Green Week Report 2. - 5. June 2003
Report of the activities and commitments made by the WECF network and partners
14.05.2004
Report of the activities and commitments made by the WECF network and partners
By Sascha Gabizon, Ulrike Roehr, Isabel Ripa and Mihaela Vasilescu
The WECF network could participate with a small delegation in the activities of the Green Week, which since 1999 is organised every year by the European Commission Directorate General Environment.
The Green Week is an excellent occasion to meet with representatives of the European Commission as well as Brussels’ based advocacy NGOs. The WECF network had a 30-minute meeting with Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstroem (see below), a meeting with Ms Wallstroem’s cabinet member Mr. Thomas Gronberg, responsible for the new Health and Environment Strategy, and the coordinators of the European Union’s Water Initiative, Mr. Friedrich Barth and Mr. Andre Liebaert. In addition there were several discussions with other Commission directors and cabinet members during and following the main sessions.
From these meetings several concrete project and funding ideas resulted.
- Ms. Wallström said she would welcome more regular consultations with us, so we will send her a letter asking probably for a regular half-yearly meeting with her and then each time on one or two specific topics to give the possibility to issues which were little discussed during this meeting, health and climate change, to be addressed.
- The Director of DG Development Mr Koos Rivelle asked us for a one-page statement on the need for funding for participation of women’s environment organisations in the meetings of the multi-stakeholder groups of the EU Water to see if he can help with fundraising.
- Mr. Barth wants to organise a meeting in Romania, and maybe also Ukraine, with high level government representatives and NGOs to discuss the need for prioritizing rural water supply and sanitation and promoting eco-sanitation as an option favoured by the EU Water Initiative. This would be paid for by the European Commission.
- Mr. Joerjensen asks the WECF network to propose a new component for the Water Initiative NIS component on rural water supply in the EECCA.
- Mr. Barth suggests that we use the ISPA to develop a large-scale eco-sanitation project in Romania. We are a bit sceptical and will first check the criteria. The minimum amount for projects is 10 million Euros and the main problem is that the main applicant needs to be a govenment agency.
- Mr.Gronberg wants to invite several representatives of the WECF network to be part of the multi-stakeholder committee which will follow the introduction and further definition of the EU’s Strategy on Health and Environment.
- Ms. Catherine Day, Director General European Commission – DG Environment wants to follow up what we have discussed with the commissioner Wallström, and WECF will sent her a short report of the meeting.
