Bilag 2: Århus-deklarationen
Bilag 2: Århus-deklarationen
A.
Preamble
B. The
ECE region and The Global Environment
C.
Implementation of The Enviromental Programme for Europe
D. Environmental
Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe (EAP)
E. Future of the Environment for Europe Process
Declaration on the phase-out of added Lead in
Petrol
Ministerial
Declaration on
Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
Declaration
by the
Environment Ministers of the region of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Fourth Ministerial Conference, Environment For
Europe, Aarhus, Denmark, 23 25 June 1998
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We, the Environment Ministers and Heads of delegations
from 52 countries in the UN/ECE region and the representative of the
European Commission, met at Aarhus, Denmark, from 23 to 25 June 1998,
in the fourth of a series of Ministerial Conferences held as part of
the Environment for Europe process.
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We reaffirm our strong commitment, developed at the
three previous Ministerial Conferences in Dobris (1991), Lucerne
(1993) and Sofia (1995), to cooperate on environmental protection in
the ECE region. We promise to satisfy the obligations arising from the
Declarations made at those three Conferences. In particular, we
declare that further integration of environmental considerations into
policies in all sectors is of critical importance to the improvement
of the environment. We welcome the active participation of the NGO
community as well as the business community and the trade unions at
the Conference. We also recognise the political importance of the
Environment for Europe process as the major long-term
pan-European political framework for the promotion of environmentally
sound and sustainable development.
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We welcome the recovery of peace in areas formerly
affected by armed conflicts, which opens the way to environmental
improvement in those areas. We call upon States where such conflicts
continue to re-establish and strengthen peace.
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Bearing in mind that the EU enlargement will create
new challenges both for the economy and for the environment, the
enlargement can provide a powerful stimulus for environmental
improvement in the applicant countries. There is no similar
development in other CEE countries or in the Newly Independent States
(NIS). Many of these countries still face severe environmental
problems. The Environment for Europe process should therefore
focus more of its resources on these countries in order to promote a
convergence in environmental policies and conditions within the
European region, as a step towards sustainable development.
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We recognise the importance of regional, subregional
and bilateral environmental cooperation in the UN/ECE region. In this
connection we welcome the Joint Statement of the Ministers of
Environment of the Central Asian Region (Almaty, 22 April 1998) and
their commitment to mutual cooperation and support their decision to
prepare and implement the Regional Environmental Action Plan within
the Environment for Europe process. We also welcome and support
the adoption of the Baltic Agenda 21 on 3 June 1998 in Nyborg
(Denmark), which will play a major role in the Baltic Sea region.
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We recognise that many of the environmental problems
of the world have their origin in the UN/ECE region and we reaffirm
the special responsibilities of the UN/ECE countries in contributing
to solving these problems and our aspiration towards a global
leadership role for the UN/ECE countries in pursuing sustainable
development. We welcome and are grateful for the support of
international organisations.
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We commit ourselves to complying with the obligations
arising from those environmental conventions to which we are Parties.
Furthermore, we note with great concern that some UN/ECE States are
not Parties to a number of relevant environmental conventions and
other legal instruments, and we urge these States to take all
appropriate steps to become Parties to those instruments as soon as
possible.
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In order further to contribute to the global pursuit
of sustainable development, we continue to support the work of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other relevant global
organisations and conventions.
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We need strong, efficient and effective compliance
regimes backing the legally binding commitments arising from
multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). It is important that
procedures and mechanisms, entailing binding consequences, where
appropriate, for Parties in non-compliance are further elaborated. We
will provide full support for broader participation in and effective
implementation of the existing MEAs and their mechanisms for
exchanging information and achieving compliance.
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We stress the importance of international cooperation
in a non-confrontational and supportive fashion to strengthen the
enforcement of national environmental law. In this respect we welcome
the establishment of informal, cooperative networks of environmental
inspectors in the UN/ECE region, such as the European Union Network
for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law
Accession Countries (IMPEL-AC) and a network for environmental
inspectors in the region of central and eastern Europe and Central
Asia.
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We emphasise that the objectives and obligations of
MEAs should not be hampered by other international agreements, and the
need to ensure that the WTO rules, provisions and procedures take full
account of the need to promote a high level of environmental
protection. In particular, the multilateral trading system should,
under clear and predictable rules, accommodate the use of trade
measures taken in the framework of MEAs.[4]
We will promote efforts to ensure that environmental concerns are
effectively integrated into the international investment agreements
such as the proposed multilateral agreement on investment in a way
that supports sustainable development, and so as not to limit the
capacity to make and implement national and international
environmental policies.
