage of environmental issues in the SEE region by making sure journalists are well informed about these issues. This newsletter is designed to assist in that goal by disseminating information. The Press Center, which has an office in Skopje, Macedonia and correspondents in all the countries and territories of the SEE region, also publishes a website and answers individual journalist's queries sent to <ecopress@ecopresscenter.org>. The Regional Environmental Press Center is funded by the government of the Netherlands. The project is being administered in cooperation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and the Environmental Press Centre, Skopje.

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