Regional Environmental CenterWelcome!

www.rec.org

Milestones – 1989…2010• 1989

• Budapest, July 12 – the historical speech of President Bush at the Marx University

• 1990• The REC’s Foundation Charter is signed by

Hungary, the EC, the US and the Netherlands on June 20.

• 1993• Japan special Fund

• 1995• International status in Hungary

• 2000• 10th Anniversary and The Regional Environmental

Reconstruction Program for South Eastern Europe, brokered with REC assistance, is endorsed by the Stability Pact.

• 2001• Italian Trust Fund

• 2005• Declaration of the Signatories to the Charter of the REC

on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary • 2009-2010

• The REC today and the story goes on…

The Climate Project discussions for regional cooperation

A Salute to President George BushREC founding father

Royal visit for the 20th anniversary

www.rec.org

Regional Environmental Center (REC)• “… is an international organisation

with a mission to assist in solving environmental problems (…)”

• The REC is legally based on a charter signed by the governments of 31 countries (from June 2010 - Sweden and UK) and the EC

• Multi-stakeholder International Board

• 190 staff (some 30 nationalities)• 100% project based organization

(over 300 running projects/year)• 10 – 12 million Euro annual

turnover• Offices in 17 countries• Population served ~ 200+ million • Operations beyond Central and

Eastern Europe

www.rec.org

Board of Directors•Jaakko Henttonen Director of the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership Support Fund, EBRDChairman of the Board of the REC

•Ferruh ErtürkProfessorYildiz University, Turkey

•Andrzej Kassenberg President, Institute for Sustainable Development, Poland

•Melinda L. KimbleSenior Vice PresidentUN Foundation, US

•Adriaan Oudeman, Coordinator, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, the Netherlands

•Jin SatoAssociate Professor;University of Tokyo, Japan

•Sinisa StankovicDeputy MinisterMinistry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, Montenegro

•Istvan TeplánDirector GeneralGovernment Centre for Public Administration and Human Resource Services, Hungary

•Timo MakelaDirectorDG EnvironmentEuropean Commission

Ex officio:

•Corrado CliniDirector GeneralMinistry for the Environment Land and Sea, ItalyPresident of the General Assembly of the REC

•Marta Szigeti BonifertExecutive DirectorREC

www.rec.org

Asia

Pacifi

c & T

ransa

tlantic

Coopera

tion

EU Countries

Countries in Transition

Inte

rnati

onal and

pri

vate

Inst

ituti

ons

EFT

A

(…)

• Signatories

PARTNERS OF THE RECN

atio

nal

Institu

tion

s

(…)

www.rec.org

Top 14 Projects – 2009 (based on RECtivity)

www.rec.org

Bridging

Government

LocalGovernments

Business

Citizens

NGOs

The REC

Government NGOs

LocalGovernments

Business

Citizens

Bridging – Across Borders

Sustainability,

Climate Change

SEA

Environmental Financing,

LEAPs Awareness Raising,

Green Pack

Improvement of energy efficiency

Grants, training

programmes

www.rec.org

Environment and Health Topic Area in the REC• Supporting cooperation between

environmental and health sector by policy integration on international/national level

• Strengthening the role of the precautionary principle in public health and environment protection, with special focus on children

• Implementation of the EU Environment and Health Action Plan/ WHO CEHAPE by active involvement in the European processes/multi-stakeholder cooperation

• Reg. participation in implementation of the CEHAPE Priority Goal 3: SEARCH project

www.rec.org

Legal instruments and policy tools (1) • The legal and policy instruments in some

pilot, CEE, NIS and SEE countries were assessed and specifically addressed to the four Regional Priority Goals of the CEHAPE

•RPG I: Water and sanitation•RPG II: Transport safety and accidents•RPG III: In door and outdoor air quality •RPG IV: Chemicals safety

www.rec.org

Legal instruments and policy tools (2)• REC developed a consultative framework

for national experts in the line of the Establishment of E&H Information System 2 project

• Guiding questions:•Existing national legislation and policies,

specifically address to children’s H&E and the Regional Priority Goals

•Responsible authorities: who is in charge, national, regional, local authorities?

• Implementation and enforcement to prevent/reduce children’s environmental risks

•Gaps and deficiencies and good practices

www.rec.org

European cooperation on in-door air quality in schools

• In-door air quality project in

•8 countries in 2006-2010

•Austria, Italy, Norway-Hungary, Slovakia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia

• reporting: E&H Ministerial conference in 2010

www.rec.org

Perspectives towards Healthy Europe• Cooperation in Europe in E&H process

• Parma Declaration for intensification of the E&H process

• E&H Research and project implementation with partners in the whole WHO Europe region

• Sub-regional assessment of the progress in E&H

• Reducing E&H vulnerability

www.rec.org

I. Green transport

• Topic Area has become increasingly involved in the field of sustainable urban mobility in recent years, implementing projects focused on the large-scale dissemination of information and the take-up and exploitation of the results of research and demonstration projects

• The flagship activity of the topic area is its four-year support to the European Commission’s CIVITAS Initiative though the CIVITAS Plus phase of the initiative.

• Other assignments• AENEAS – related to elderly persons’ sustainable mobility • SPICYCLES – where the team helped promote cycling as a more

popular means of urban transport

www.rec.org

II. Green Pack

• 2001 with the support of Toyota Motor Corporation, the REC developed a comprehensive environmental education programme in Central and Eastern Europe (Green Pack)

• The REC and respective local partners developed a comprehensive environmental education programme special for each country.

• A multi-media environmental education curriculum kit

• Primarily intended for secondary school teachers and their students

• Focus on particular aspects of environmental protection and sustainable development

• 30.000+ teachers• 3.500.000+ students

In 15 countries….

www.rec.org

III. Zero Emission Conference Center

THE BIGGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT IN HUNGARY – connected to the grid!

•Photovoltaic• The PV system generates close to

30 kilowatt hours •High efficiency envelope

• minimise heat loss in winter, prevent heat gains in summer and maximise the exploitation of natural lighting

•Lighting system• a „light shelf” diffuses natural light

throughout the interior•Heating ventilating and air-conditioning

• Ground source heat pumps •Architecture

• Energy systems and architecture have been designed in a modern and integrated approach

www.rec.org

SINPHONIE Project

• I wish you a successful implementation to this breakthrough project!

Thank you!