Promotion of Sectoral Integration of Policy in South Eastern Europe

Activities There are two meetings of SEE senior officials planned under this project, for which the main objective is to discuss priority problems and needs of urban transport and/or agriculture and environmental policy integration in SEE. Senior officials will discuss the results of an analysis of urban transport, agriculture and environment policy, performed by the REC or experts and which provide background information for the meetings. The analysis results will be summarised into background papers and presented for discussion. The background papers will present the status and needs of policy integration as it relates to the environment. Current projects regarding sectoral policy integration will also be presented during the meetings. These presentations will outline the lessons learned during the implementation of these types of projects. The meeting on the promotion of urban transport and environment policy integration in SEE took place on November 25-26, 2004 in Zagreb, Croatia. The Urban Transport and Environmental Policy Integration in South Eastern Europe, abstracts from the Background Paper (177-Kbyte PDF file), presentations part 1 (15-Mbyte ZIP Archive file), part 2 (15-Mbyte ZIP Archive file), made during the meeting, meeting agenda (46-Kbyte MS DOC file), list of participants (144-Kbyte MS DOC file) and its conclusions (60-Kbyte PDF file) are available here. As stated in the meeting’s conclusions, possible directions of future work could cover the following selected areas: Integrated urban planning, combined land use, construction permitting and transport planning need to be promoted, and inter-agency cooperation must be facilitated. Integrated urban planning can also effectively promote environmentally friendly modes of transport such as public transport, suburban railways, cycling and walking (or their integration), and therefore help to reduce the number of motorised trips. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of urban transport and land-use plans, programmes and policies should be carried out to reflect urban transport impacts on the environment. SEA is considered to be one of the most promising tools for integrating urban transport and the environment. Economic instruments can address various impacts of urban transport on the environment and contribute to environmental project financing and bring about changes in consumer behaviour. Public transport and railway systems in SEE countries still enjoy relatively high use. However, further efforts are needed to address existing problems and improve public support. The quality of public transport services could be enhanced through service contracts and licensing mechanisms. Alongside public transport promotion, cycling and walking infrastructure needs to be developed as an environmentally friendly and healthy choice. Safety measures and other needs of cyclists and pedestrians should also be taken into consideration. The meeting on agriculture and environment policy integration is planned for April 2005. Rationale Sectoral integration is a relatively new approach to policy making. It helps sectoral policy makers to deal with causes and effects belonging to other sectors. Over the long term, environmental problems caused by urban transport and/or agriculture can be solved only through sectoral integration in policy making. This requires that reliable, consistent information be distributed to all policy makers and stakeholders, and demands the proper use of valuable sectoral integration tools such as environmental impact assessment (EIA), strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and economic instruments. Beneficiaries The project beneficiaries are transport, agriculture, national and local environmental authorities, and NGOs working on the integration of environmental concerns into transport or agricultural policy. Contact Information Environmental Policy Department Ady Endre ut 9-11 2000 Szentendre Hungary Tel: (36-26) 504-000 Fax: (36-26) 311-294 E-mail: epli@rec.org

Home Introduction Rationale Beneficiaries Contact Information Downloads: Urban Transport and Environmental Policy Integration in South Eastern Europe. Abstracts from the Background Paper (177-Kbyte PDF) Presentations part 1 (15- Mbyte ZIP) part 2 (15-Mbyte ZIP) Meeting agenda (46-Kbyte MS DOC) List of participants (144-Kbyte MS DOC) Conclusions (60-Kbyte PDF)