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Climate change remains the
greatest global environmental threat to the world´s sustainable
development, public health and future prosperity. The Kyoto Protocol was a
historic turning point and it is essential that we now translate the
promise of Kyoto into reality. In this context we are aware of our
responsibility to take the lead in combating climate change. Domestically,
our nations undertake to pursue immediately significant reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions. We firmly believe that these reductions can be
achieved cost-effectively and deliver present and future improvements in
the quality of life. Internationally we must maintain the momentum by
making progress at the fourth Conference of the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at Buenos Aires on the
outstanding issues left by Kyoto. Flexible mechanisms such as
international emissions trading, joint implementation and clean
development mechanism shall be supplemental to domestic actions. They can
play an essential role in achieving our commitments cost-effectively.
Defining the relevant principles, modalities, rules and guidelines to
ensure that these mechanisms provide real environmental benefit is a
priority. It is important that these flexibilities, in particular trading,
should help us to achieve greater overall abatement of greenhouse gases
than would otherwise occur. The rules must ensure an enforceable,
accountable, verifiable, open and transparent trading system. Work on the
treatment of carbon sinks should be continued. We welcome the recent
signature of the Kyoto Protocol by some of us and confirm the intention of
the rest of us to sign it within the next year. We need a strong,
efficient and effective compliance regime backing the legally binding
commitments under the Protocol.[5]
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In view of the continuing grave
concern about unsafe nuclear installations, we reaffirm our pledge to
phase them out as soon as possible.[6]
We acknowledge the need to solve the problems connected to the
decommissioning of nuclear reactors and power plants, the management of
nuclear waste and operational safety. In this regard we take note of the
adoption of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management
and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, and we urge all States
that have not already done so to take all appropriate steps to become
parties to that Convention and to the Convention on Nuclear Safety.We also reaffirm the need for an
appropriate international liability regime for the compensation of damage
caused by nuclear installations, noting the recent efforts of the
international community to improve liability regimes.
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We recall the concerns
expressed by many States about the risks of environmental and health
damage involved in nuclear arms testing and urge all States that have not
yet done so to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
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We note the increasing
transboundary movement of living modified organisms. Accordingly, there is
a growing need to address safety issues and we are firmly committed to
finalising the negotiation of a Biosafety Protocol, based on scientific
risk assessment and the precautionary principle, to the Convention on
Biological Diversity, by February 1999.
The State of The European Environment
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We welcome the report
Europes Environment: The Second Assessment requested at our last
meeting in Sofia in September 1995 and published recently by the European
Environment Agency (EEA). Although some pressures have been reduced, this
has not generally led to an improvement in the state or quality of the
environment of Europe. We are therefore required to take further action,
in particular in the following fields:
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Transport, where governmental policies are failing to keep pace with
the growth in traffic, which is adding to the problems of air
pollution, climate change, noise, congestion and biodiversity/habitat
loss. We are determined to secure a sustainable and environmentally
sound pattern of transport and to promote the use of public transport,
transport by sea, rail, and non-motorised transport. Economic
instruments should be used as a way of reducing transport volumes
while reflecting environmental costs in transport prices, especially
for freight transport;
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Agriculture, where much more needs to be done better to reconcile
environmental concerns with agricultural practices, e.g. by further
developing the rules of good agricultural practice, by encouraging
environmentally friendly agricultural production techniques, by making
agricultural support payments reflect environmental protection, and by
implementing policies designed to neutralise the environmental impact
of intensive animal production systems;
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Energy, where new efforts are needed to ensure that the available
international instruments are implemented fully at the national level,
particularly in the fields of energy conservation and the promotion
and sustainable use of renewable energy resources;
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Chemicals, where further evaluation of hazards and exposures and
their impacts on human health and the environment is needed. Such
evaluations should be based on scientific evaluation, including risk
assessment, and decisions should respect the precautionary principle;
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Surface, subterranean, coastal and marine waters, where threats to
these waters remain in spite of the fact that many efforts have been
made. Improved action therefore needs to be taken towards the
progressive reduction of pollutants (incl. ½ heavy metals and
anthropogenic chemicals) and by reducing inputs from nutrient sources;
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Soil degradation, where serious problems continue and too little
progress has been made in soil conservation and remediation of
contaminated sites. Further work is needed on prevention strategies
for desertification;
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Biodiversity, where the overall pressures continue to increase
and the need for the actions mentioned under the Pan-European
Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy section is particular
urgent.
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We recognise that Europes
Environment: The Second Assessment does not cover Central Asia. In
this connection we welcome the report Central Asia: Environment
Assessment prepared by the countries in this region.
