The RECThe Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) was established in 1990 to assist in solving environmental problems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by promoting cooperation among non-governmental organisations, governments, businesses and other environmental stakeholders, and by supporting the free exchange of information and public participation in environmental decision-making.

The REC has been involved in Danube environment-related projects since its inception, and has taken an active role in cooperating with key Danube players to enable NGO involvement in international initiatives related to the entire basin. The REC closely cooperates with relevant stakeholders such as the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and the Danube Environmental Forum.

The organisation took part in the Danube Pollution Reduction Programme (1999–2001) by enabling NGO contributions toward the initiative’s goals. Additionally, the REC participated in the ICPDR expert group, which developed the Danube River Basin Strategy for Public Participation in River Basin Management Planning 2003-2009. This document was adopted by the ICPDR in June, 2003.

The Danube Regional ProjectThe world’s most international river basin, the Danube River Basin has been radically altered over the last 150 years by human activity. It has lost 80 percent of its wetlands and floodplains and continues to suffer from pollution from industry, farming and municipal wastewater.

The Danube Regional Project (DRP) was launched in 2001 in cooperation with 13 national signatories of the Danube River Protection Convention, Danube NGOs, the European Union (EU) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). The DRP’s main goal is to help the ICPDR and Danube countries to cooperate in fulfilling their commitments to implement the river convention and EU environmental legislation, especially the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

One of the key activities of the DRP is the distribution of grants to NGOs to help them contribute to this work. With these funds, NGOs have worked to:• Enhance public awareness and participation by carrying out publicity campaigns

and reaching out to media. • Reduce agricultural pollution through education and promotional efforts focused on

best agricultural practices.• Raise public awareness about the impacts of phosphates in laundry detergents.• Conserve wetlands through restoration efforts and through encouraging water

managers to include wetlands in their planning activities.

Grants for the riverThe grants component of the Danube Regional Project was designed to enable environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Danube River countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to contribute to the reduction of nutrient and toxic pollution of watercourses. This project has two main components, national grants focusing on issues of national priority and regional grants promoting cooperation in trans-boundary projects.

In the second round of DRP grants, NGOs were awarded a combined total of USD 636,000, which was divided as follows:

• USD 177,170 to fund five regional projects, each involving NGOs from multiple countries. These projects focused on facilitating the reduction of nutrient and toxic pollution in the target countries of the Danube River Basin: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

• USD 458,834 for 57 national NGO initiatives which took a multi-stakeholder approach to address different issues related to Danube pollution.

In total, 62 projects were coordinated and monitored by the REC through its country office network, which covers 11 countries in the Danube basin.

Regional grants improve water qualityThe regional grants programme promotes regional cooperation in environmental projects managed by NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on work that addresses nutrient and toxic pollution in the Danube Basin. Five regional projects were funded under the programme, and grant awards ranged from USD 28,000 to USD 50,000.

Five multi-country projects combined the efforts of 14 NGOs from the Danube Basin. In their approaches, NGOs built on their expertise in lobbying, campaigning and working with the public and local and central authorities. The projects focused on developing best practices and pilot projects that demonstrated solutions to problems of production and consumption patterns in the region. Increased attention was dedicated to working with the media. All

Bringing NGOs into the flowSecond round of regional grants for

the Danube Regional Project

involved NGOs built on the training they went through during the proposal preparation with the project team at the REC. During grants monitoring, they were encouraged to raise the visibility of the projects and share lessons learned to other groups in the basin.

NGO activities ranged from higher-level policy involvement in river basin management to practical work with farmers related to best agricultural practices and approaches to promoting alternative ways of production and consumption. The work brought about a change in attitudes and behaviour among key players in the river basin and thus had an indirect effect on the long-term reduction of nutrients and toxins. Other activities, including establishment of composting facilities and river monitoring systems, directly reduced nutrient and toxic pollution in the river basin. The grants brought Danube pollution issues onto the agenda of communities and brought stakeholders to the table, where real solutions could be implemented with assistance from local authorities.

REGIONAL GRANTS AWARDED

PROJECT USD AWARDED

Barriers and Bridges: Barriers to Waste, Nutrients and Chemicals; Bridges for Communities, Sectors and Information 28,000

Strengthening NGO Participation in EU WFD Implementation in Sava River Basin 49,882

Cross-sectoral Cooperation for Good Water Quality Management on Lower Danube Farms 29,970

Preserving the Water by Promoting Diapers Friendly to Earth and Baby 35,000

Best Agricultural Practice on My Farm 34,978

TOTAL 177,830

CHANGING LIFESTYLES: This display in Maribor, Slovenia featured products that can help new families raise healthy children in the Danube region.

