‘Green’ standards cloud enlargement

Date: 27/02/1997

By Mark Turner

THE continued existence of some of the world's worst environmental hazards in central and eastern European countries (CEECs) is a serious blot on their application for EU membership.

Maritime pollution in the Baltics, Poland's 'black triangle', dying Czech forests and toxic waste in the Danube are just some high-profile examples of the problems which dog all ten hopefuls. But fears are growing amongst 'green' groups that these issues could be swept under the carpet as the Union pushes for new markets and a secure eastern border.

“The question is how much the EU will insist on environmental standards in new members. Most people think this will not be a very strong condition,” said Jernej Stritih, of the Regional Environmental Centre, a network of governmental and civil groups.

Although the EU is unlikely to renege on its environmental commitments, long transition periods and a forgiving eye could have the same effect in practice, say environmentalists, warning that would be disastrous at a crucial time in the East's development.

“Opening markets creates immediate problems,” said Mara Silina of Friends of the Earth. “For example, eastern Europe is being flooded by western packaging without systems in place to cope with it. And car pollution is increasing rapidly as fewer people use public transport.”

An East-West meeting of environment ministers next month could go some way to allaying such concerns. Focusing upon energy conservation and climate change, EU governments will proclaim their commitment to a clean planet.

But many in the East believe such statements will amount to little when the Union sets about recruiting new members. “There are a set of conflicting policies and messages coming from the EU to the East,” said Stritih. “For instance, a strong drive to build up transport and infrastructure causes even greater pollution.”

Referring to divisions within the Union over energy efficiency and the desirability of nuclear power, he added: “The message is also unclear on how to proceed with energy. This all gives the impression that environmental commitments within the Union are not very strong.”

The trouble is that eastern pollution will continue to spill over into the Union whether its source countries join up or not - and experts warn that isolating nations for their lack of greenness could be more counter-productive than letting the CEECs in prematurely if it meant the EU losing potential control over environmental standards.

Besides, the real problem in the East does not appear to be a lack of political will. Governments have gone a long way towards creating environmental infrastructures and laws - the difficulty has been implementing them.

Although the green movement was an important element in eastern and central Europe's breakaway from Soviet rule, the environment has become a low priority during economic transition.

Cleanliness is expensive and the East can ill afford such a bill.

European Commission officials insist that the later the CEECs act, the worse things will get, especially as industry begins to pick up and grow once again. “It is much more costly to retrofit environmental legislation than to implement it from the start,” stressed one.

But such statements do not help governments still struggling to raise wages and standards of living. Although the EU is assisting the CEECs' clean-up through its Phare programme, it has made it clear that the greatest financial burden will fall on the applicant countries themselves.

Environmentalists believe that the only way to improve matters in practice is through greater participation by private industry and the public at large. “The public involvement in setting up legislation is not overwhelming,” said Silina. “There is hardly any debate about these measures.”

Assessing the extent of the problem that needs to be overcome is, however, proving extremely difficult. Commission officials struggling with the task of assessing the applicants' suitability for Union membership say the picture is “blurry at best”.

And until the East's understaffed governments understand what EU environmental laws mean, passing that message on to the rest of the population is likely to be an uphill struggle.

That is why demands are growing for the Commission to produce a White Paper this spring to clarify matters. But EU officials suggest that might spark an internal Commission struggle it is keen to avoid.