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We recognise that
mechanisms for coordinated monitoring, data collection, processing and
management in the European region are still inadequate. In the future
we should give high priority to improving these mechanisms as well as
the state of environmental information to support decision-making and
to improve the availability of reliable environmental information to
the public. With this in mind, we call for closer cooperation between
all governments, organisations and existing information and
observation networks. We welcome the initiative of the Russian
Federation to convene a special meeting during the first half of 1999
in Moscow with a view to strengthening the cooperation in this field.
Future work in this area should take fully into account the work of
existing networks and fora, in particular the European Environment
Agency.
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Environmental impact
assessment (EIA) procedures are important means for integrating
environmental concerns into development projects and for providing
access to information and public participation. We welcome the recent
entry into force of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact
Assessment in a Transboundary Con- text. We urge the countries of the
UN/ECE region to take all appropriate steps to become Parties to the
Convention and implement it. We also note the progress made in the
introduction of EIA in CEE countries and welcome the Sofia Initiative
on EIA led by Croatia.
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We recognise that strategic
environmental assessment facilitates the systematic analyses of the
environmental impacts of proposed policies, plans and programmes and
invite countries and international finance institutions to introduce
and/or carry out strategic environmental assessments with the
appropriate participation of NGOs and citizens. We emphasise that
with a view to the integration of environmental considerations in the
decision-making process in other policies assessments of
international sectoral policies, plans and programmes in the UN/ECE
region in areas such as transport, energy and agriculture should be
undertaken as a matter of priority.
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We recognise that changes
in consumption and production patterns must lie at the heart of the
transition towards a sustainable UN/ECE region; with concern we note
that developments in the countries with economies in transition may
have the effect of duplicating unsustainable consumption patterns in
other parts of the region.
Air Pollution Prevention
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We welcome the adoption and
signature of the Protocols on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and
on Heavy Metals within the framework of the UN/ECE Convention on
Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and we urge all Parties to the
Convention expeditiously to take all appropriate steps to become
Parties to the two Protocols, and voluntarily to take swift steps to
implement and comply with the Protocols even before they formally
enter into force.
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We pledge to work
constructively in the forthcoming negotiations on a global convention
on POPs.
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We intend to reduce our
countries emissions of lead, cadmium and mercury from a combination
of industrial sources, transport, combustion processes and waste
disposal and incineration and to be bound by all other obligations
arising from the Protocol on Heavy Metals. We note that 32 countries
have expressed their readiness in a separate declaration to meet an
earlier date for the final phase-out of added lead in petrol for
general use by road vehicles than stipulated in the Protocol (a copy
of the Declaration is attached).
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We strongly support the
expeditious completion of a new protocol on nitrogen oxides and
related substances to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution, and we resolve to take the necessary steps to secure the
scientific foundation for the effective implementation and the further
development of existing cost-effective legal instruments to reduce
transboundary air pollution in the UN/ECE region.
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We welcome the Declaration
of the Executive Body on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution,
recognising the important role of the Convention in promoting a better
environment and improved human health in Europe and North America (a
copy of the Declaration as adopted is attached).
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We note with satisfaction
that the 1991 Protocol on the Emissions of VOC entered into force in
September 1997 and that the 1994 Protocol on Further Reduction of
Sulphur Emissions will enter into force in early August 1998. We urge
the Signatories to the two Protocols that have not yet become Parties
to them to do so as soon as possible.
Strategy to phase out leaded petrol
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We endorse the proposed
strategy to phase out leaded petrol for general use by road vehicles
as early as possible and no later than 1 January 2005, acknowledging,
however, that four countries have reserved their position on the
target date.[7] We oblige ourselves to
work towards the intermediate targets of the strategy and to evaluate
their fulfilment at our next Minesterial Conference.
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We will continue to
endeavour to prevent possible increases in the overall emissions of
harmful substances as a result of the lead phase-out.
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We welcome and recognise
the results of the cooperation among the CEE countries in phasing out
lead from petrol and reducing local air pollution in the framework of
the Sofia Initiative on Local Air Quality led by Bulgaria. We call on
the Project Preparation Committee (PPC) to make lead phase-out part of
its future work in both the CEE and NIS regions.
Energy Efficiency [8],[9]
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We endorse the Policy
Statement on Energy Efficiency (see Conference document ECE/CEP/47)
and welcome the Guidelines on Energy Conservation in Europe (see
Conference document ECE/ CEP/47/Add.1) submitted by the ECE Committee
on Environmental Policy, and we remain convinced that increased energy
efficiency will be a major tool for fulfilling our commitments in the
Kyoto Protocol.
