A second kind of international contacts are the existing informal networks of Westerners working in CEE. For example the close mutual contacts of Peace Corps Volunteers working in environmental NGOs in CEE give 'their' groups the chance to contact other CEE groups or environmental NGO networks. First contacts among CEE NGOs can be established easily by Westerners temporary working with these groups.
The second organization connected factor, getting bigger and/or more grants is the next strong motivation for NGOs. Coming forth from the expectation to be able to run bigger projects in a group of NGOs and to get more financial support because of that. The external component of this factor is the fact that more and more funding organizations are focusing on East-East cooperation, for example the REC and the EPCE. Cooperative projects are popular and some funds are only for those projects available. NGOs are rational enough in their expectations to try to find (extra) financial support by starting East-East cooperation.
Learning from each other is the third organization connected factor which can be a strong motivation for East-East cooperation. Especially when NGOs really feel the need to learn from other CEE NGOs on certain topics or from the others experiences. Besides feeling the need for new information, education and sharing experiences the NGO must have the idea that it is possible to get the expected 'things to learn' from other CEE groups.
The last organization connected factor is the existence of NGOs with a similar strategy and/or approach in neighboring countries. This factor is just an extra motivation. If a group is already thinking about starting cooperation, it is more comfortable and 'safe' to do so if the potential cooperative NGO has a similar strategy and/or approach to the environmental areas they work at.
Working at a transboundary issue is, of course, a very strong motivation for East-East cooperation. Transboundary issues can be divided into two types:
Examples of the first category transboundary issues is a nature conservation park just at the border of two countries, or a border crossing river. A lot of interviewed NGOs were East-East cooperation because of dealing with direct border items. The Slovakian Society for Sustainable Living (STUZ) in the White Carpathians for example has a project just at the border of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Before 1993 no border existed there, but now they have to cooperate with the Czech partner organizations to continue the project. Another example is the Ecobaltic Foundation which works on the protection and cleaning up of the Baltic Sea, together with several other Baltic Sea NGOs in East and West Europe.
With the second category I mean for example migrating species, like birds, or acid rain as a results of large scale transboundary air pollution. Especially the migrating species give a big motivation for East-East cooperation. The bat project of the Polish Society of the Friends of Nature 'Pro-Natura' is East-East cooperative because the bats live in the South of Poland in summer, but stay in Slovakia during the winter.
Dealing with a non-transboundary issue can give a motivation for East-East cooperation as well. This is the case for three types of activity of the interviewed NGOs, namely:
The term 'Model project' is used for successful projects done in one country which can be an example for other groups in another country. For example a model project for protecting wolfs in Slovakia can give a practical project template to a Bulgarian group which would like to do the same, or the other way around of course.
International campaigns are for example protest actions in all CE capitals at the same time. Such an image looks great to campaigning NGOs, so for those two, the Czech groups Hnuti Duha and Deti Zeme, this is a strong motivation.
The last issue is a quite exceptional issue. It was mentioned by only one interviewed NGO. It means that this group, the Polish Eko-Oko, which is founded on a holistic philosophy, sees all they do from a holistic point of view, which makes it inevitable that the particular NGO is motivated for cooperation. Because cooperation, including East-East cooperation, is considered on of the consequences of working with a holistic approach.
The second motivation coming forth from the similar political-historical background is the better mutual understanding of Easterners. This is a specific motivation for establishing East-East cooperation instead of East-West cooperation. Of course this is connected with the above mentioned environmental topics as well: it is logically that Eastern groups know more about the communist procedures and technologies than the Western NGOs usually do.
At first NGOs see the necessity of cooperation to overcome stereotyping and/or nationalistic tendencies in the postcommunist societies. This cooperation can be both internal and external. It might be internal cooperation with minority NGOs or external NGO cooperation with neighboring countries. Especially Slovakian groups, but also some from other countries, mentioned the wish to show the current government that East-East cooperation is possible and useful as part of their motivation for East-East cooperating.[Siegel and Yancey, 1992, p. 52]
A second socio-cultural motivational factor is having the same cultural heritage. As mentioned before this will only be an extra positive factor in establishing East-East cooperation. It makes it easier to take the first step, but it is not one of the main motivations. This sub-factor is actually only mentioned within the Slavic countries, because they really feel something like a same cultural background.
Thirdly easily available personal contacts within the CEE countries helps to establish East-East cooperation a lot, as we saw before in the organization connected motivational factors. Of course this personal contact story has a socio-cultural component as well, that is why it is mentioned here once again.
The fourth socio-cultural factor is what I call having a 'public understandable language'. Another expression meaning the same might be a 'jointly spoken language'. An example of such a language is Slovakian. Slovak, Czech and Polish people can more or less understand each other's (Slavic) language. Another example of a 'public understandable language' is that Italian and Spanish people understand each other, when they both speak their own language, and they are willing to understand each other. A second type of 'public understandable language' is the language of minorities in a country, especially in the areas with mixed populations, for example in the south of Slovakia where some villages have a lot of Hungarian citizens. People in these areas usually speak both languages on a communicative level. Or they made their own mixtures of the languages; in any case they found a common language which is not English or Russian. English gives problems because only some, mainly young, people speak it and Russian is very unpopular, if somebody at all remembers a single word.
Both types of 'public understandable languages' are depending on the willingness of the involved persons. This means that the sub-factor of having a 'public understandable language' cannot be a strong motivation on itself for East-East cooperation. But of course it is very helpful when the cooperation or the plan for it is established already. An example where the second type of 'jointly spoken language' has an important role is the East-East cooperation of the environmental education Center 'Bambi' with Hungarian environmental education groups. In the village Moldava nad Bodvou where 'Bambi' is located the population is half Slovakian and half Hungarian. The very successful Slovakian educational programs on schools reached only Slovakian children and teachers. Because they missed the Hungarian target population the 'Bambi' center decided to start cooperation with Hungarian NGOs in order to find information and experiences about environmental education in Hungary. Now the 'Bambi' center has materials in both languages so that they are able to serve Hungarian and Slovakian schools.