Green Action’s Green ActionsA project led by the Croation group Green Action sought to boost NGO and public participation in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the Sava River Basin.

The project didn’t stop at mere reinforcement of NGOs’ relationship to the public, though. Other goals included establishing cooperation between the NGO community and the International Sava River Basin Commission; acting as a watchdog regarding implementation provisions of the WFD in the Sava Basin; publishing results of national and international projects and initiatives related to river management; strengthening capacities of the NGO sector; and assisting authorities in development of the public participation strategy for the Sava River Basin management planning.

At national trainings, NGOs participated together with representatives of water management directorates, ministries of environmental protection and the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC). These were joined at international meetings by representatives from the Danube Regional Project (DRP), the International Commission of the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC). Due to these activities, the International Sava River NGO Committee was established and was recognised by the ISRBC as the relevant NGO body for the public participation strategy. Green Action gained observer status within the ISRBC.

CONTACT: Irma Popovic l Green Action l Frankopanska 1, pp. 952, HR-10000 ZagrebTel: 38 51 4813096 l E-mail: za@zelena-akcija.hr l NGO PARTNERS AND COUNTRIES: DPPVN – Society of Bird Research and Nature Protection (Slovenia) l CESD Center for Environmentally Sustainable Development (Bosnia-Herzegovina) l Danube Environmental Forum (Serbia)

For Earth and BabyIt’s an ecological problem to which nearly every household in modern Europe has contributed and will contribute: Negative environmental impact due to disposable diapers and laundry detergent. A project Croatian-Slovenian project addressed the problem by promoting diapers that are less harmful to the environment and better for babies. The project sought to reduce the use of disposable nappies, a consumer product representing 10 percent of non-degradable waste in landfills.

With promotional materials, a website, seminars and the education of parents and professionals, the project helped introduce a new school of thought in child-rearing. In an excellent example of thinking outside the box, authorities in Ljubljana, Slovenia were persuaded to give a total of EUR 1,250 to families that made the switch to cotton diapers. Twenty families received EUR 62.50 each.

Under the auspices of the project, a documentary was produced on the subject, translated into Croatian, released in January, and distributed on DVD in Slovenia and Croatia.

The Croatian NGO Roda helped out with Croatian activities of the Slovenian NGO Storklja. Roda set out on its own in promoting the use of ecologically safer cloth diapers through media campaigns, public activities, and an Earth Day observation. Roda was ultimately able to participate in building capacities of Croatian environmental and health NGOs together with the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) Environment Network in partnership with the Zagreb-based Partnership-Information–Networking (PIN) for Health and the Croatian Nurses Association. Green Action invited Roda to participate in their capacity building workshop on environment and health.

CONTACT: Dr. Spelca Morojna l Association Storklja—Zdruzenje Storklja Zdruzenje Storklja Maribor Ul. Leona Zalaznika 4, Kosaki, 2000 Maribor l Tel: 38 62 2512411 l E-mail: spelca@storklja.si NGO PARTNER AND COUNTRY: Roda (Croatia)

Reducing nutrient and toxic pollution at the regional level

Breaking barriers, building bridgesA particularly troubled area is the Tisza sub-basin, particularly in the Hernad and Sebes-Koros valleys which have great influence on the water quality of the Danube watershed itself. Problems include a growing amount of waste, wastewater and inappropriate management; an increasing number of threatened ecological habitats; a lack of environmental awareness; minimal participation of the public and local stakeholders in environmental processes; and a dearth of concrete information regarding residents’ environmental attitudes.

An initiative by Hungarian and Romanian NGOs called “Barriers and Bridges,” in which “barriers” refers to waste, nutrients and chemicals while “bridges” refers to communities, sectors and information, was undertaken to address the entire range of issues. Along the Hernad and Koros river valleys, various activities were carried out to achieve the main targets of the Water Framework Directive, i.e. the creation of appropriate ecological water conditions before 2015.

