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Monitoring the EU Strategy for Sustainable Development - Romanian Experience
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Calin Georgescu
Executive Director of the UNEP National Committee, Bucarest, Romania
Secretary General of the Romanian Association for the Club of Rome
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National and European Context
On 1 January 2007 Romania became a member state of the European
Union, twelve years after having applied for membership and after seventeen
years of transition to a stable democracy and a functional market economy.
Despite the progress made, weaknesses have nevertheless been identified in the areas of institutional and administrative capacity, independence,
impartiality and expeditious administration of justice, ability to generate
and implement meaningful, cost-effective projects, and to secure multistakeholder
community involvement in, and support for such projects, including
effective resort to private-public partnerships.
Romania still has to face a number of structural and spatial imbalances
that have to be addressed as a matter of urgency in order to secure sound
and sustainable growth, such as those between the national capital, the city of
Bucharest, and the rest of the country, between various regions and counties,
and between urban and rural areas. Poverty alleviation and sustainable provision
of social security benefits, especially in economically depressed areas,
remain major concerns. Environmental problems, a sector much neglected in
the past, continue to pose enormous challenges in terms of preventing further
degradation and complying with EU and international standards, considering
in particular the limited availability of resources and the relatively low
priority assigned to those matters by local decision makers. Despite the relatively
advanced status of pertinent basic and secondary legislation, the feeble
regulatory and enforcement mechanisms further complicate the situation.
With some exceptions, the concept and the principles of sustainable development
have not been integrated into the decision-making process, while
strategies and actions at local level continued to be based on sectoral approaches.
As part of the EU, Romania must take into account the European developments
as set out in the Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy [1] , whose
overall aim is to develop and identify actions to enable the EU to achieve continuous
improvement of quality of life both for current and for future generations, through
the creation of sustainable communities able to manage and use resources efficiently
and to tap the ecological and social innovation potential of the economy, ensuring
prosperity, environmental protection and social cohesion.
The major challenge for National Sustainable Development Strategy
(NSDS) is to translate national and European sustainable development commitments
into concrete policies and actions that help individual nation to
embark on paths towards sustainable development, and to stay on course.
NCSD / UNDP contribution
UNDP, as a constant promoter of sustainable development, supported
starting with 1997 the establishment, under the aegis of Romanian Academy,
of the National Centre for Sustainable Development (NCSD). Its main mission
was to promote the sustainable development projects among Government,
private sector, academic institutions and stakeholders, at local, regional
and national level.
The designing of sustainable development strategies being one of the prerequisites
of Rio 1992 Conference, UNDP supported, between 1997, June –
1999, December, the development of the the National Sustainable Development
Strategy (NSDS), under the coordination of the National Centre for
Sustainable Development. This process encouraged analysis and debate and
proved the political willingness to promote multi-stakeholder participation
and the potential to collaborate with various sectors of the civil society (business
/ private sector, academics, industry, environment, local experts, science,
youth, agriculture etc). The Paper was launched by the Romanian Cabinet
in July 1999 and became the official National Sustainable Development
Strategy of Romania. The most important part of this Strategy was comprised
in the National Strategy for Economic Development on Medium Term – Policy
Paper – that was submitted to the European Union in 2000.
Another national initiative supported by UNDP and managed through
NCSD was the development of the study "Romania 2020". This study aimed
to be a global prospective examination, with the integration of Romania’s
future determinants for the following 20 years in terms of sustainable development.
The prospective study started from the conviction that the future is
not written in anticipation, that it cannot be explained “a priori”; the future
is open to a great number of possible scenarios. The volume was not meant
only as potential development plan of Romania for the following decades but
also as a debate on its prospects and potential development in a sustainable
development context.
The continuous UNDP’s involvement in sustainable development promotion
in Romania was present at local level as well. Thus, the implementation
of the Local Agenda 21 in Romania started with UNDP support in 2000, and
included so far 38 municipalities and four counties. This project had as development
objective to enhance the operational capabilities of local authorities,
to foster a participatory and multi-sectoral development planning process,
and to encourage the implementation of the national SD strategy through the
preparation of Agenda 21 strategies, action plans and specific projects at a local
level addressing the priority sustainable development concerns of specific
constituencies.
The proposed UNDP commitment to Romania, which extends to 2009 and
beyond, includes provisions to support the Government’s efforts to address
the challenges of the immediate post-accession period.
The UNDP CP will focus on strengthening coordination in policy formulation
and implementation in order to bring about sustainable improvements in public service
delivery. At the national and local level, UNDP will contribute to the formulation
of development strategies and action plans that incorporate sustainable human
development principles. National strategic policy capacity will be improved through
the establishment of a permanent cross-institutional advisory group that will include
key government institutions and civil societ
Strategy
According to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(UNDESA), a national sustainable development strategy (NSDS) is ‘a coordinated,
participatory and iterative process of thoughts and actions to achieve
economic, environmental and social objectives in a balanced and integrated
manner’. It is a cyclical and interactive approach of planning, participation
and action, emphasizing progress towards sustainability goals.[2]
The development of a NSDS involves analyzing the current and future
situation, formulating policies and action plans, implementation, monitoring
and regular review.
