Environmental Assistance to Eastern Europe 2001
4 Status of Sector-integrated Environmental AssistanceSector-integrated Environmental Assistance in the Baltic Sea Region
In May 1997, the Danish government adopted an overall strategy for the environmental assistance to Eastern Europe with special emphasis on the Baltic Sea. According to this strategy, part of the environmental assistance to Eastern Europe must be supplied from Danish sectoral ministries/agencies for the implementation of Baltic Agenda 21 and in preparation of EU membership in 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. Decision to draw up the Agenda was made at the meeting in Visby, May 1996 by the prime ministers of the Baltic Sea region. 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 ministers of the environment 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 to ensure development and economic growth on a more sustainable basis than has hitherto been the case in the regional development process. The obligation towards the environment has to be integrated in 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 objectives for sustainable development within their own sectors and for elaborating sectoral action plans, and likewise they have been responsible for the implementation.
The following presentation of the action plans for the individual sectors does not include the forestry sector, whose action plan is supported through, among others, DANCEE.
The action plan for industry is aimed at:
 | Improvement of the framework for businesses through the development of economic incentives to improve the environmental management in the industry, harmonisation of industryrelated laws, including the working environment and safety conditions at work, implementation of international conventions and agreements of importance to a sustainable development in the Baltic Sea region |
| Development of eco-effective instruments for the various industries, implementation of environmental management systems (EMS), including environmental factors in all forms of activities and reporting. |
| Extended and improved co-operation on research and development and exchange of know-how and technology within the Baltic Sea region. |
The action plan for energy is aimed at:
| A strengthening of the co-operation between authorities. |
| Increasing the use of sustainable energy and promoting energy efficiency and energy conservation. |
| A 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 laws 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 aqua culture. |
The action plan for transport is aimed at:
| Implementation of a project on developing guidelines, criteria and recommendations for infrastructural investments in a sustainable transport system. |
| Provisioning and strengthening the co-operation between governments on more rational conveyance of goods, especially by improving the rail and shipping services. |
| Development of regional strategies supporting sustainable sea carriage. |
The action plan for tourism is aimed at:
| Legislation on sustainable development and tourism. |
| Environmental management systems and development of control methods within the tourist industry. |
The objectives and action plans for a sustainable development prepared by the sectors and the plans for further work to be carried out under Baltic Sea Agenda 21, were endorsed by the Baltic Sea Council in June 1998.
Sectorintegrated environmental assistance - which countries
The 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 close to the Baltic Sea, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.
- additional objective
Besides the implementation of Baltic Agenda 21, the aim of the assistance is to support the process towards EU admission in the four applicant countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Importance is also attached to the fact that the assistance is a supplement to other donor assistance.
- appropriation in 2001
The Danish Parliament appropriated DKK 202 million via the Appropriation Act for 2001, distributed among eight ministries/agencies for a three-year period. The breakdown and consumption for 2001 is shown in the table.
Table 1.
Breakdown of appropriation for 2001 in DKK million.
- activities of the ministries apportioned among sectoral action plans
The Danish Agency for Development of Industry and Trade contributed to the implementation of the action plan for industry through the industry-related environmental programme aimed at making the Eastern European trade and industry competitive through compliance with international environmental standards, and, at the same time, ensuring an environmentally and economically sustainable development. The projects are on environmental management in selected branches of industry, with increased emphasis on activities relating to the IPPC Directive and cleaner technology. The Danish Agency for Development of Industry and Trade have worked with various industries within the food, medicine, electronics, wood, metal, textile and printing trades in the Baltic countries as well as Poland and the Russian areas. In 2001 the food and the maritime sectors have been included in the programme.
The framework programme from the former Ministry of Labour is aimed at the build-up of institutions and capacity within working environment, environmental training and occupation. This means that the activities are concentrated on training, transfer of experience, enforcement of laws, including EU laws plus implementation of laws, rules, standards etc., by involving, among others, the two sides of industry.
In the Danish Energy Agency's programme, the focus was on energy efficiency in the energy production and supply, institutional development and conversion to less polluting and sustainable sources of energy and energy conservation in the industry, public buildings and housing. In co-operation with DEPA, a special assistance was being granted to the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power station. In the programme, more importance is attached to interaction with finance institutions and relations for compliance with the Climate Convention plus adherence to the EU approximation aspect.
In the programme of the former Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs focus was on energy efficiency in buildings, based on the end users. The concrete projects were aimed at both institutional development and regulatory aspects, both through adjustment of standards and directly at the end users, through consultancy and information on energy-efficiency measures.
The Danish Emergency Management Agency supported the establishment of a warning system in case of emergencies at nuclear power stations, including civil emergency preparedness, risk management and components for the training of instructors.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries contributed to the implementation of the action plan for the agricultural sector. The programme included projects on nitrate pollution, the use of pesticides, incinerating plants, organic farming and eco-management of conventional farming plus sustainable fishing tackle, ecomanagement in fish factories and fish farms. In 2001 more emphasis has been put on the EU approximation process (the EU SAPARD and ISPAprogrammes).
In 2001, the Ministry of Transport has organized the effort on risk assessment and risk management in harbours, risk analysis, control, security advice on transportation of dangerous goods, a bicycle route network, computer programmes and -models for assessing the environmental consequences of road projects (VVM in relation to EU Directive 97/11), adaptation of environmental statistics according to EUROSTAT and technical and environmental assessment of diesel locomotives and the establishment of refuse dumps and purification of polluted ballast and soil.
- Organizing the assistance - programme development
Programme proposals for sector-integrated environmental efforts are being developed in a co-operation between sectoral ministries in Denmark and the recipient countries.
- Approval of environmental content
The environmental content of the programmes must be approved by the Minister of the environment in the recipient country 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 ministers on local conditions. DEPA co-ordinates the assistance and is responsible for the contact with the ministers of the environment in the recipient countries.