Regional Differences and Challenges

The new EU member  countries - Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania. These countries have all adopted EU environmental legislation, though they have negotiated a transition period to comply fully for implementation. The main challenge is to continue to improve institutions and to mobilize the financial resources needed to meet stringent European Union standards, particularly for wastewater treatment and solid waste management, but also for air emissions, good agricultural practices and management of sensitive ecosystems. Most of these countries also face challenges in flood management, caused partly by excessive urban development of flood plains. With large urban populations and highly developed civil societies, public debate regarding responsible growth is healthy. 

EU accession and Enlargement  countries - Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey. Romania faces major challenges in flood management, earthquake risks,  and an outstanding legacy of industrial pollution, especially in the mining industry. But both Romania and Bulgaria are doing much to strengthen environmental institutions. Croatia needs to strengthen its institutions substantially. For all three countries forest management is a challenge, and landscape and coastal zone management are key to tourist development especially in Croatia. Meeting the EU acquis for water quality and waste management poses greater fiscal challenges than in the higher income EU 8 countries. Civil society organizations are developing.

Turkey is highly vulnerable to earthquakes, with loss of life and economic damage exacerbated by large scale informal urbanization and lack of enforcement of building codes. Turkey also faces challenges in cooperation between institutions, and in developing a decentralized approach to environmental management which involves civil society. It faces challenges in developing participatory approaches to water resources management which address the demands of different users. With the highest biodiversity in Europe, Turkey is developing its protected area system but fragile and coastal landscapes remain poorly protected from development pressures. Energy is used quite efficiently and use of natural gas is widespread, and Turkey is making good progress in developing waste water treatment and solid waste management systems.

The West Balkans - Bosnia, Albania,  Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo, Macedonia. All are now within the EU Enlargement process, and are gradually rebuilding their institutions after the conflicts of the 1990s; cooperation between the countries, which share water resources and face similar challenges, is crucial. All face industrial  pollution legacy issues, especially with the mining sector in Kosovo and parts of Serbia. Unplanned urban development is a widespread  especially in Albania, where the tourism and environmental assets of the coastline are threatened. All face issues of governance and transparency in utilities, forest, land and water management but have developing civil society movements. All are vulnerable to natural disasters. All face fiscal and affordability challenges in improving wastewater treatment (largely absent before 1990) and solid waste management.

Russia: In Russia environmental institutions have been affected by frequent administrative changes; the country is still working to adopt transparent standards which are adapted to a market economy and are enforced. Russia is making headway regarding improved forest management and is hosting a regional conference on forest governance in 2005. Budget allocations for ecosystems management are increasing. Russia has phased out the production of ozone depleting substances and signed the Kyoto protocol but still has to adopt the monitoring and institutional arrangements to engage in carbon trading. Industrial pollution remains a challenge and traffic pollution is affecting air quality in the larger cities. Russia’s weather forecasting systems are being updated and it is beginning to address river basin management issues. Energy use is still inefficient and there is much to be done to improve municipal infrastructure.

Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova. In Moldova, the principle challenges are sustainable land management, in a country where the agricultural sector is key to the economy, and which is vulnerable to erosion, droughts, floods and land slides; deteriorating municipal infrastructure, linked in turn to economic difficulties and affordability constraints; and poor quality drinking water, which in many areas is contaminated by nitrates. In Ukraine the challenges are industrial pollution, sustainable land and forest management, difficulties in compliance and enforcement, and frequent administrative changes. In Belarus the Chernobyl legacy remains, energy use is not efficient, but environmental institutions and compliance are quite strong. Civil society organizations are developing in Ukraine and Moldova.

The Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia). These mountainous countries, with varied topography and landscapes, rich ecosystems and considerable potential for cultural and ecological tourism, are vulnerable to natural disasters; disaster management systems have weakened over the last 15 years. Sustainable land and water management present challenges. Pollution related to the oil industry is a particular challenge in Azerbaijan, and in all countries increasing use of fuelwood among low income people, as well as illegal harvesting, threaten sound forest management. Municipal infrastructure has deteriorated especially in Georgia. In Georgia and Armenia civil society organizations are active.

Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan). Sound water management is the principle environmental challenge in these countries, which are mostly semi-arid and dependent on irrigation for much of their agriculture and part of their energy. Tajikistan and Kyrgyztan face difficulties from erosion and poor watershed management. Hazardous waste from mine tailings, and vulnerability to landslides and earthquakes, threatens not only locally affected people but downstream water-bodies in this region. Kazakhstan in particular has a legacy of polluting industry, but it is adopting policies to address this, and is attaching increasing priority to environmentally sustainable management of the oil industry as well as of its vast range and arable lands. Deteriorating municipal infrastructure, and poor access to water and sanitation, especially in rural areas, pose challenges in environmental health. All countries except Kazakhstan face severe financial constraints to improving environmental management, and civil society organizations are developing slowly in most countries. The countries also have fragile and unique ecosystems, especially in the mountainous areas and along river valleys.

Regional Seas. Regional Seas are a particular characteristic of ECA; all countries border a regional sea or have a river flowing into one. Each has its own environmental challenges. For the Baltic the challenge is sustainable fisheries and pollution management, for the Black sea control of nitrate pollution and protection of its coastlines; for the Caspian control of pollution from the oil and other industries and improved governance of sturgeon and other natural resources; for the Aral Sea prevention of further depletion and control of related land degradation; and for the Mediterranean and Aegean, balancing tourism and urban development pressures with sustainable coastal zone and ecosystems management.