In 1995 the Conference of European Environmental Ministers in Sofia decided that Regional Environmental Centres be set up in the Former Soviet Union, modelled on the REC which had been established in Budapest. The UN ECE Working Group of Senior Governmental Officials "Environment for Europe" requested that REC Budapest undertake a study to assess the feasibility of establishing a "REC-like" organisation for the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) including Moldova, Ukraine and Russia.
As defined in this study, the main goal of the New Regional Environmental Centres is to facilitate and support a grass-roots process of environmental protection in the host countries. Their mission is to encourage public participation in environmental decision-making by delivering services, which contribute to the development of civil society in the CIS countries. Co-operation between different sectors of society - non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments and the business community - and different regions has an immediate and positive impact on environmentally related decisions. The term "NREC" (New Regional Environmental Centre) refers to a "REC-like" organisation.
Following the feasibility study carried out by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), the Ministers of Environment meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, called for the development of New Regional Environmental Centres in the former Soviet Union. It was decided that such centres could be set up in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. The Caucusus region was later added to this list and then Central Asia.
Over the next few years a number of meetings were held with NGOs and Ministries of Environment in these three countries, to define the tasks and structure of the Regional Environmental Centres. Because of the very different geographical and population structure of the NIS, it was agreed to start three nationally based centres, and to link them together in a network of common aims and principles. A common form of charter was developed and agreed in Chisinau, Moldova, in December 1997.
Apart from managing grant programmes to NGOs, the Regional Environmental Centres, like the original REC, are intended to support and develop NGOs, be intermediaries between governments and the public, work with the private sector for sustainable development, and be a focal point for information and training. They are independent from existing NGOs and from any other pressure groups. They are non-advocacy organisations and do not undertake any partisan activity.
The European Commission has provided funds for the start up and first work-programmes of the NRECs in four countries. It will also provide support for the next two years work-programmes and help to establish a Regional Environmental Centre in Central Asia. The United States has focused its support on the Ukraine, but will also support the other centres to varying degrees.
The active work on setting up the Russian REC started during the Phase 1 of the Tacis project New RECs. At the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998, the Institute for Soviet - American Relations (ISAR) supported by the USEPA and the Tacis RREC Implementation team provided a series of joint meetings with NGOs and local authorities in several Russian regions for clarifying the principles and priorities of the new organization. This work in combination with other similar activities has resulted in a Concept for the RREC. The Concept and the main areas of the RREC work were discussed at a conference held in March 1998 in Moscow with a grant from the Norwegian government. A high number of donors, Russian government officials and a wide range of different NGO officials attended this conference.
In June 1998 the team leader was selected as the RREC Executive Director Designate from among 8 candidates. By Summer 1998 the Tacis RREC Implementation team prepared the Charter and the Founding Agreement for signing by the Russian government. However, because of difficulties with the Ministry of Finance and frequent reorganisations in the government the registration of the RREC with the government of the Russian Federation failed in 1999.
In Summer 1999, DGXI asked for an organisation close to the government to replace the Government of the Russian Federation as a founder. The Russian Civil Service Academy was then selected from among several candidate organisations. On 6 March 2000, the founding agreement was signed at the first founders meeting. In March 2000 RREC started carrying out its activities These activities included the implementation of three seminars, one round table (national hearings on sustainable development), a web page and logo design and a a study on environmental information needs.
From 1 April 2000 (when NREC Phase II ended) until June 2001 (when an emergency budget under NREC Phase III became available) the RREC had not received any financial support. However, in August 2000 the RREC was legally registered by the Moscow Chamber of Registration and in January 2001 the RREC was registered in the tax inspection unit and received its social, pension and health certificates. The RREC bank account was opened in February 2001.
At the 10th of May 2001 European Commissioner Wallstrom attended a meeting with RREC Board Members and the Executive Director of the RREC. Commissioner Wallstrom set out the Commission's views on EU-Russian environmental co-operation and emphasised the importance of the Russian REC in that co-operation process.
The first Board Meeting of the RREC was also held on the 10th of May.
The following resolutions were adopted:
- Mr Prusac, the Governor of the Novgorod province, was appointed as Chairman of the RREC Board of Managers;
- Mr. Kozeltsev, the Executive Director Designate was appointed as the RREC Executive Director;
- The BM agreed that the Executive Director will submit the first RREC work plan at the second Board Meeting.
Until July 2001 the RREC has suffered from a shortage of funds which has resulted in considerable delays in setting up the RREC. Once funding under an emergency budget came through in July 2001 the Executive Director, assisted by two administrative staff, has started to purchase equipment and develop the RRECs institutional structure and work plan in order to properly establish the RREC at its next Board Meeting.
b To that effect an initial strategy and the institutional set-up, the development and operations, as well as an indicative core work-programme and an outline for specific projects are presented in this document