Introduction

The session was chaired by Johannes Mayer, who serves as Head of the Department of Information, Documentation and Library at the Federal Environment Agency in Austria. With Austria being a relatively new member of the European Union, experiences related to increasing involvement in Commission research activities and working with the EU's Framework Programme could be related. Mr. Mayer's experience in the Telematics field helped steer the course of the discussion with regards to the kind of projects that might be funded under the FP, particularly, in light of the Convention on Access to Environmental Information and Public Partnership in Environmental Decisionmaking that was signed shortly afterwards in Aarhus, Denmark at the Environmental Ministerial Conference. Mr. Mayer also stressed the necessity in maintaining a link between research projects and environmental policy priorities. The session was co-chaired by Jerome Simpson of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and DETERMINE project manager.

Speaker Presentations

Following Mr. Mayer's introduction, Gerald Fancoj of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe set a platform for discussion by presenting the results of a current REC survey on environmental policy priorities and environmental expenditures in eight CEE countries, and related environmental problems (see Appendix). The report was complemented with a survey of the demand for environmental technologies according to the key priority areas outlined above, typically air, water, and wastewater. According to Mr. Fancoj, the greatest end-users of environmental technologies are municipalities, followed by the power generation sector. One of the technologies likely to be most in demand over the coming years are monitoring technologies, as emphasis shifts to enforcement of emission standards.

In addressing priority research issues, Adrian Pascu, of the Office for European Integration, Ministry of Research and Technology, Romania defined Information Society building as one of the most important goals of the Romanian R&D national programme, particularly since it is seen as a significant means for modernising the economy, stimulating competitiveness, and improving quality of life. Investment in information communication technologies currently stands at about USD 15 per inhabitant in Romania, with a world ranking of 41^st in terms of IT development. Investments in telematics systems currently covers five key modules, including Health, Citizen and Public Administration, Environment, Transport and Industry, and Science, Culture and Education. Within the Environment sector, monitoring and forecasting of environmental quality, and management of natural and man-made emergencies and prevention of risks (using satellite imagery, remote sensing, and real-time sensors) were listed as key priorities. Mr. Pascu also emphasised the need for the development of specialised software and hardware systems in monitoring and forecasting environmental quality. Synergy with the 5^th FP was also listed as a clear objective in harmonising future activities with those of the Commission's.

Vilmos Bognar, of the National Committee for Technological Development, Hungary, briefly presented Hungary's environment related research priorities. Among these were transport pollution prevention, wastewater treatment, and noise reduction. These can also serve as areas for the development of new Telematics applications. According to Mr. Bognar, the better management of national funds and closer cooperation between different institutions is crucial to effectively meeting these needs and also ensuring the successful implementation of the 5^th FP in CEE.

Jaroslav Solc, of the Prague Environmental Information System (IOZIP), Department of Environmental Protection, Institute of Municipal Informatics of the City of Prague, Czech Republic, offered his perspective on the anticipated trends for accessing environmental information in the coming years. Sector specific references, based on the most commonly accessed and requested environmental information at the Institute of Municipal Informatics included air, water, and waste management data. Among the typically used access media are: Internet, CD-ROM, and hardcopy publications. Mr. Solc stressed the EU Directives on Access to Environmental Information and the forthcoming Convention on Public Access to Environmental Information are likely to be key milestones in assuring improved public access to environmental information in CEE which must be corresponded to by the development of appropriate Telematics technologies. Mr. Solc interpreted this trend as having a decisive impact on the uptake of the 5^th FP in CEE, though potential Telematics applications were not listed.

Bogdan Kobus, representing the State Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Jelenia Gora, Poland, outlined the environment priorities in the transboundary Black Triangle Region of Poland, and their relationship to Telematics. The Black Triangle Region has suffered considerably from the likes of acid rain, and air quality protection continues to be an environmental priority in this part of Poland. Telematics has helped to deal with the problem and can continue to do so in the future. Among the environment and research priorities identified for Poland were: energy saving systems, air quality monitoring and forecasting, water and waste management, areas which can also be served in the future by the Telematics research programme.

In concluding the panel discussion presentations, Agata Miazga, of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe presented a general overview of the characteristics of local authorities, local environmental priority issues and constraints in CEE. Based on a survey conducted among municipal authorities in Hungary and Latvia, the major environmental priorities identified are: municipal waste, sewage, air pollution, and noise from traffic. In addition, in the case of Latvia's smaller municipalities, landscape degradation and quality of drinking water were regarded as priority environmental problems (see Appendix). Ms. Miazga stated Telematics is often targeted for use and application at the local authority level, and while in EU countries, municipalities are well established and have capacity to deal with environmental problems, in CEE, environmental issues are just one of the many priority issues requiring attention. Local authorities are relatively new to environmental responsibility, with measures for environmental protection having previously been undertaken by their respective State government. In many cases unclear roles and responsibilities still exist for municipalities. According to Ms. Miazga, tight budgetary constraints prevent sufficient funding for environmental issues, not to mention funding for new technologies such as telematics. It is therefore difficult to evaluate at this early stage the potential telematics applications which might be developed under the new research programme in response to local level needs. In closing, Ms. Miazga mentioned the term itself, Telematics, as confusing to local authorities in CEE which in itself might serve as a constraint to its further uptake, an opinion echoed by other participants during the discussion. Mr. Wolfgang Boch of the European Commission DGXIII-C later responded that the Union has recently celebrated 10 years of European Telematics research in Barcelona (February 1998) and it is likely that the term telematics is to disappear and might be absorbed under FP5 by the term "Information Society Technologies".

