Environmental Assistance to Eastern Europa - Annual Report 1998 6. Stock-taking of sector-integrated environmental assistance6. Stock-taking of sector-integrated environmental assistance 6. Stock-taking of sector-integrated environmental assistanceSector-integrated environmental assistance in the Baltic Sea regionIn May 1997, the Government adopted an overall strategy for environmental assistance to Eastern Europe with special emphasis on the Baltic Sea. According to this strategy, part of the environmental assistance provided to Eastern Europe has to be provided by Danish sectoral ministries for implementation of Baltic Agenda 21 and in preparation of EU membership of the former Eastern European countries in the Baltic Sea region. Baltic Agenda 21 Baltic Agenda 21 is the first regional Agenda 21 to follow up on the Rio Conference. It was the prime ministers of the Baltic Sea region who, at a meeting in Visby in May 1996, decided to draw up the Agenda. The decision was endorsed at the meeting of the Baltic Sea Council in Kalmar in June 1996, and, in the same year, in Saltsjöbaden in October, the environment ministers adopted a declaration with further details for a Baltic Agenda 21. The fundamental idea of Baltic Agenda 21 is that economically important sectors of society shall assume responsibility for development and economic growth taking place on a more sustainable basis than has hitherto been the case in the regional development process. The environmental obligation has to be integrated into the economic and political development in sectors like industry, energy, agriculture, fishery, forestry, transport and tourism. In the process of drawing up Baltic Agenda 21, these sectors have been responsible for fixing goals of sustainable development within their own sectors and for elaborating sectoral action plans, and they have likewise been responsible for the implementation. The environment ministries play a more secondary role in the process as consultants and co-ordinators. The goals and action plans for sustainable development prepared by the sectors and the plans for the further work to be carried out under Baltic Agenda 21 were endorsed by the Baltic Sea Council in June 1998. – which countries The sector-integrated environmental assistance is provided in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and in the Russian regions of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. In addition to implementing Baltic Agenda 21, the assistance is aimed at supporting the process towards EU membership in the four applicant countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Importance is also attached to the fact that the assistance is intended to supplement other donor assistance. – appropriation in 1998 The sector-integrated environmental assistance was initiated in 1998, replacing the former environment-related sectoral assistance. The Danish Folketing appropriated DKK 141 m via the Appropriation Act for 1998, distributed on seven ministries/agencies for a three-year period. The break-down into countries and participating ministries and agencies in 1998 is shown in table 6.1. Table 6.1 Break-down into countries and participating ministries and agencies in 1998
– activities of ministries distributed on sectoral action plans The Danish Agency for Development of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Labour contributed to implementation of the action plan for industry through programmes on environmental management and work environment. The Energy Agency, the Ministry of Housing and the Danish Emergency Management Agency contributed to implementation of the action plan for energy, including atomic power security. In the programmes, the focus was on conversion to less polluting and more sustainable energy sources, energy savings in housing and establishment of a warning system in case of atomic power plant accidents. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries contributed to implementation of the action plan for the agricultural sector. The programme comprised projects on nitrate pollution, organic agriculture, approval of pesticides and establishment of incinerating plants. The Ministry of Transport contributed to implementation of the transport action plan with a regional project on multimodal transport and handling of customs documents in St. Petersburg and Estonia. – programme development Programme proposals for sector-integrated environmental assistance are developed in co-operation between sectoral ministries in Denmark and the recipient countries. The environmental content of the programmes has to be approved by the environment ministries in the recipient countries in consultation with the Advisory Committee for Environmental Assistance to Eastern Europe. The Danish embassies in the recipient countries advise the sectoral ministries on local conditions. DEPA co-ordinates the assistance and is responsible for contact with the environment ministries in the recipient countries. – other activities in 1998 In January 1998, sectoral ministries from Denmark and the recipient countries presented their proposals for sector-integrated environmental assistance in 1998 at seminars in the environment ministries of the recipient countries (with the exception of the Russian regions). Proposals for sector-integrated environmental assistance in 1999 were presented at similar seminars in November 1998. In addition to discussing the programmes, the participants also discussed the possibilities of the recipient countries organising their efforts to integrate environmental considerations in the various sectors.
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