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In particular, we will
promote action to reform energy markets and pricing to ensure there
are cost-based prices and economic incentives that increasingly
internalise the environmental costs of energy production and use. In
this context we support all international activities to develop
measures to reduce aircraft noise and air emissions. We furthermore
support work towards the introduction of regulatory or fiscal measures
in high-growth transport sectors such as aviation. We will promote
action to progressively reduce and where possible remove energy price
subsidies which counteract an efficient use of energy and/or have
harmful effects on the environment by 2005.
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We acknowledge the complex,
cross-sectoral nature of energy efficiency policies and the need for
the integration of those policies into other sectors, for instance in
the field of housing, transport and industry. For energy efficiency
policies to be effective, all relevant levels of government should
ensure a strong and efficient coordination of policy measures.
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We acknowledge the
importance of international financing for effective energy
conservation, and the development of renewable energy sources
particularly in central and eastern Europe including the NIS
countries, for example through the World Bank, the Global
Environmental Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the EU PHARE and TACIS
programmes. We urge the international bodies concerned to make energy
conservation and efficiency a priority in their operational policies
and project implementation guidelines.
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We will promote action to
strengthen international cooperation in monitoring the implementation
of energy efficiency policies. Progress will be reported to the next
Environment for Europe Conference.
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
Strategy
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We acknowledge the Progress
Report on the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
Strategy, welcome the links which have been established with the
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and
acknowledge the work undertaken under the Sofia Initiative led by
Slovenia. We endorse the Resolution on Biological and Landscape
Diversity (See Conference document ECE/CEP/54). [10]
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We are aware that
biological and landscape diversity, particularly in CEE and NIS,
represents an important asset for Europe as a whole and express our
concern about the increased pressure that risks to further deteriorate
the situation. We resolve to strengthen and implement instruments for
a better integration of biodiversity and landscape conservation
objectives into sectoral policies at national and international
levels, inter alia by developing appropriate economic and
financial incentives.
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In particular, we note that
land use has a strong impact on biological and landscape diversity and
that there are currently wide opportunities for progress as well as
potential risks in this area. To take advantage of opportunities and
to avoid negative impacts, we will take initiatives to integrate
biodiversity considerations into the agricultural sector within the EU
enlargement and transition processes.
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We call on all
participating States, international organisations, NGOs and the
private sector to increase their support, as appropriate, for the
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, inter
alia through the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
Strategy, by exploring new and innovative financing means.
Public Participation and The Role of NGOs
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We regard the Aarhus
Convention, which provides recognition for citizens rights in
relation to the environment, as a significant step forward both for
the environment and for democracy. We encourage all non- signatory
States to take appropriate steps to become Parties to the Convention.
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We note the Resolution of
the Signatories to the Convention (See Conference document
ECE/CEP/43/Add.1/Rev).
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We recognise and support
the crucial role played in society by environmental NGOs as an
important channel for articulating the opinions of the environmentally
concerned public. An engaged, critically aware public is essential to
a healthy democracy. By helping to empower individual citizens and
environmental NGOs to play an active role in environmental
policy-making and awareness raising, the Aarhus Convention will
promote responsible environmental citizenship and better enable all
members of society to fulfil their duty, both individually and in
association with others, to protect and improve the environment for
the benefit of present and future generations.11
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The decision to hold a
special dialogue with environmental NGOs during this Conference marks
our recognition of their essential role, and our engagement to
strengthen lines of communication between governments and NGOs,
including in international fora. We recognise the new role played by
NGOs in this Conference and we greatly appreciate their leadership in
organising and taking responsibility for the NGO session and in
actively participating in Conference preparations.
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We encourage countries to
provide, as appropriate, practical and financial support for
environmental NGOs, noting at the same time that part of the role of
such groups can be to question government policies.
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Refocusing
on the NIS
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We recognise the effective
role that the EAP Task Force has played in promoting environmental
policy reform and capacity building in CEE countries and NIS.
Participation in the Task
Force has helped applicant countries, and their EU partners, to launch
a dialogue on the environment during the enlargement process. We also
welcome and encourage the more active participation in, and greater
ownership of the process by the NIS. Taking into account the dynamism
of the EU enlargement process and the large resources that the
European Commission, the Member States and the Applicant States will
be devoting to it, we agree that the main focus of future EAP work
should shift towards the CEE countries and the NIS that are not part
of the pre-accession process. In these countries, the need for
external support for project preparation and implementation
capacities, as well as for strengthening the operations of national
environmental funds, is the greatest.
