Training course for preparation of Sectoral Plans and National Action Plans (25.02.2004) PAP/RAC at the GPA and C.I.R.P.S. meeting in Rome (17.02.2004) General Manager of the Water & Wastewater Utility Konjic at the State Radio Station BH1 (05.02.2004) PAP/RAC at Medcoast Conference in Ravenna (20.10.2003) Public presentation in Hvar (11.10.2003) Sociological survey in Hvar (15.07.2003) The meeting on the Pilot project for Kvarner Bay, organised by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, in Zagreb (10.04.2003) Economic instruments ready for implementation (04.04.2003) Final meeting on economic instruments in Split (26.03.2003) The article on the Kvarner Bay pilot project in the Annals of Maritime Studies (15.02.2003) Training on economic instruments in Algeria (23.01.2003) Training course on economic instruments held in Tirana, Albania (22.01.2003) GEF project initiated the first meeting of environmental economists ever organised in Croatia! (22.01.2003) Training course on economic instruments held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (22.01.2003) Kvarner Pilot Project presented in the daily newspaper (15.01.2003) Expert meeting on used oil and oily waters from ships in the Adriatic (15.01.2003) Training course on application of economic instruments held in Bosnia and Herzegovina (11.11.2002) 1st training course on application of economic instruments held in Croatia! (28.10.2002) Brochure on Advantages of Using Economic Instruments translated into 3 languages (20.10.2002) Diagnostic Analysis for Pilot Project Hvar finalised! (23.09.2002) Eco-corner in Hvar (06.08.2002) Tourist eco-charge in Hvar presented in local newspapers and at the local radio station (10.06.2002) Brochure on economic instruments published (10.06.2002) Tourist eco-charge presented at Hvar (10.06.2002) SAP MED Pilot Projects Launching (30.01.2002) Successful Seminar on Economic Instruments (28.11.2001) Seminar on Development and Application of Economic Instruments (03.10.2001) First Expert Meeting on “Sustainability of SAP” (22.05.2001) Meeting on Economic Instruments for SAP (soon) (26.04.2001) SAP: Reviewing the operational aspects in Catania (17.04.2001) Training course for preparation of Sectoral Plans and National Action Plans   PAP/RAC is going to participate in the "Training course for preparation of Sectoral Plans and National Action Plans in the framework of the Strategic Action Programme", that is to be held in Izmit, Turkey, on March 4-6, 2004. The meeting will be organised by UNEP/MAP. PAP/RAC experts and the national teams on economic instruments are working on the preparation of the "Proposals of economic instruments for NAP". These proposals will serve as an input to the national teams preparing the NAP. The overall task to be done will be discussed at the meeting, where the simulated NAP will be drafted basing on a simulation study. (25.02.2004) PAP/RAC at the GPA and C.I.R.P.S. meeting in Rome   On February 2 - 3, 2004, a meeting was held on "Enhancing public/private partnership for new financial arrangements to eliminate land-based pollution: promoting transfer of best available techniques (BAT)". At the meeting, PAP/RAC presented the work done within the GEF project component "Development of economic instruments for sustainable implementation of SAP". PAP/RAC agreed with the GPA and C.I.R.P.S. to exchange project results and outputs, and discussed the ideas for the future work and co-operation. (17.02.2004) General Manager of the Water & Wastewater Utility Konjic at the State Radio Station BH1   The Water and Wastewater utility in Konjic decided to change the previous business approach. In order to include the company into modern flows of collection and discharge of wastewater, the Water and Wastewater utility has made useful contacts with the Hydro-engineering Institute from Sarajevo. The Water and Wastewater utility from Konjic has been selected as a Pilot Water and Wastewater utility, for which the existing economic instruments will be adapted and implemented over the Pilot Project's duration. The General Manager of the Water and Wastewater utility from Konjic said for the State radio (BH1): “During the two years of the Pilot Project's duration, a model for wastewater tariff calculation will be developed. This tariff will be calculated in a way as to cover operating costs and part of capital costs of the utility. Besides, this model could be used by other water and wastewater utilities in B&H as a tool for calculating actual wastewater tariffs (05.02.2004) PAP/RAC at Medcoast Conference in Ravenna         At Medcoast Conference, held from 7-11 October in Ravenna, UNEP, MAP and PAP/RAC, in co-operation with Medcoast, organised a workshop on socio-economic issues in ICAM. At the workshop an introduction to economic instruments was given, GEF and PAP/RAC project "Development of Economic Instruments" was presented, as well as one pilot project dealing with tourist eco-charge. Two members of PAP/RAC staff and 3 PAP/RAC experts participated in the Medcoast conference. (20.10.2003) Public presentation in Hvar         On 4 October progress of the project on introducing eco-tourist charge in the town of Hvar was presented to the local community. Five team members presented the results achieved so far. During the summer 2003 a sociological assessment was performed, and the results of it were presented to the meeting participants. Few months ago, a CCA study for tourism has been launched, and the first results were presented. Data on the water use were particularly alarming, and gave already an indication of the narrow limits of the town carrying capacity as regards the water use. Participants at the