Press release, Kyiv, 21 May 2003
The European ECO-Forum, a platform of some 200 environmental citizen's organizations throughout the UN ECE region, has been involved in the preparation for Kiev conference since the very beginning. Today, on the first day of the Ministerial Conference, we make the final call to the Ministers to increase the ambitions of this Pan-European process, take significant political decisions and set out targets and a road-map for further activities.
Unfortunately we see a real split in the UN ECE countries between a majority of those who seek progress through multilateral cooperation and a minority that is active to prevent or weaken such cooperation. This situation is limiting the perspective of a UN ECE region playing the role it should have. We call upon Ministers to resist efforts to prevent or water down common agreements and actions.
ECO-Forum calls upon Ministers to insist that the UN ECE take the lead in sustainable development. We insist that the governments start working on a pan-European regional strategy to phase out unsustainable production and consumption patterns to be ready one year after Kyiv conference, and with a period of implementation of 10 years. The promotion of environmental policy integration, the removal of environmentally harmful subsidies, increasing market access to environmental goods, extend producer responsibility, and specific objectives of sectoral policy should become important part of this strategy.
ECO-Forum calls upon Ministers to sign three Protocols on Strategic Environmental Assessment, Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, and on Civil Liability even if they have not taken part in the negotiations. We call for urgent ratification of these Protocols and go beyond their requirements even before they enter into force.
We are concerned about the lack of action by many governments in phasing out of environmentally harmful energy subsidies. We strongly support those governments that promote a shift towards renewable energy. Ambitious targets for the region should be set in the near future. From the ECO-Forum there is no doubt the end goal is 100% renewable energy.
We pledge Ministers to agree on a phase out of all nuclear installations ASAP. Public is more worried about nuclear plants than about any other environmental threats!
ECO-Forum strongly supports the Environment for Europe process to continue on a pan-European level. We believe that it should continue to work on the following levels:
ECO-Forum considers public participation as a right and opportunity to come to better quality decisions that will also receive wider public support. Environmental citizenĘs organizations therefore should be encouraged and assisted to play a meaningful role both in involving the citizens and in actual decision making process. We appreciate the open and transparent character of Environment for Europe process. It is an example to be followed by other international forums, including the European Union.
However, in the final days of the preparations to Kyiv-2003 the US delegation made an attempt to exclude the European ECO-Forum from the process. We welcome that none of other delegations supported the USA in this demand.
We urge Ministers to promote an open attitude towards citizen's organizations in other forums and we encourage Parties and Signatories of the Aarhus Convention to start to work on guidelines to promote the application of its principles in international decision making process.
For more information: European ECO-Forum Information Center