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National Environmental
Action Programmes (NEAPs), environmental financing and environmental
management in enterprises should continue to provide the framework for
the activities of the EAP Task Force, but the work should be designed
and implemented better to respond to the differentiated needs of CEE
and the NIS groups of countries. We acknowledge with appreciation the
secretariat support that the OECD has provided to the Task Force. The
Regional Environmental Center (REC) in Szentendre, Hungary, should
play an increasing role in supporting the Task Force work in central
and eastern Europe involving the applicant and non-applicant
countries.
Environmental Financing and Economic Instruments
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We welcome the approaches
outlined in the report Environmental Financing in CEEC/NIS:
Conclusions and Recommendations (See Conference document ECE/CEP/50)
and note that it presents a very varied picture. Some CEE countries
have mobilised resources for environmental investments which are equal
to, or greater than, OECD averages as a share of GDP. In the NIS,
however, sources of environmental finance are weak or non-existent.
These countries should develop appropriate financing strategies. To
this end, we endorse the recommendations of the Report on
Environmental Financing. In particular, we call for the development of
more effective approaches to link the policies and instruments
required to create demand and raise domestic finance with the
mechanisms which supply financial resources for projects.
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Environmental financing
must come primarily from domestic sources. Economic instruments should
play a more important role in terms of motivating the polluters to
reduce pollution at their own costs (the polluter-pays principle), as
well as promoting sustainable development and integration of
environmental concerns into sectoral policies and raising revenues for
national environmental funds and other forms of public and private
financing. In this connection we welcome the exchange of experience
among the countries in the framework of the Sofia Initiatives on
Economic Instruments led by the Czech Republic and the UN/ECE- OECD
workshop on economic instruments held in 1997 in the Czech Republic.
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External finance will
provide important assistance for applicant countries to meet EU
environmental requirements. The main challenges will be to establish
the policy and institutional frameworks, and the project preparation
capacities, to ensure that these resources address priorities
cost-effectively. External financing will remain very important in
those countries that have limited domestic funding sources,
particularly the NIS. Donor countries and international financial
institutions (IFIs) should take a more proactive approach and expand
their support to these countries, especially in contributing to
financing pilot and demonstration projects in response to the
increasing demand. External financing will also be important to help
CEE countries and NIS to achieve global transboundary environmental
objectives.
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We welcome the recent
review of the PHARE Guidelines in which the environmental sector is
now made a main priority. We are however concerned that the TACIS
programme still lacks a corresponding environmental profile. We
therefore call for a similar recognition to that of the PHARE
programme in the coming revision of the TACIS Regulation, including
the need for close cooperation with other donors and IFIs, as well as
enhanced procedures for project handling. In this respect, greater
transparency in all phases of the project cycle is vital. We also call
for an improved dialogue between TACIS and the beneficiary countries
in order to make better use of existing TACIS assistance for
environmental purposes.
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We note the environmental
projects financed and supported by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) at national and regional level in CEE countries and
NIS.
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We acknowledge the role
IFIs have played in supporting CEE countries and NIS in addressing
their environmental problems. We strongly urge IFIs to improve
substantially their profiles as catalysts in pursuing environmental
investment projects in the economies in transition. We will be more
proactive, inter alia, through IFIs Executive Directors, in
promoting more and better environmental projects in the CEE countries
and NIS as well as mainstreaming environmental concerns into IFI
project portfolios.
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All partners CEE
countries and NIS, IFIs, donors and increasingly the private sector
should strengthen their efforts to mobilise and channel financial
resources to resolve priority environmental problems in particular by
cofinanced projects. The EAP Task Force and PPC should work to
catalyse and facilitate these efforts, and to prepare a report
assessing progress for the next Environment for Europe
ministerial meeting.
National Environmental Action Programmes (NEAPs)
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We welcome the report
Evaluation of Progress in Developing and Implementing National
Environmental Action Programmes (NEAPs) in CEEC/NIS (See Conference
document (ECE/CEP/49)) prepared by the EAP Task Force, noting that the
principles of the EAP remain valid. However as economic growth
resumes, and needs and priorities within the CEE and the NIS region
become differentiated, these principles will have to be applied even
more rigorously. In the EU applicant countries, substantial changes in
legislation and institutions as well as massive investments will be
required. Cost-effective strategies to develop and implement them will
be of crucial importance to the process. As the other CEE countries
and the NIS move from development to implementation of NEAPs, a
focused, pragmatic, result-oriented approach is urgently needed to
overcome the scarcity of resources available. In this regard we
encourage the coordination of NEAPs with the National Environmental
Health Action Plans (NEHAPs).
Project Preparation Committee
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We welcome the achievements
of the PPC in the CEE countries. The PPC should respond to the
particular need for external financing and for proactive coordination
among clients, host governments, donors and IFIs in the NIS and the
CEE countries which are not involved in the EU enlargement process.