meeting in general supported the introduction of the tourist eco-charge. However, the main concern regarded the implementation and enforcement of this economic instruments. The Town Council is going to discuss this issue at their next meeting, and their decision will determine future PAP/RAC activities in this project. (11.10.2003) Sociological survey in Hvar   After the last summer's "Eco-corner", this year a sociology survey has been conducted in Hvar. During the last 2 weeks of June, 25 interviews were carried out with the representatives of various groups of local actors. The objective of this activity was to facilitate the introduction of the new tourist eco-charge, to ensure public participation and follow-up of the project. The sociological survey also assessed the local actors' expectations concerning tourism development and environmental problems in Hvar. The second stage, scheduled for September 2003, consists in organising a workshop and public presentation of the project results. The GEF project evokes the local authorities to initiate the preparation of a Carrying Capacity Assessment. Therefore, a questionnaire has been elaborated to assess tourists' opinion on the tourism offer and environment protection in the island. It will be filled in during the months of August and September. The final objective of all project activities is to enable sustainable tourism development in Hvar. (15.07.2003) The meeting on the Pilot project for Kvarner Bay, organised by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, in Zagreb   Within the Pilot project for Kvarner Bay, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning organised a meeting on the “Development of Economic Instruments Regarding Collection, Transport, Treatment and Disposal of Used Oil and Oily Wasters from Ships in the Adriatic Region”. The meeting was held in Zagreb, on March 19th 2003. It was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications, Rijeka Harbour Master Office, the enterprise “Plovput” Split , as well as by the experts from the University of Rijeka, involved in the Pilot project realisation. The main aim of the meeting was to consider the structure and amount of the implemented port and lighthouse fees taking into account the possibility of using a part of these fees for funding of collection, storage and transport costs of oily wastewaters from ships. During the discussion, the need was pointed out to augment the current values of mentioned fees so as to allow costs recovery for the activities of oily wastewater management in the ports. On the other hand, the increased fees could bring about a competition among the domestic ports and decrease their total traffic. The EU Directive 2000/59/EC has been mentioned and discussed during the meeting in connection with the introduction of economic instruments for these activities. Namely, in accordance with the EU Directive 2000/59/EC, all ships entering the port will be obliged to cover a part of costs for collection, treatment and disposal of oily wastes from ships, regardless of their needs to use reception facilities. Such a practice would be performed relatively simply by the introduction of adequate economic instruments. However, taking into consideration the above-mentioned reasons, the meeting concluded, among others, that that the introduction of new economic instruments was not necessary for the time being. In the meantime, the EU Directive 2000/59/EC is expected to be adapted, providing the introduction of adequate economic instruments which would be the basis for charging all the ships with the costs recovery for the activities of oily wastewaters treatment in the ports. (10.04.2003) Economic instruments ready for implementation   A meeting on pilot projects implementation and evaluation was held in Split, on 28-29 March 2003. The teams working on pilot projects presented experiences gained so far in projects preparation, discussed obstacles that might appear during the implementation and evaluation phase of the project, and gave proposals on how to overcome them. The participants of the meeting welcomed the idea to prepare policy guidelines for economic instruments application in the Mediterranean, pointing out to the need for having such a document. The initiative to prepare NAPs for economic instruments was evaluated as a useful idea for GEF eligible Mediterranean countries in introducing new or adapting existing EIs. Also, a proposal was given on how to prepare such NAPs. The participants agreed that economic instruments that will be proposed in NAPs should have priority in further proposals for financing the projects. (04.04.2003) Final meeting on economic instruments in Split   The last meeting in the framework of the GEF project component on economic instruments is to be held on 28-29 March 2003 in Split, at PAP/RAC premises. At the meeting pilot projects state-of-the-art will be presented, implementation and evaluation will be discussed, and the guidelines will be given for the preparation of the National Action Plans (NAP) on economic instruments. NAPs for economic instruments are to be prepared in 12 GEF eligible Mediterranean countries. During the meeting a special place is given to the discussion on maximising the project results. In the framework of this project, this meeting is expected to be the biggest according to the number of participants. (26.03.2003) The article on the Kvarner Bay pilot project in the Annals of Maritime Studies   The expert paper named “Funding possibilities for treatment and disposal of oily waters from ships within the Kvarner Bay”, written by experts working on the pilot project, has been published in the Annals of Maritime