Floor and Panel Discussion Summary

The potential Telematics project areas thus identified from speaker presentations within these priority environment areas, and for different stakeholder groups, which were later complemented by the conference floor, are listed below:

CEE Environment Priorities & Potential Telematics Projects Air Pollution & Prevention - transport pollution reduction technologies - monitoring and forecasting equipt. - energy saving systems - emergency handling systems - modeling applications Water Management - wastewater treatment technologies - ensuring water quality - emergency handling systems - monitoring and forecasting applications Waste Management - waste incineration support systems - landfill management applications - hazardous waste treatment systems Noise Reduction

Potential Telematics Projects among Different Stakeholder Groups Public Level Access - applications improving the availability of environmental information at the local level - increased use of telecottages, kiosks Experts - applications facilitating access to information on the state of the environment - improved computer based systems - applications providing good/clear information Decisionmaker Access - Telematics facilitating cooperation - applications offering opportunities for virtual workshops and datasharing - information on the state of environment

Summarising that CEE countries were on the "right track" in terms of environmental priorities, Mr. Mayer observed that problems experienced by CEE countries are similar to those occurring in Austria and elsewhere in the EU. With regard to potential Telematics applications Mr. Mayer, stated that high costs are often involved in the development of Telematics systems, and consistent with EU guidelines, it is crucial to maintain their policy relevance throughout the course of project. He also mentioned observing the necessary administrative guidelines, and ensuring that services are directed towards citizens as much as possible in order to secure and justify future decisionmaking support. Mr. Mayer then opened the discussion to the floor for comments and reaction.

Zigmas Bigelis, Director of the Center for Information Technologies at the Joint Research Center, Ministry of Environmental Protection in Lithuania, highlighted the necessity to improve the management of bureaucratic institutions both as a potential Telematics project, and as a main priority pertinent to the success of future Telematics projects.

Mr. Mayer responded by stating that bureaucratic obstacles are inevitable despite increased awareness of environmental problems and use of Telematics solutions among public authorities. As a potential area for a Telematics application in itself, he suggested not only to concentrate on the electronic means of communication while dealing with the authorities, stressing the importance of personal, human interaction in the decisionmaking process.

Raising a more generic area concerning Telematics application in CEE, Markus Spring of the Munich Department of Environment, City of Munich questioned telecommunication costs and their impact on the performance and use of Telematics projects. In response Mr. Mayer suggested active lobbying for more intelligent European telecom policies, citing once again the North American approach as a good example. Affirming Mr. Mayer's statement Ms. Miazga briefly outlined Polish conditions where some elements of price reduction have already been introduced enabling broader access to the Internet for the general public.

Staying with the broader telecommunications issue, Nigel Robson, of ARTTIC and the Telematics support project, ANIMATE, suggested further investment and development of infrastructure as a priority for the 5th FP. Mentioning the continuous fall of new technology prices, he recommend the use of newer and more sophisticated solutions to resolve existing constraints.

Supporting Mr. Robson's statement, Johannes Mayer described the United Nations Environmental Programme network (UNEPNet) initiative for creating satellite links between different United Nations institutions and CEE countries as an example of a creative approach to communication problems. Suggestions from the floor further recommended the development and use of digital communication through Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN) which is already available in some regions.

Maria Kazmukova, Senior Consultant in Air Quality of the Prague City Development Authority, Czech Republic, mentioned increasing Telematics support in the area of waste management, stressing the need to increase investment in the area. Mr. Mayer responded by comparing the West European experience in this matter as being similar to that of CEE and by stressing the opportunity for future cooperation as relatively few Telematics projects have targeted the waste management issue.

Wolfgang Boch of DGXIII-C offered a Commission and TAP perspective to the discussion. Referring to the goals of the second day's discussion, he urged participants to correlate different objectives and programmes when looking at relevant funding opportunities. He also indicated that when discussing opportunities for cooperation in the next FP, to concentrate specifically on the development of new innovative approaches to environmental management, as the 5th FP is not intended as a funding source for technology transfer or improvement of basic infrastructure. Through the 5th FP, the European Commission also wants to upgrade know-how, excellence, and facilitate further development of capacity in terms of human experience through new applied research projects.

Concluding the panel and floor discussion, Johannes Mayer summarised the priorities identified in the environmental field and for the TAP under 5^th FP from the table presented on the previous page. In light of Wolfgang Boch's comments, while these do present a short list of more general environment priorities (this in itself perhaps a result of the relatively brief introduction to the field of Telematics as a research programme for many conference delegates), under the 5th FP, new research projects might be launched between the EU and CEE in order to address and solve these problems. Mr. Mayer closed by suggesting any further thoughts or ideas pertaining to environment telematics research be submitted to the European Commission, DGXIII-C, referring to the Reply Form that was available in the ENTAG Report; "Needs and Options for Environment Telematics Research at the Turn of the Millenium".

A number of other significant issues were raised by conference delegates prior to the meeting through their registration forms, which prompted participants to list key questions relating to the topic of discussion. These are listed as follows:

• The need for a common meeting ground between priority research areas and environmental priorities;
• Clearly involving the research community in helping to deal with the environmental problems and priorities outlined;
• What scope exists for funding the development of environmental information systems at the local level, and expanding those already at the national level?;
• How do research institutes plan to facilitate access to environmental information over the coming years in line with EU Directives for example?;
• Are user surveys conducted when undertaking technology projects as to gauge the need for them? Are they consistent with national environmental priorities?;
• Is there scope to set up partnerships between research bodies and local authority institutes? Is there a need to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders?

Appendix

• Air pollution control (especially emissions from the energy sector and heavy industry)
• Water and wastewater projects (especially sewage treatment)
• Waste management (hazardous waste management, municipal waste disposal)

• Waste-related technologies
• Energy
• Water and wastewater

• Municipalities (especially water/wastewater and waste)
• The Power and Energy Sector (especially air and energy)
• Chemical Industry (especially air and energy)
• Other Industrial Sectors