Its main activities should focus on these countries, whilst it
continues its activities in the 10 CEE EU applicant countries. Within
the NIS and in those CEE countries which are not involved in the EU
enlargement process, the PPC should continue to work in close
cooperation with the countries concerned as well as with the EAP Task
Force and strengthen its work by locating PPC officers in the region.
Business and Environment
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We undertake to catalyse,
facilitate and strongly support the implementation of effective
environmental management in enterprises including cleaner production
in CEE countries and NIS based on the recommendations in the Policy
Statement on Environmental Management in Enterprises in CEEC/NIS (See
Conference document ECE/ CEP/51). We will give increased priority to
environmental management in enterprises within bilateral and
multilateral cooperation. We urge business and industry, trade unions,
environmental citizens organisations, educational institutions, and
other stakeholders to work with us to these ends. We invite IFIs and
international organisations to provide practical support for
strengthening environmental management in enterprises in CEE countries
and NIS. We urge donors, IFIs, CEE countries and NIS to create a
business climate that will encourage the establishment of local
private sector environmental goods and services companies in CEE
countries and the NIS.
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We welcome the opportunity
within this Conference to extend a dialogue with prominent
representatives of the business sector as well as the improved
dialogue between industry and the environment set out at this years
CSD session. We confirm our willingness to establish this dialogue on
a more continuous basis and invite the business community to join us
in this effort with the aim of promoting public private partnerships
designed to achieve our common environmental objectives and more
generally to promote sustainable development. We welcome the Message
from the European Round Table of Industrialists on company investment
in CEE countries, which identifies activities of good environmental
practice that are also good business practice. We note with
satisfaction that twinning arrangements between enterprises in west
European countries and enterprises in CEE countries and NIS are being
established to promote the transfer of environmental knowledge and
experience in a most direct and practical way.
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We invite the EAP Task
Force to facilitate and support this process and to prepare, on the
basis of the evaluation of progress made, a report for the next
Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference.
Regional Environmental Centres (RECs)
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We recognise the
development of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and
Eastern Europe in Szentendre, Hungary, into an independent body of an
international character. It provides a significant capacity to assist
in solving environmental problems of the CEE region through
cooperation among governments, NGOs and business, promotion of free
access to information and public participation in environmental
decision-making. We welcome initiatives of beneficiary countries to
actively support the work of the Center.
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In view of the importance
of the civil society and public participation for improving the
environmental situation, we welcome and endorse the establishment of
regional environmental centres in Chisinau, Kyiv, Moscow and Tbilisi.
They are being established and ope- rated as independent bodies that
will promote cooperation among interested parties in addressing
regional, transboundary and local environmental issues in an open and
transparent way. We welcome the initiatives for increased
environmental cooperation among the countries of Central Asia and
their intention to establish a regional environmental centre. We
encourage the founders and other interested parties to provide the
necessary resources for the activities of the centres and to establish
an international coordination committee to coordinate with the work of
these new RECs. We also take note of the first steps to establish a
new REC as an independent body of an international character in
Istanbul and encourage further steps in consultation with other
parties, including those within the region, concerning the
establishment of this centre.
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We are convinced that the
Environment for Europe process has played an essential role in
strengthening dialogue and cooperation in the environment field in
Europe and in promoting sustainable development within the UN/ECE
region. It has put the environment high on the agenda even in
countries where the social and economic situation is unfavourable. The
process has brought together a wide range of international
organisations with an effective division of labour and channels of
communications and collaboration between them. Environment is often
seen as a model example of policy cooperation in Europe and we will
strive to make it a model for the other continents of the world. The
Environment for Europe process should build on the work done so
far and, in particular, move forward from policy commitments to
practical implementation.
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We appreciate other
ministerial processes concerned with the environment in Europe. We
will take an active role within the follow-up to the ECE Conference on
Transport and Environment, held in Vienna in November 1997, in
particular by undertaking those actions which are foreseen in the
Vienna Declaration and the Programme of Joint Action. We welcome the
Joint Work Programme on the Conservation and Enhancement of Biological
and Landscape Diversity in Forest Ecosystems 1997-2000 adopted by the
Third Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe,
Lisbon, 2-4 June 1998. We look forward to the Third Ministerial
Conference on Environment and Health to be held in London in June 1999
and to achieving closer cooperation with the Environment and Health
process, noting with satisfaction that a protocol to the UN/ECE
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes is being prepared for this Conference with the aim
of preventing, controlling and reducing water-related diseases by
meaningful obligations. We welcome further processes of close
cooperation like the ministerial conference on agriculture and
environment which is under consideration in follow-up to the
Integration of Biological and Landscape Diversity Objectives into
Sectoral Policies (See Conference document ECE/CEP/53) and are
committed to maximising the benefit of these for the sake of the
environment in Europe.