Studies No. 40/2002. The problem of the reception, treatment and disposal of used oil and oily wastewaters from ships within the Kvarner Bay is not definitely and adequately solved. The proposals are given in the article with the aim to improve the existing situation and to introduce the sustainable development of sea protection against oil pollution by implementation of adequate economic instruments. The article explains the current situation giving a brief economic analysis and proposing the mode of funding the activities which should lead to a quality solution. The existing system for the related cost recovery does not encourage the use of port reception facilities, and this defect has to be improved by introducing the proposed economic instruments. The whole economic analysis is based on the expected total cargo transfer through the Rijeka Port of about 6 million tons/year, with the frequency of ships entering the Rijeka Port of about 4,500 ships/year and with the assumed discharge of oily wastes of about 5,000 tons/year. The total costs for reception, treatment and disposal of oily wastewaters would be about 100 USD per m3 of oily wastewater. The total costs consist of two main groups, namely: 1) costs for reception, transport, pumping, storing and 2) costs for sampling, analysis, treatment and disposal. According to the proposal, all ships entering the port should be charged by the first group of costs, regardless of their needs to use reception facilities. Also, the recovery of these costs would be based on the proposed economic instruments. The second group of costs would be paid by ships requiring the port facilities, depending on the quantity and type of discharged oily wastes. Finally, the article proposes and describes in detail three possible modes of economic instruments introduction. (15.02.2003) Training on economic instruments in Algeria   Animated by PAP/RAC and the Algerian Ministry of Land-use Planning and Environment within the framework of the GEF project, the representatives of the Algerian national and local authorities met in Algiers, on January 13 and 14, 2003 to discuss the possibilities of application of economic instruments in the pilot watershed of Zemmouri Sahel. After the presentation of the French experience in the basin of Adour-Garonne (presented by PAP consultant), the Algerian taxation system in relation with the environment and the environmental situation in the Algerian pilot watershed (presented by representatives of the Algerian Ministry of Land-use Planning and Environment), the participants have formulated a series of recommendations for the improvement of economic instruments already envisaged by national regulations in relation with the protection of environment. (23.01.2003) Training course on economic instruments held in Tirana, Albania   A training course on economic instruments for environmental protection was held in Tirana, Albania, on 16-17 December 2002. The training course was attended by 20 participants, including the representatives of national and local authorities, as well as NGOs. In addition to PAP/RAC experts and the Albanian Focal Point for economic instruments, ten more speakers contributed to the training course. Besides the fundamentals of environmental economics and economic instruments, the situation in Albania related to economic instruments use was presented and discussed. The representatives of the Albanian Ministry of Environment, the General Directorate of Taxation, the General Directorate of Forestry and Pastures, and Water Regulatory Body presented their experiences with economic instruments. Next day, the results of the diagnostic analysis of the Albanian pilot project “Sewage and Tourist Eco-charges for the Protection of the Albanian-Ionian Coast” were presented. The pilot site for this project is the town of Vlora. The meeting was concluded with a vivid discussion among the representatives of the Vlora authorities, who were supporting the ideas presented by the Albanian expert in economic instruments. (22.01.2003) GEF project initiated the first meeting of environmental economists ever organised in Croatia!   On 13 December 2002, a meeting of Croatian environmental economists was organised in Zagreb, at the premises of the Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning. The objective of the meeting was the presentation of the Croatian edition of a brochure “Advantages of using economic instruments” prepared in the framework of GEF project. This edition of the brochure has been enlarged with the presentation on the use of economic instruments in Croatia. Since this was the first occasion for the Croatian environmental economists to meet, all interested in this field were invited to present their activities. The meeting was attended by about 30 participants, including, among others, the Ministerial environmental economists and the representatives of PAP/RAC, the Faculty of Economics from Split, the Economic Institute of Zagreb, "Ekonerg", the Croatian Waters and the County Office for Development and Physical Planning. The participants expressed their satisfaction with this long-anticipated occasion to meet, and discussed the role of environmental economics and issues where environmental economists can assist in development and protection of environment in Croatia. The participants stressed the importance and their willingness to organise similar meetings also in the future. It is important to mention that four years ago, the Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning engaged, for the first time, an environmental economist. With that regard, it should be said that there are only a few environmental economists in