Russia and Ukraine - Milieukontakt International

NGOs in such efforts, and in ensuring that their governments
take a position in favour of environmental concerns. This was
done by gathering, selecting and transmitting relevant
information, publishing a newsletter, giving training sessions
and organizing study visits and meetings. Milieukontakt is
partner to a joint project with two NGOs from Brussels
(European Environmental Bureau and Friends of the Earth
Europe) and NGOs from six accession countries to inform and
activate NGOs about the EU enlargement process. The aim of
the project is to enhance the ability of NGOs from CEE countries
to participate in the accession process, to develop their opinion
on the pros and cons and to organize awareness campaigns on
this issue. In this framework an international study visit to
Brussels was organized in December. NGOs met high-ranking
officials and politicians in the European Union who deal with EU
accession.
Milieukontakt has frequent contact with the Regional
Environmental Center (REC) in Szentendre (Hungary) and its
local offices and the Environmental Partnership for Central
Europe. In several countries Milieukontakt and these
organizations have strengthened each other’s activities by cofinancing
events and providing expert input into each other’s
programmes.
▲ Danny Boomsma
The Dutch Ministry of the Environment (VROM) signed
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the ministries of the
environment in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine
and Russia. For each country a special working programme is
attached to the MoU, which includes items such as climate and
energy issues, compliance monitoring and enforcement of
environmental policy, access to environmental information, and
public participation in environmental decision making.
Milieukontakt is involved in the activities related to the last
issue. Milieukontakt organizes workshops on public
participation and on relations between NGOs and
environmental authorities.
Milieukontakt was asked by the Dutch Ministry of the
photo: alexander vinogradov
Environment to assist the Ministry and the Dutch Embassy in
organizing a meeting between the Dutch Minister of the
Environment, Mrs. de Boer, and Romanian politicians in
February. Milieukontakt attended as part of the Dutch
governmental delegation. The meeting took place in the
framework of ‘joint implementation’, which aims at the
reduction of emissions. Meetings were also organized with
Romanian NGOs.
At the request of the Ministry, Milieukontakt supported and
advised on the organization of a study visit to the Netherlands in
November on the subject of public participation for Russian civil
servants and NGO members.
Activities in the Netherlands
Milieukontakt participates in several Dutch environmental
coalitions where international work is coordinated and
discussed. Milieukontakt ensures that issues of relevance to CEE
NGOs are covered.
Milieukontakt is currently participating in a campaign made up
of 28 Dutch nature conservation and environmental
organizations called: ‘The Netherlands for the European Nature.
Milieukontakt informed environmental NGOs in CEE about this
campaign and encouraged them to contact the Dutch
participants.
Milieukontakt’s efforts to encourage the Dutch environmental
movement to cooperate more extensively with its CEE
colleagues are bearing fruit. Dutch environmentalists find this
cooperation inspiring and motivating for their own work.
Milieukontakt ensures that both the Central and East European
and the Dutch partners are well prepared for such cooperation,
and undertakes to assess the concrete results of their
collaboration. In some cases these contacts have led to projects
being implemented independently of Milieukontakt, and the
organization thus often acts in an advisory capacity.
Milieukontakt advises Dutch funding agencies interested in
funding CEE NGOs: both non-governmental donor
organizations and government agencies. Milieukontakt also acts
as a go-between for funding applications from CEE.
Together with NOVEM (Netherlands Agency for Energy and the
Environment), Global Action Plan (GAP) – Netherlands and Tool
Consult Milieukontakt made plans for setting up energy saving
projects for households in Poland. This joint effort contributes to
Novems activities in CEE and the activities of Milieukontakt and
GAP of setting up Local Information Points for Ecoteams in
Poland. (An Ecoteam is a group of people working or living in
the same neighbourhood who make a joint effort to reorganize
their household, step by step, in a more environmentally caring
way.) Ecoteams follow a programme designed by the
international GAP organization.
• Milieukontakt Oost-Europa • 27