-
We consider that the broad
institutional arrangements of Environment for Europe shall continue
with the following adjustments:
- Taking into account the importance and the comprehensive
character of the Europes Environment: The Second
Assessment, we call on the EEA together with existing national
and international networks to update this information regularly
and present the findings based on indicators to our future
ministerial conferences in order to support decision-making.
- The ECE Committee on Environmental Policy should continue to
screen the Environmental Programme for Europe, taking into account
in particular the report Europes Environment: The Second
Assessment, in order to implement priority actions on a
Pan-European level within the context of its long-term programme
of work and to report on progress of this work at the next
Ministerial Conference.
- The EAP Task Force and PPC shall reorient their work and focus
more on the NIS and those CEE countries not included in the
pre-accession process. The Regional Environmental Center in
Szentendre shall overall assume a greater role in the Environment
for Europe process and specifically work on the activities of the
EAP Task Force in CEE countries. The EAP Task Force shall also
cooperate with new RECs in the NIS region.
- The progress since Sofia in reducing the number of preparatory
meetings shall be maintained.
- The frequency of ministerial conferences shall be reduced to an
interval of four years. The next Conference shall take place in
the year 2002 on the tenth anniversary of the Rio Conference.
- A special meeting of senior officials shall convene before the
end of this year and shall at that meeting, chaired by the present
host country, decide on the next host country, preferably in a NIS
country, and the exact date of the next Conference. In this
connection, we take note of the offers by Kazakhstan, the Republic
of Moldova and Ukraine to host the next conference.
- An ad hoc working group of senior officials shall convene
two years before the next conference. This ad hoc working
group shall serve as the coordinating body for the preparation
of the substance for the next conference. The ad hoc working
group shall be chaired by the host country of the next
conference with the UN/ ECE serving as secretariat.
- The work of this ad hoc working group of senior officials
shall be prepared by an Executive Committee (EXECOM) composed
of two senior officials from the CEE countries, two from the
NIS and four from the western European countries. The
Chairpersons of the UN/ ECE Committee on Environmental Policy,
the EAP Task Force, the PPC and the Council for the
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, will
participate as observers. It shall be chaired by the host
country. The EXECOM shall also be established at the meeting
of the ad hoc working group two years before the next
conference. The practical preparations for the next conference
shall be the responsibility of the host country.
-
We are committed to
changing the negative trend in the state of the environment in the
UN/ECE region and to monitoring progress at our next Conference in
four years time. In this connection it is essential to stop the
continuous degradation of the environment in the whole of the
UN/ECE region, with particular emphasis on the NIS and to maximise
the environmental benefits of the EU enlargement process. We are
convinced that increasing public participation in environmental
decision-making is important to strengthen democracy in Europe, an
aim which we are committed to pursuing.
-
We express our deep
gratitude to the Government of Denmark for having hosted this
Conference and we wish to thank it and its people for the warm
hospitality we have received.
On
the Phase-out of Added Lead in Petrol
The Ministers/Heads of Delegations of Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the
United Kingdom and the United States of America, who will sign the
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution concerning Heavy Metals, *14
Concerned that the emissions of lead from
the use of leaded petrol are causing severe damage to the
environment and to human health;
Aware that techniques are available to
reduce air pollution by almost eliminating lead emissions from
on-road vehicles;
Aware that many countries have already
phased out the use of added lead in petrol or are well underway in
the process of doing so and have prepared plans for completely
phasing out leaded petrol;
Considering that, beyond the measures
provided for in the Protocol, timely and more effective reductions
of lead emissions from petrol are feasible;
Declare as follows:
1. The Signatories to this
Declaration have already phased out or will phase out the use of
added lead in petrol for general use by road vehicles as early as
possible and not later than 1 January, 2005.
2. The Signatories call
upon the other Parties to the Convention who will sign the
Protocol to join them in making every effort to control and reduce
substantially their national lead emissions by phasing out the use
of added lead in petrol for general use by road vehicles as soon
as possible.
In witness whereof the undersigned have signed
this Declaration.