Croatia, and that environmental economy is rather a new issue for the Croatian public. (22.01.2003) Training course on economic instruments held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina   The training course on application of economic instruments for combating the land-based pollution was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 20 December 2002. The aim of the training course was to present the project activities and the state of development of economic instruments in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to gather the views of stakeholders on the subject. Fifteen representatives of relevant stakeholders from Konjic Municipality, Cantonal Ministry for Construction, Physical Planning and Environment, Cantonal Ministry of Economy, Water Utilities, NGOs, Institutions for Public Health and Industries, attended the training course. The training course was composed of two parts: the first, including the general information on environmental economic instruments in the world and in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the second, including the presentation of the pilot project and results achieved. The key problem identified by this pilot project is the current low level of provision of wastewater collection and treatment services and ineffective maintenance of existing infrastructure for dealing with wastewater in selected Municipality of Konjic. The objectives of the pilot project are: to set up sewage user fees in the utility that will recover costs of providing wastewater services; and to increase collection rates from rendered of wastewater services. On the training course, presented was implementation procedure and supporting measures for adopting economic instruments (wastewater tariff) for a sustainable operation of wastewater utilities and prepared a wastewater tariff model for general use by all wastewater utilities. Most of the participants agreed that the existing sewerage system in the Municipality of Konjic required urgent reconstruction and development. In that context, the participants raised the issue of financing costs of capital investments. The adequate water and wastewater tariffs, as well as the sufficient collection rate, were recognised as the best way to reach the improvement in communal infrastructure. (22.01.2003) Kvarner Pilot Project presented in the daily newspaper   On December 13th 2002, an article was published in the daily newspaper "Slobodna Dalmacija" concerning the first results obtained from the diagnostic analysis of the Pilot Project "Development of Economic Instruments Regarding Collection, Transport, Treatment and Disposal of Used Oil and Oily Waters from Ships in the Adriatic Region - Pilot Project for Kvarner Bay". The title of the article was "Introduction of an Eco-tax - The Polluter Pays Principle". The aim of publishing that article was to make the reader acquainted with the issue of sea pollution caused by ships, and to present the way of reducing this pollution by introducing the adequate economic instruments. Three possibilities of introducing economic instruments were presented in the article, i.e. using a part of the existing port tax, using a part of a tax for sea light, and introducing a new specially aimed eco-tax. The article pointed out to the aim of the Pilot Project to apply the obtained results not only to the area of Kvarner Bay, but also to other Adriatic ports. Finally, it explained the importance of introducing the eco-tax so as to avoid possible obstacles, which might appear in the process of its realisation. (15.01.2003) Expert meeting on used oil and oily waters from ships in the Adriatic   The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning organised an expert meeting on “Development of economic instruments regarding collection, transport, treatment and disposal of used oil and oily waters from ships in the Adriatic region – Pilot project for Kvarner Bay", which was held in Zagreb, on November 14th 2002. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning; Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications; Harbour Master Office; and the experts from the University of Rijeka working on the project. The main aim of the meeting was to find out the way of applying the project to practice following the conclusions and recommendations of the relevant training course, which was held in Opatija, on October 24th to 25th 2002. The main question raised during the discussion was how to introduce the proposed economic instruments without causing any disorder of the port competition. In this sense, the project proposal is that about 50% of relevant costs for needed works and activities have to be covered by all ships entering the ports, and the rest only by the ships using reception and treatment facilities, according to the quantity and quality of the oily wastes left in the port. At the meeting, three possibilities of introducing economic instruments to charge all ships entering the port, were presented and discussed: to use a part of the existing port tax; to use a part of the existing safety sea light tax; or to introduce a new specially denoted ecological tax. Taking into account the fact that the problem concerns the competences of both relevant ministries, i.e. the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications, it is expected that the final solution be in accordance with their agreement. The final conclusion of the meeting was that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications should declare for one of the above-mentioned solutions so as to ensure the continuation of works on the project and its realisation. (15.01.2003) Training course on application of