Environmental Assistance to Eastern Europe - Annual Report 2000
5. Status of sector-integrated environmental assistance Sector-integrated environmental assistance in the Baltic Sea regionIn May 1997, the Danish 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 given to Eastern Europe has to come from Danish sectoral ministries/agencies for implementation of Baltic Agenda 21 and in preparation of EU membership of the former Eastern European countries in the Baltic Sea region.
Baltiv 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 Saltsjöbaden in October of the same year, 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 such as industry, energy, agriculture, forestry, transport and tourism.
In the process of implementing Baltic Agenda 21, these sectors have been responsible for determining the goals for 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 following presentation of the action plans for the individual sectors does not include the forestry sector, whose action plan is supported through the co-operation between DEPA and the Danish Forest and Nature Agency.
The action plan for industry is aimed at
 | improvement of the framework for businesses through development of economic incentives to improve the environmental management in industry; harmonisation of industry-related legislation, including the work environment and job safety; implementation of international conventions and agreements of importance to sustainable development within the Baltic Sea region; |
| development of eco-effective instruments for the different industries; implementation of environmental management systems (EMS); consideration of environmental factors in all forms of activities and reporting; |
| extended and improved co-operation on research and development and transfer of know-how and technology within the Baltic Sea region. |
The action plan for energy is aimed at
| strengthening co-operation between authorities; |
| increasing the use of sustainable energy and promoting energy efficiency and energy savings; |
| co-operation on research and development. |
The action plan for agriculture is aimed at:
| education and training; |
| development of a Virtual Research Institute for sustainable agriculture on the basis of the existing NOVABOVA in the Baltic Sea region;. |
| elaboration and implementation of agro-environmental legislation and policies. |
The action plan for fishery is aimed at
| development of long-term strategies for the most important fish stocks: cod, salmon, herring and sprat; |
| re-establishment of resorts that are important to fish and fishery in inner waters; |
| creation of a sustainable aquaculture. |
The action plan for transport is aimed at
| implementation of a project on the development of guidelines, criteria and recommendations for infrastructural investments in a sustainable transport system; |
| provision and strengthening of co-operation between governments on more rational goods transport, especially by improving railway and shipping services; |
| development of regional strategies supporting sustainable sea transport. |
The action plan for tourism is aimed at
| legislation on sustainable development and tourism; |
| environmental management systems and development of control methods within tourism. |
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.
Sector-integrated environmental assistance - which countries
Sector-integrated environmental assistance was initiated in 1998, replacing the former environment-related sectoral assistance. Sector-integrated environmental assistance is provided in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and in the Russian regions of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad close to the Baltic Sea.
- other goals of the assistance
In addition to implementing Baltic Agenda 21, the assistance is aimed at supporting the process towards EU accession 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 2000
The Danish Folketing appropriated DKK 172 million via the Appropriation Act for 2000, distributed on seven ministries/agencies for a three-year period. The breakdown and consumption for 2000 is shown in the table.
Table 1
Breakdown of appropriation for 2000 in DKK million
- activities of ministries distributed on sectoral action plans
The Danish Agency for Development of Industry and Trade contributed to implementation of the action plan for industry through the industry-related environmental programme aimed at making Eastern European trade and industry competitive through substantiated compliance with international environmental standards and, at the same time, ensuring an environmentally and economically sustainable development. The purpose of the projects is to introduce environmental management in companies and promote the use of cleaner technology. The projects were implemented in the food, textile, wood, electronic, metal and pharmaceutical industries of the recipient countries.
The Ministry of Labour contributed to implementation of the action plan for industry through a programme consisting of components within work environment and environment and employment.
The Danish Energy Agency, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Danish Emergency Management Agency contributed to implementation of the action plan for energy, including atomic power safety.
In the Danish Energy Agency's programme, comprising all co-operating partners in the Baltic Sea region covered by the programme, the focus was on energy efficiency, including district heating and power heating, institutional development and conversion to less polluting and sustainable sources of energy and energy savings in industry, public buildings and housing. In co-operation with DEPA, special assistance was being initiated in Lithuania after the decision by the Lithuanian government to gradually close down the Ignalina atomic power plant.
In their programme, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs focused on energy efficiency in buildings, taking their starting point in the end users. The concrete projects were aimed at both legislative aspects, e.g. through adjustment of standards, and direct at the end-users, through counselling and information about energy-efficiency measures.
In their programme, the Danish Emergency Management Agency supported the establishment of a warning system in case of atomic power plant accidents.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries contributed to the implementation of the action plan for agriculture. The programme contained projects on nitrate pollution, organic agriculture, approval of pesticides and establishment of incinerating plants.
The Ministry of Transport contributed to the implementation of the transport action programme with a regional project on multimodal transport and handling of customs documents in St. Petersburg and Estonia.
Organising the assistance - programme development.
Programme proposals for sector-integrated environmental assistance are being developed in co-operation between sectoral ministries in Denmark and the recipient countries.
- approval of environmental content
The environmental content of the programmes has to be approved by the environment ministries in the recipient countries and by DEPA in consultation with the Advisory Committee for Environmental Assistance to Eastern Europe.
- support functions
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.