With the launch of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Strategy Paper earlier this year, the EU has embarked on a new journey of restructuring and re-focussing relations to its Eastern and Southern Neighbours. Environmental policy plays little part in the ENP and this has prompted Ecologic and the Heinrich Böll Foundation to dedicate a Dinner Dialogue to this subject looking at the effects of European integration and the ENP as ways to promote sustainable development. The Dinner Dialogue took place on 8 December 2004 in Berlin. Tony Long (WWF) was the guest speaker. The event opened with an assessment of the environmental dimension of the ENP by Tony Long, Director of the WWF European Policy Office in Brussels.  He laid out the main substantial and financial elements, and pointed to both the opportunities and the challenges related to translating the environmental aspects of the policy into action.

First he pointed out that a comparatively low amount of 15 billion Euros will be made available under ENP for the 17 beneficiary countries in the period 2007-2013, budgetary lines are being consolidated and brought into a more coherent policy framework, making it much easier to engage with. The 'Life Plus' instrument for instance, will bring together all the previous DG Environment instruments under one instrument.

He further indicated that - contrary to fears - the environmental dimension is unlikely to fall off the ENP agenda altogether. The current focus is placed on the promotion of good environmental governance - including access to environmental information, public participation, and support to civil society - the prevention of the deterioration of the environment, enhancing international and regional cooperation, and the preparation of sustainable development strategies. Although energy and transport are referred to, too little emphasis is placed on issues requiring substantial investment, such as waste or water.

Beyond the greater policy and financial coherence, Tony Long identified two further important opportunities that the ENP offers: 

• the chance to help engage and support civil society in countries the majority of which have no such tradition, and 
• given that security is a main underpinning element of the policy, the link between security, stability, and natural resources strategy could be placed into focus.

Nevertheless, success strongly depends on: 

• capacity building in the neighbouring states, 
• the ability to effectively translate words into action - Tony Long speaks of 'bridging the gap between rhetoric and reality' - and 
• the ability to achieve more coherence among the different policies such as trade, neighbourhood, energy, development, and agriculture.

Taking an outside perspective on the ENP, Miranda Schreurs, stated that the ENP is an important and timely initiative following the recent wave of enlargement. The way the EU related to its neighbours is key, and this policy has the potential to prevent an 'us vs. them' situation. The experience of integration - including on the environmental front - has provided Europe with a comparative advantage, which it is now in a position to share with its neighbours.

Nevertheless, various important issues will have to be considered in the process. 

• First, the real challenge will not lie in the harmonisation of rules and regulations, but in making sure they are implemented. 
• Second, a lot of emphasis should be placed on the support for civil society and on working through bureaucratic institutions of the new neighbours to help them understand the importance of civil society. 
• Third, information dissemination and monitoring continue to be important. Something that tends to be lacking in a lot of countries is basic information on the status of environmental problems and energy-environment relationships.

Miranda Schreurs concluded by stating that the EU is perceived as a model by many regions of the world, due to its experience in integration and in developing programmes oriented both on development and environment.

The ensuing discussion focussed on the following areas:

• Lessons to be drawn from the 15 years experience with the Structural Funds.
• Possible US and EU areas of cooperation and synergy on environmental policy, including in the new EU neighbourhood region.
• The potential that cross-border environmental cooperation has on easing or preventing actual or potential conflicts.
• The need to be able to point to concrete success stories (i.e. 17 countries-17 projects).
• The need to place the issue of water higher on the ENP agenda.
• What the focus should be: (visible) projects or policy (building constituencies).
• How to establish the necessary expertise that will guarantee policy coherence within the EU, even though the decisions may have to be made country and commodity specific basis.
• The need to pass on and share the experience the EU gained in dealing with policy integration and large financial instruments - both inside and outside the EU.

Links & Downloads: 

• WWF Briefing Paper: "The European Neighbourhood Policy" [pdf, 35 KB, English]
• ENP-Website of the European Commission
• CV Tony Long [pdf, 7 KB, English] 
• CV Miranda Schreurs [pdf, 7 KB, English]
• Europe Website of the Heinrich Boell Foundation
• Heinrich Boell Foundation: Die Europäische Umweltpolitik, by Sascha Müller-Kraenner [pdf, 135 KB, German]