economic instruments held in Bosnia and Herzegovina   The 1st training course on application of economic instruments for combating the land-based pollution was held in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 5 November 2002. The representatives of Konjic Municipality, the Cantonal Ministry for Construction, Physical Planning and Environment, the Cantonal Ministry of Economy, Water Utilities, NGOs, and institutions dealing with Public Health and Industries, attended the training course. During the training course, the use of economic instruments in environmental protection policy of OECD countries, the Eastern and Central European countries and in the Mediterranean area with a review of economic instruments used in water management policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were presented. The second part of the training course was dedicated to on-going pilot project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is dealing with adapting the existing wastewater charges in Konjic Municipality. The topic of the discussion was the proposed adaptation of economic instruments in the Municipality of Konjic. The participants underlined the problems of the collection rate in the framework of the existing social and economic conditions. The problems, such as the high unemployment rate, the law economical activities and the law wages, were emphasized. Furthermore, the Municipality is not in the position to provide the basic services like health insurance, education and social care. The issue of the financing costs of capital investment was raised, too. But, many of the participants agreed about the poor condition of the sewerage system. The conclusion was that the adequate water and wastewater prices, as well as a sufficient collection rate, is the best way to reach the improvement in communal infrastructure. According to legislation, the Municipality is responsible for tariffs approval recommended by Water Utility. The authorities of Konjic Municipality expressed their willingness to approve the adaptation of existing economic instruments to be structured on the basis of sewerage services costs. (11.11.2002) 1st training course on application of economic instruments held in Croatia!   The 1st training course on application of economic instruments for combating the land-based pollution was held in Opatija, Croatia, on 24-25 October 2002. The training course was attended by 40-odd participants, including the representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of Croatia, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Economy, the public oil company, the local tourist offices, several Croatian port authorities, scientific institutions, and other stakeholders. During the training course, the theoretical bases of economic instruments, their types and uses, as well as successful experiences around the world and the application of economic instruments in Croatia, were presented. Some news in Croatian legislation have been announced, like the revision of the Law on protection of the environment. In addition, the new Fond for Environmental Protection and Energetic Efficiency, as well as the National Environmental Protection Strategy and National Environmental Action Plan have been presented. The second part of the training course was dedicated to 2 on-going pilot projects in Croatia: the first, dealing with introducing a tourist eco-charge in the Town of Hvar, one of the most visited Croatian tourist destinations, and the another, the Kvarner pilot project, dealing with the development of economic instruments for collection, transport, and disposal of used oils and oily waters. The new economic instruments were proposed for both projects. The proposed instruments solicited a vivid discussion, and the introduction of new instruments was welcomed by most of the participants. The training course was very successful in raising awareness on the issues the pilot project deals with. Following the initiative from the Hvar pilot project, it was agreed that the Ministry for the Protection of the Environment and Physical Planning propose the change in the Law on protection of the environment. The tourist eco-charge, the economic instrument that is to be introduced in Hvar, has no legislative base at the moment. However, with the revision of the law, such instrument will be recommended to local authorities in towns and cities where tourism creates environmental problems. Also, another Croatian pilot project dealing with used oils and oily waters from the vessels, has for the time being no legislative base for the introduction of economic instrument. However, this project has raised attention to this problem, and to European directive to be soon in place, and according to which each port should have the infrastructure for the acceptance and treatment of these waste materials. According to the same directive, every vessel entering the European ports will have to pay a fee, without regard to the fact if the vessel is using this service or not. The application of this instrument is considered for the Rijeka port, and for other Croatian ports as well. (28.10.2002) Brochure on Advantages of Using Economic Instruments translated into 3 languages   Brochure on Advantages of Using Economic Instruments has been translated into Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian language. The Croatian edition of the brochure is enlarged with the presentation of economic instruments for environmental protection used in Croatia. (20.10.2002) Diagnostic Analysis for Pilot Project Hvar finalised!   