We called our workshops "Competing in the New Environmental Marketplace". A new market for environmental products and services has emerged in Central and Eastern Europe due to new regulations, economic restructuring, stiffer international competition, and other factors. In order to compete successfully, it is imperative that environmental professionals understand these new market conditions and position themselves to take advantage of market opportunities.
In assessing the future of the environmental market, we identified two major regulatory trends:
The latter primarily relates to quality standards for industry, such as ISO 14000 standards, and certification requirements for environmental professionals.
The aim of the workshops was to consider how these changes will impact the environmental marketplace and how environmental professionals can best respond to them. The primary audience was professionals in the environmental goods and services industry because they are the actors that implement government policy and regulations in a market economy. In addition, they assist industry in adopting environmental management programs and eco-efficient practices.
The workshops were organized into two major sessions - government initiatives and business initiatives. During the first session, government decision-makers presented their view of the regulatory situation in the country - the current situation as well as expected changes resulting from EU approximation. In some cases, legal experts from the European Union participated and discussed the priority issues concerning EU approximation.
In the second session, environmental experts and business professionals presented initiatives from the business sector. Case studies showed how the private sector is responding to new regulations and market forces. International quality standards for industry, such as ISO 14000 standards, were discussed along with the current certification requirements for environmental professionals At the end of each session, there was a roundtable discussion with all the speakers to consider how the issues raised during the presentations will impact environmental professionals.
One of the most crucial issues in the development of an environmental goods and services industry is the need for a business-to-government dialogue. The interests of both sectors are closely interrelated. The government cannot successfully implement its environmental program without the active engagement of qualified businesses. And businesses cannot comply with regulations without clear guidelines from government, and sometimes even direct support from the government. An on-going dialogue can be helpful in sharing responsibilities, mobilizing greater resources toward environmental problems, and understanding better each sector's expectations and motivations.
Consequently, the underlying theme of the REC's workshops was the importance of a dialogue between the business community and the government. And there may have been no better topic to start a dialogue than environmental regulations. This is an issue that has a very high interest level among both groups. Governments need to communicate well-defined regulatory requirements to businesses. Businesses, on the other hand, should propose steps for self-regulation which complement the government's regulatory initiatives. It is hoped, as a result of these workshops and future ones, businesses and governments will begin to develop a realistic set of expectations of how they can work together effectively.
The Regional Environmental Center has a strong interest in supporting the development of an environmental business sector. The Center's mission is to promote public participation in environmental issues and foster cooperation among different environmental stakeholders. Over the past five years we have primarily assisted NGOs and governments. However, we recognize that sustainable development can only be achieved through the involvement and cooperation of all stakeholders: the public (which includes NGOs), governments, and businesses. For this reason, we expanded our program activities in 1995 to include the business sector. We started a business information service which has three objectives:
Activities include an information research service; a partnering service; publications, such as directories, market surveys, and regional reports; and workshops, such as the ones organized in 1995 to provide topical information and facilitate networking.
These proceeding's provide a summary of each workshop, copies of those presentations submitted in English, and a list of the speakers and participants. We have tried to capture the main points and conclusions in the regional overview. In addition to this English version the REC has prepared separate local language proceedings to facilitate their distribution to a wider audience.
We would like to express our appreciation to all the speakers and participants at our workshops in Poznan, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest. The need for a business-to-government dialogue was underscored at all these workshops. Of course, a dialogue does not start and end with a one-time workshop. On-going discussions are necessary, based on common purpose and mutual respect. The Center plans to develop further workshops, designed to meet the needs of environmental professionals in the region. Your ideas for future events are welcome.
Winston H. Bowman
Team Leader, Information Exchange