On
Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
We, the Ministers and Senior Officials for the
Environment from UN/ECE countries and the European Community,
attending the Aarhus meeting as Parties to the Convention on
Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution,
- Note with serious concern that air pollutants,
including hazardous chemical substances, continue to be
transported in substantial amounts across national boundaries
and over long distances, causing harm to human health and
damage to ecosystems and natural resources of major
environmental and economic importance;
- Are resolved to continue and intensify our efforts to
protect human health and the environment notwithstanding the
pressure from other competing priorities. In so doing we take
into account the positive effects that environmental policy
may have on long-term economic activity and employment;
- Recognize twenty years of successful cooperation
between the Parties to the Convention, which sets an example
for global action in environmental protection;
- Consider that the Convention is a key instrument for
protecting our common environment by creating a scientifically
based framework for gradually reducing the damage caused by
air pollution to human health, the environment and the economy
in the UN/ ECE region;
- Underline that the controls contained in the 1998
Protocols on Heavy Metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants
constitute a significant step towards reducing emissions of
substances that may cause adverse effects on human health or
the environment;
- Stress the importance of all the requirements in the
two Protocols and welcome the recent establishment of an
Implementation Committee under the Executive Body for the
Convention to assist in the review of compliance with the
requirements of all Protocols to the Con- vention;
- Are determined to continue our efforts to further
reduce the emissions of heavy metals and persistent organic
pollutants by strengthening the measures on substances already
included in the two Proto- cols as well as by adding new
substances to the Protocols pursuant to Executive Body
decisions 1998/1 and 1998/2;
- Urge the Signatories to the Protocol on Persistent
Organic Pollutants to strengthen their efforts, in cooperation
with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to
review the availability and feasibility of alternatives to
DDT, and to promote the commercialisation of safer
alternatives;
- Encourage countries to strengthen their efforts to
identify and solve the environmental problems caused by the
use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and work together to
assist countries with economies in transition in dealing with
these problems;
- Are also determined to cooperate closely under
the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme
to develop, preferably by the end of the year 2000, a
global legally binding instrument on the elimination or
control of certain persistent organic pollutants,
including appropriate support to meet the special needs of
developing countries and countries with economies in
transition, taking into account measures to control the
transfrontier movement of such substances;
- Call upon all Parties to the Convention, as well
as international financial institutions, to support the
implementation process of the new Protocols through
bilateral and multilateral assistance to Parties with
economies in transition, mindful that their implementation
will require substantial efforts;
- Encourage Parties to the Convention to sign and
ratify the new Protocols without undue delay and to do
their utmost to implement them, if possible, even before
their entry into force;
- Note the progress made in developing a
multi-pollutant/ multi-effects approach including the
technical basis for a draft protocol on nitrogen oxides
and related substances, including ammonia and volatile
organic compounds, covering all relevant sectors, based on
scientific information and cost-effective solutions, and
support acceleration of the negotiation of an ambitious
and realistic protocol, with a view to finalising it by
mid-1999;
- Welcome the proposal to designate the North Sea
Area as an SOx
Emission Control Area under the MARPOL 73/78 Convention;
- Support the future priorities of work under the
Convention, as out-
lined by the Executive Body, with a focus on
implementation and compliance as well as review and
extension of existing Protocols;
- Are keenly aware of the need to sustain the
networks and capacities of the scientists and experts who
have provided the scientific foundation for these
protocols and for the obligations they lay down on
national strategies, policies, programmes, measures and
information, research, development and monitoring, and
review by the Parties;
- Decide to apply the same high scientific
requirements to the revision of existing Protocols and the
development of any new ones;
- Recognize that effective implementation of
protocols and further development of cost-optimal
abatement measures require our full commitment and
equitable cost-sharing between all stakeholders, for
research into and monitoring of the effects of air
pollutants on ecosystems and human health, for refining
the science on which EMEP is based and for developing
further integrated assessment modelling for those
pollutants for which it is appropriate.
Notes:
- The United States of America cannot agree to the
first two sentences in paragraph 11.
- General reservation by Turkey.
- Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden reaffirm their position that the use
of nuclear energy in general should be phased out in the long term.
This position is shared by Cyprus.
- During the Conference, one more country reserved its
position on the target date.
- Canada and the United States of America strongly
support energy efficiency as a major tool for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions. They are firmly committed to continuing to increase
energy efficiency. The endorsement of the Policy Statement on Energy
Efficiency and the Guidelines on Energy Conservation in Europe would
be inconsistent with a fundamental tenet of the Kyoto Protocol, to
permit countries to meet environmental goals in accordance with
national circumstances. Therefore, Canada and the United States of
America cannot support paragraphs 31, 32 and 35.
- Even though Turkey is not a signatory to the Kyoto
Protocol, it has similar concerns to those of the United States
and Canada. Therefore, it cannot support paragraphs 31, 32 and 35
either.
- The United States of America welcomes and supports
most elements of the Resolution on Biological and Landscape
Diversity
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