The working team of the PILOT PROJECT HVAR – “Combating the Land-based Pollution in the Coastal Sea of the Town of Hvar” has finalised the first official output of the project, namely, the Diagnostic Analysis. It might be found at the Pilot Project web page. (23.09.2002) Eco-corner in Hvar       In the framework of GEF project component “Development of economic instruments for sustainable implementation of SAP” - pilot project Hvar eco-corner was opened on Saturday, August 3rd. Eco-corner is a part of raising awareness campaign in the framework of this pilot project. It is dedicated to the impacts of tourism on environment, more specifically, to the introduction of economic instruments, such as the eco-tourist charge. This may be applied in this town in order to internalise tourism related costs into the price of tourist product. In parallel with the raising awareness campaign, an opinion pool has been done in the town of Hvar. In a short questionnaire, translated to 7 languages, tourists are asked questions related to this issue. They are also asked about their willingness to pay for improvement of environmental quality in the town and its surroundings. In order to motivate tourists to fill-in this questionnaire, an eco-lottery is performed every Thursday evening at the eco-corner located in the town centre. The rewards are typical organic products from the island. The results of willingness to pay study will make a basis for bringing the decision on introducing tourist eco-charge in Hvar, which is expected for the last week of August when the City Council will meet in order to take a decision on this issue. (06.08.2002) Tourist eco-charge in Hvar presented in local newspapers and at the local radio station   The tourist eco-charge proposed for the coastal area of the Town of Hvar, was presented in the local newspaper “Slobodna Dalmacija”. The working team also gave an interview at the local radio station, Radio Split. (10.06.2002) Brochure on economic instruments published   The brochure on advantages of using economic instruments is intended for national, regional and local authorities, as well as for all other interested stakeholders. It has been prepared in the framework of the SAP MED project component on economic instruments. The brochure is aimed at promoting the use of economic instruments for environmental protection and management. During the next months, the brochure will be translated into the national languages of the 6 GEF eligible Mediterranean countries, which are having SAP pilot projects on developing and introducing new economic instruments. The brochure is available at request at PAP/RAC. (10.06.2002) Tourist eco-charge presented at Hvar   A new economic instrument has been presented in the framework of the baseline SAP MED pilot project on economic instruments. The tourist eco-charge, proposed for the coastal area of the town of Hvar, was presented to the city council of Hvar. Funds collected through the tourist eco-charge would be used for reducing the negative impact of tourist activities on the marine environment of the coastal area of the town of Hvar. The city council is highly interested in this idea, although the fear of influencing negatively the number of tourists is present. The new instrument strives to internalise external costs of tourism, and it should also affect the August congestion in the town. A presentation of the new instrument for the local population, hotel industry, and other interested stakeholders will be organised at the beginning of July. After that presentation, the city council will take the decision on whether to implement the tourist eco-charge or not. (10.06.2002) SAP MED Pilot Projects Launching   In the framework of the SAP MED project “Development of Economic Instruments for Sustainable Implementation of SAP”, a workshop on pilot projects launching will be held on March 15-16, 2002 in the PAP/RAC premises in Split. Seven pilot projects on the development and introduction of new or adapted economic instruments were selected in December 2001, and will be implemented and evaluated by the end of the year 2003. Seven Pilot Project Implementation Plans, elaborated by the national and PAP/RAC experts on economic instruments will be discussed, as well as the methodology for the pilot projects. The participants will also discuss the contents of the national training courses to be held in 12 GEF eligible countries. The invited participants are the EI NFPs and PAP/RAC experts on economic instruments working on the 7 pilot projects. At the meeting the national experts will obtain inputs for the finalisation of their Pilot Project Implementation Plans, and the 7 Pilot Projects will be officially launched. (30.01.2002) Successful Seminar on Economic Instruments   In the framework of the SAP MED project component “Development of economic instruments for sustainable implementation of SAP”, a seminar was held on 9-10 November 2001 in Split. Twenty-five participants attended the Seminar, including the National Focal Points for this project, the National GEF Project Co-ordinators, experts in economic instruments from the UK, France, EC and Switzerland, a GEF Project Manager and the PAP/RAC team. At the seminar, the first output of the project and the draft analysis on the application of economic instruments in 8 Mediterranean GEF eligible countries have been presented and discussed. The analysis was prepared based on 8 filled-in questionnaires. The final analysis will be published in December, when the remaining 4 countries deliver their questionnaires. Five lectures given by PAP/RAC experts tackled the most important issues regarding the economic instruments for environmental protection of the coastal areas. The lecture by Prof. Anil Markandya, one of the most eminent world experts