• To exchange information on local air pollution control strategies and their implementation;
• To harmonise policies, standards and regulations among the participating countries (with regard to international practices and approximation to EU norms);
• To develop and implement national or municipal strategies for the least-cost reduction of airborne lead, particulate and sulfur, as well as public information and participation.

Participation in the Initiative has been open-ended - both CEE and Western participants were welcome to join all or some of the activities in accordance with their interests and at any point in time. Reporting commitments were voluntary; however, participants were expected to carry out their commitments once made. In line with the decisions of the Sofia conference to encourage the gradual shift of activities toward the CEE countries, core meetings related to the Initiative took place in this region.

• Data collection, in order to obtain a comprehensive overview of the situation in the participating CEE countries with respect to the phase-out of leaded gasoline and the reduction of sulfur and particulate emissions;
• Exchange of experiences in the two main areas above, through regional workshops for experts from both CEE and Western countries;
• Preparation of a synthesis paper, which would provide a comparison among the participating CEE countries, including their current circumstances with regard to air pollution, approaches to reducing air pollution, policies adopted, and experiences with regard to the implementation of those policies;
• Development of a database containing pertinent data regarding the available technology options and suitable alternatives;
• Support to the participating CEE countries through the preparation of country analyses and the development of possible scenarios, specific projects and project proposals, and legislative, economic and investment measures for implementation.

In accordance with the draft SILAQ program outline, a meeting of the Working Group took place on February 12-13, 1997 in Szentendre, Hungary. The meeting was attended by representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Western governments and international institutions were represented by Denmark, Germany, the US EPA, and the World Bank. A work plan for 1997-1998 was developed and approved by the Working Group and endorsed by the participating representatives of Western governments and international institutions. It was recommended that the implementation of the Work Plan begin immediately.

It should be noted that a number of key recommendations from the Environment Programme for Europe (EPE) were inserted as an annex to the Sofia Ministerial Declaration during its completion. One of these recommendations was to reduce the lead content of gasoline with the long-term aim of completely phasing out lead in gasoline across Europe.

The Task Force's key initiatives included:

• General considerations for a strategy to phase out leaded gasoline in Europe;
• Country Assessments for 34 European countries;
• A country programme under preparation in Ukraine;
• A National Commitment Building Programme covering Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan currently under implementation;
• A guide book on the processes involved in phasing out lead in gasoline, and;
• A regional car park study.

The conclusions of the Task Force were based on the findings of the above initiatives, supplemented with existing relevant material compiled and processed by the Task Force.

The workshop covered the following topics:

• Health consequences of air lead emissions;
• The pan-European process for the phase-out of leaded gasoline and co-operation with the UN ECE Task Force;
• The regional car-park study;
• The technological, administrative and economic aspects of phasing out lead in gasoline - with case studies from Norway, Slovakia and the US;
• The phase-out of lead in CEE - Country Status Reports of the Sofia Initiative Working Group members;
• The preparation of draft phase-out schedules for Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia;
• Experience sharing with other countries of the region, including Albania, the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation;
• A visit to "Neftochim", the largest Bulgarian refinery.

In order to obtain a comprehensive overview of the current situation within the Working Group member countries, a questionnaire (in the form of a "Data Sheet") was prepared in order to examine the status of the phase-out of lead in gasoline. The questionnaire was completed by the participating countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia), and the conclusions presented as a contribution to the pan-European study on the phase-out of lead in gasoline. The results of these questionnaires were compiled by Working Group members into Country Status Reports for Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

• Present an interpretation of the available data and assess the current situation with regard to lead phase-out and air pollution in the participating countries;
• Provide a comparison among the participating countries;
• Present relevant case-studies and identify successful programmes, as well as examine the problems encountered by participating and other CEE countries;
• Outline a list of priority projects for each participating country, and for the region as a whole. This list is to be submitted for approval by the international organisations and other relevant participants present at Aarhus, and proposed as a framework for further collaborative actions.

In addition, an easily accessible database of available technology options and alternatives containing pertinent data is to be developed prior to the Aarhus conference.

Besides the Synthesis Reports, a number of background SILAQ documents will also be presented, including data sheets, Country Status Reports, and the minutes of the Working Group member meetings and regional workshops.