Apart from gathering information through two surveys assessing the pollution situation along the Hernad and Koros rivers, awareness raising activities, trainings, and a regional conference took place in Hungary. Practical activities were also conducted such as constructing seven composting sites and two selective waste deposits. Field trips were organised to find illegal dumpsites, and clean-up activities resulted in the collection of more than 200 50-litre plastic bags of waste. Promotional materials were printed and distributed. Particularly impressive was Barriers and Bridges’ work with citizens and schools. Together with the Environmental Education Centre of Miskolc, 21 lectures for students and adults were held. Youth river-monitoring groups were established and outfitted with instrumentation and know-how. Competitions were organised for children in Romania and Hungary. Six youth monitoring groups gave presentations in Hungary on their work, and a summer camp with the theme “water and water pollution” was held for 20 students from the three schools involved in the programme. Last but not least, the Barriers and Bridges project showed a good involvement of different stakeholders.

CONTACT: Laszlo Stoll l Holocen Nature Conservation OrganisationKossuth u. 13, H-3525 Miskolc, Hungary l Tel: (36-46) 508-944 l E-mail: stoll@holocen.huNGO PARTNER AND COUNTRYS: Silvanus Ecological Association (Romania) l Dialogue for the Communities Public Interest Association (Hungary)

My 200 farmsOver-enrichment of surface water and groundwater with agricultural nutrient matter leads to eutrophication and subsequent negative environmental impacts. The problem is especially rife in certain rural areas of the three Lower Danube countries: Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania.

Participants in the Best Agricultural Practice on My Farm project set out tackling these issues, as well as dealing with raising awareness among farmers, NGOs and media with regard to transboundary ecological issues, the Best Agricultural Practice concept, and organic farming. Some 150-200 stakeholders in three countries were targeted for involvement.

Among the programme activities were public outreach events, informational and promotional material distribution, a media competition, cross-border visits and public forums. And ultimately, local water quality was improved thanks to the training given to 221 farmers. In six vulnerable regions of the three nations targeted in the project, an effective contribution to reduction of nutrient and toxic pollution in the Danube Basin surface and ground water was achieved.

Additionally, the work undertaken by the project’s NGOs and stakeholders is certain to continue, for due to their efforts, media interest, exchanges and networking have been boosted at the local, national and regional levels.

CONTACT: Emma Gileva l Black Sea NGO Network l 12 Sheinovo Str., 9000 Varna, BulgariaTel/Fax: (359-52) 615-856 l E-mail: reg_off@bseanetwork.orgNGO PARTNERS AND COUNTRIES: Prietenii Pamatului – Earth Friends (Romania) l Eco Counselling Center Cahul (Moldova)

Outreach for nitrate cleanupThe Lower Danube is not excepted from a problem common throughout Europe, nitrates released into water from agricultural activities. The project, Cross-Sectoral Cooperation for Good Water Quality Management on Lower Danube Farms, set out to organise stakeholders from Bulgaria and Romania for the prevention of long-term pollution in catchment areas and river basins.

Central to the project’s goals was the creation of two model farms for water-quality management. Other objectives included making a contribution to water-agricultural policy development; activity-related promotion; and cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder platform establishment.

The project was particularly successful in its outreach, organising a number of seminars and events to engage stakeholders from all spheres. A two-day seminar entitled “Opportunity for Reduction of Water Pollution and Applying Environmentally Friendly Practices in Danube River Basin” was held in Pleven, Bulgaria. This forum drew 85 representatives from ministries of agriculture and environment, Danube river basin interests, agricultural advisors, farmer associations, environmental NGOs, local authorities and district authorities. Farmer training workshops entitled “Financial Opportunities for Development of Environmentally Friendly Agricultural Practices” were organised in the municipalities of Dolna Mitropolia, Guliantzi and Levski. Two seminars were held with the support of the Braila County Council in Romania, including a June function which fostered ecological awareness among area mayors.

A working model farm in Bulgaria demonstrating good farming practices was designed to serve as a training tool and to foster information dissemination activities. It has already been used in a practical agri-environmental training course.

CONTACT: Julia Grigorova l Association for Integrated Rural Development l 21 Hristo Belchev Str, floor 6, office 80, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria l Tel: (35-92) 980-9837 l E-mail: Julia_aicc@yahoo.co.uk NGO PARTNER AND COUNTRY: Romanian Ornithological Association (Romania)

IN THE BAG: Local youth helped to pick up litter along Hungary’s Szinva Creek as part of the Barriers and Bridges grant programme.

SERVING THE SAVA: Construction takes place at one Sava River location, while local NGOs are building links of their own to ensure proper WFD implementation.

YOUTHFUL VISIONS: Hungarian and Romanian children produced models of their living environment as part of a Danube Day competition.

The RECThe Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) was established in 1990 to assist in solving environmental problems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by promoting cooperation among non-governmental organisations, governments, businesses and other environmental stakeholders, and by supporting the free exchange of information and public participation in environmental decision-making.