on economic instruments, with about 30 years of experience in the field, turned the seminar into a real success. Prof. Markandya, together with the other 3 experts shared their experience with the participants discussing the problems of and obstacles to applying economic instruments in the Mediterranean coastal areas. The successful stories from all around the world enhanced the ideas about the possibilities of introducing economic instruments in the GEF eligible countries. PAP/RAC presented the idea of establishing a virtual data-base on economic instruments used in Mediterranean countries of this project, on its web site. This idea was more than welcomed by the participants, who stressed that such a form of sharing information, experience and assistance, is exactly what they need. The final part of the seminar consisted of the presentations of the pilot project proposals by the countries. Six pilot projects will be selected in December, and in these projects some new or adapted economic instruments for combating marine pollution caused by land-based activities, will be developed and introduced. The seminar was marked with an extensive dose of enthusiasm, which is an important precondition for a successful realisation of the 6 pilot projects in combating the land-based pollution in the Mediterranean. (28.11.2001) Seminar on Development and Application of Economic Instruments   In the framework of the SAP MED project component “Sustainability of SAP”, PAP/RAC is organising the Instructive Seminar on Development and Application of Economic Instruments. The Instructive Seminar will be attended by the Economic Instruments National Focal Points (EI NFPs) and National Co-ordinators for the GEF project from 12 GEF eligible Mediterranean countries, experts with experience in implementation of economic instruments in environmental management in Mediterranean and European countries, as well as by the representatives of international organisations. The Seminar will be held on November 9-10, 2001, in the premises of PAP/RAC, in Split, with the following objectives: to present the draft analysis of the application of economic instruments; to present different cases of successful implementation of economic instruments and to instruct on overcoming of obstacles in introducing and developing economic instruments. Finally, on this seminar the following stage of the project “Sustainability of SAP”, the pilot projects including development of new or adapting existing instruments, will be discussed. (03.10.2001) First Expert Meeting on “Sustainability of SAP”   In the framework of the SAP MED project, the first expert meeting on “Sustainability of SAP” was held on May 18-19, 2001, in the premises of PAP/RAC, in Split. The meeting was attended by 17 participants, including the representatives of the European Commission, UNEP/GPA, MEDU Co-ordinating Unit, the Blue Plan and Cleaner Production RAC, as well as several international experts on economic instruments. The participants of the meeting discussed the project implementation, pilot projects and the capacity building component of the project. Several documents prepared by PAP/RAC were also discussed. The meeting adopted the Project Implementation Plan with smaller alterations, and suggested that the questionnaire prepared to be distributed in the Mediterranean countries be reduced in size as it was too extensive. It was agreed that the questionnaire will be prepared for dissemination as soon as possible. In a lively discussion throughout the whole meeting, the participants gave a number of valuable suggestions for the project. (22.05.2001) Meeting on Economic Instruments for SAP (soon)   In the framework of SAP MED project PAP is preparing the first expert meeting on development of economic instruments for the sustainable implementation of SAP MED. Meeting will be held on May 18-19, 2001, in Split, at the premises of our Centre. Approximately 12 international experts on economic instruments in environmental protection will discuss the details of the project preparation and implementation. The experts will also discuss several documents prepared by PAP team, as well as the selection criteria and methodology for preparation of pilot projects. (26.04.2001) SAP: Reviewing the operational aspects in Catania   A PAP/RAC representative participated at the Consultation Meeting to review the operational aspects of the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) to Address Pollution from Land-based Activities, which was held in Catania on 28-30 March 2001. The meeting was supported by the Fondo Euromediterraneo, Municipality of Catania, and the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani (ANCI). It was attended by the MED POL National Co-ordinators from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, the European Commission, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, and Turkey. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the following international organisations: UNDP/Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, UNEP/GPA Co-ordination Office and UNIDO/ICS, as well as of PAP/RAC and the Cleaner Production RAC. Operational document, presented by the UNEP/MAP Secretariat, was a first draft and will be further elaborated in the course of the year. At the Catania meeting the participants made their comments and remarks, which will be a valuable resource for the new version of the Operational document, which will be prepared for the Meeting of the MED POL National Co-ordinators, scheduled for 28-31 May 2001 in Venice. This document should provide the basic principles on which the long-term implementation of SAP will be based. (17.04.2001)