The following project activities are/have been carried out:
Comprehensive reference material on economic instruments in 14 CEE countries is created. This publication is useful for cross country comparison, bilateral experience exchange, policy making and further research. The material will present achievements and will also allow for identification of key challenges and needs of CEE countries in this area.
Conclusions from the sourcebook were discussed, trends in the use of economic instruments were analyzed for this report, and possible elements of a work program for the SIEI after the Arhus conference were identified.
Up-to-date information on issues related to green budget reform are produced and placed on the web as well as distributed via an email distribution list. The information produced includes reports on challenges and achievements related to green budget reform in the CEE and NIS region, reviews of Western experience with green budget reform, and reports from conferences and workshops.
Reports in local languages of 5 CEE countries will be produced in late 1998 summarizing and discussing the most recent knowledge and experience on green budget reform and the potential benefits of better economic-environmental policy integration. The aim is to increase the awareness of key stakeholders on the issue and to contribute to increased discussion outside environmental circles. The target groups are political and business decision-makers.
Related to the SIEI, the UN/ECE/OECD workshop on the role of economic instruments in integrating environmental and sectoral policies was held in Pruhonice (Czech Republic), October 8-10, 1997. The participants (mostly government officials from countries in transition) were offered practical advice on extending the use of economic instruments to improve the environmental performance of major economic sectors and to promote an integrated approach to economic and environmental decision-making.