The REC has been involved in Danube environment-related projects since its inception, and has taken an active role in cooperating with key Danube players to enable NGO involvement in international initiatives related to the entire basin. The REC closely cooperates with relevant stakeholders such as the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and the Danube Environmental Forum.

The organisation took part in the Danube Pollution Reduction Programme (1999–2001) by enabling NGO contributions toward the initiative’s goals. Additionally, the REC participated in the ICPDR expert group, which developed the Danube River Basin Strategy for Public Participation in River Basin Management Planning 2003-2009. This document was adopted by the ICPDR in June, 2003.

The Danube Regional ProjectThe world’s most international river basin, the Danube River Basin has been radically altered over the last 150 years by human activity. It has lost 80 percent of its wetlands and floodplains and continues to suffer from pollution from industry, farming and municipal wastewater.

The Danube Regional Project (DRP) was launched in 2001 in cooperation with 13 national signatories of the Danube River Protection Convention, Danube NGOs, the European Union (EU) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). The DRP’s main goal is to help the ICPDR and Danube countries to cooperate in fulfilling their commitments to implement the river convention and EU environmental legislation, especially the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

One of the key activities of the DRP is the distribution of grants to NGOs to help them contribute to this work. With these funds, NGOs have worked to:• Enhance public awareness and participation by carrying out publicity campaigns

and reaching out to media. • Reduce agricultural pollution through education and promotional efforts focused on

best agricultural practices.• Raise public awareness about the impacts of phosphates in laundry detergents.• Conserve wetlands through restoration efforts and through encouraging water

managers to include wetlands in their planning activities.

Grants for the riverThe grants component of the Danube Regional Project was designed to enable environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Danube River countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to contribute to the reduction of nutrient and toxic pollution of watercourses. This project has two main components, national grants focusing on issues of national priority and regional grants promoting cooperation in trans-boundary projects.

In the second round of DRP grants, NGOs were awarded a combined total of USD 636,000, which was divided as follows:

• USD 177,170 to fund five regional projects, each involving NGOs from multiple countries. These projects focused on facilitating the reduction of nutrient and toxic pollution in the target countries of the Danube River Basin: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

• USD 458,834 for 57 national NGO initiatives which took a multi-stakeholder approach to address different issues related to Danube pollution.

In total, 62 projects were coordinated and monitored by the REC through its country office network, which covers 11 countries in the Danube basin.

Regional grants improve water qualityThe regional grants programme promotes regional cooperation in environmental projects managed by NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on work that addresses nutrient and toxic pollution in the Danube Basin. Five regional projects were funded under the programme, and grant awards ranged from USD 28,000 to USD 50,000.

Five multi-country projects combined the efforts of 14 NGOs from the Danube Basin. In their approaches, NGOs built on their expertise in lobbying, campaigning and working with the public and local and central authorities. The projects focused on developing best practices and pilot projects that demonstrated solutions to problems of production and consumption patterns in the region. Increased attention was dedicated to working with the media. All

Bringing NGOs into the flowSecond round of regional grants for

the Danube Regional Project

involved NGOs built on the training they went through during the proposal preparation with the project team at the REC. During grants monitoring, they were encouraged to raise the visibility of the projects and share lessons learned to other groups in the basin.

NGO activities ranged from higher-level policy involvement in river basin management to practical work with farmers related to best agricultural practices and approaches to promoting alternative ways of production and consumption. The work brought about a change in attitudes and behaviour among key players in the river basin and thus had an indirect effect on the long-term reduction of nutrients and toxins. Other activities, including establishment of composting facilities and river monitoring systems, directly reduced nutrient and toxic pollution in the river basin. The grants brought Danube pollution issues onto the agenda of communities and brought stakeholders to the table, where real solutions could be implemented with assistance from local authorities.

REGIONAL GRANTS AWARDED

PROJECT USD AWARDED

Barriers and Bridges: Barriers to Waste, Nutrients and Chemicals; Bridges for Communities, Sectors and Information 28,000

Strengthening NGO Participation in EU WFD Implementation in Sava River Basin 49,882

Cross-sectoral Cooperation for Good Water Quality Management on Lower Danube Farms 29,970

Preserving the Water by Promoting Diapers Friendly to Earth and Baby 35,000

Best Agricultural Practice on My Farm 34,978

TOTAL 177,830

CHANGING LIFESTYLES: This display in Maribor, Slovenia featured products that can help new families raise healthy children in the Danube region.