A sound and effective NSDS should highlight the following elements:[3]
a. Broad participation and effective partnership
- Institutionalized channels for communication
- Access to information for all stakeholders and effective networking
- Transparency and accountability
- Trust and mutual respect
- Partnerships among government, civil society, private sector and external
Agencies.
b. Integrated economic, social and environmental objectives across sectors,
territories and generations, and policies designed to achieve them
- Linking local, national, regional and global priorities and actions
- Linking the short term to the medium and long term
- Linking the national, regional and global levels
- Linking different sectors
- Coherence between budgets and strategy priorities
c. Clear objectives and responsibilities
- clearly defined objectives, actions, responsibilities, timetables and integration
mechanisms
d. Country ownership and commitment
- Strong political and stakeholder commitment
- Sound leadership and good governance
- Shared strategic and pragmatic vision
- Strong institution or group of institutions spearheading the process
- Continuity of the national sustainable development strategy process
e. Developing capacity and enabling environment
- Building on existing knowledge and expertise
- Building on existing mechanisms and strategies
f. Focus on outcomes and means of implementation
- The means to assess and agree priority issues in place
- Coherence between budget, capacity and strategy priorities
- Realistic, flexible targets and timetable
- Linked to private sector investment
- Anchored in sound technical and economic analysis
- Integrated mechanism for assessment, follow up, evaluation and
feedback
The project is intended to build upon the unique experience accumulated
by UNDP during the formulation of the first National Strategy for
Sustainable Development (1997-1999) and in the new framework of Romania’s
membership to the European Union. The project will also capitalize
on NCSD/UNDP’s successful project Building Capacities to Implement Local
Agenda 21 in Romania, since it may provide a significant input to the implementation
of sustainable development principles at the local and regional
level. What NCSD has been doing, by implementing LA21 in Romania, is to
build (since 2000) a national platform for debate and a structured way of thinking
and planning at the local level in terms of sustainable development.
Here is the current LA21 territorial coverage (hatched areas) at the level
of Romania:
UNDP will implement the project in cooperation with the National Centre
for Sustainable Development (NCSD). The NCSD is a national entity having
the capacity to provide a clear framework for analysis and a focus for
debate on sustainable development issues. Given its proved capacity, as coordinator
of the first edition of NSDS – 1999, of the prospective study “Romania
2020”, and as UNDP implementing agency for sustainable development
principles within Local Agenda 21 project, the Centre is well placed to lead
the NSDS up-dating process in Romania. Its proven expertise, to coordinate
national sustainable development activities with a wide range of stakeholders,
ensures the close connection with the relevant actors and projects, as it
has available an extensive roster of experts and significant wealth of current
information and resources.
A complex participatory structure, comprising all stakeholders involved
at the national and regional level, coming from the governmental and nongovernmental
sectors will be set up for the drafting of the strategy.
The strategy of the project is to formulate a national strategy for sustainable
development in line with the national and European contexts. It will
primarily set up the implementing structures (Drafting Committee, Working
Groups and the Scientific Board); the project Secretariat will assure the effective
liaison with these structures with the Consultative Group, thus ensuring
the public participation, essential to the development of the project actions
at local and national levels. According to clearly defined Terms of Reference,
the implementing structures will generate the National Sustainable Development
Strategy.
The project will also benefit of the experience and lessons of similar
projects in other countries within the region and in wider Europe.
The revised document will closely follow the issues of the Renewed EU
Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS)[4] , endorsed by the European
Council of 15-16 July 2006. It will draw on the key challenges set up at
the level of the European Union and will consequently comprise distinct
chapters on
- Climate change and clean energy
- Sustainable transport
- Sustainable consumption and production
- Conservation and management of natural resources
- Public health
- Social inclusion, demography and migration
- Global poverty and sustainable development challenges
The project will also capitalize on NCSD/UNDP’s successful project Building Capacities to Implement Local Agenda 21 in Romania, since it may provide
a significant input to the implementation of sustainable development
principles at the local and regional level. What NCSD has been doing, by
implementing LA21 in Romania, is to build (since 2000) a national platform for
debate and a structured way of thinking and planning at the local level in terms of
sustainable development:
This platform will be now called to provide its input at the elaboration of
Romania’s NSDS.
The revised strategy, like LA21, will capitalize on Romania’s natural capital,
which should be considered as a valuable contribution to Europe’s common
heritage. In the new EU context, what Romania aims at is to become part
of a win-win process where sustainable development, as the only responsible
long-term prospect for Europe, should become the foundation for all policy
options. Due to its abundant Natural Capital, Romania can become both a
testing ground and example for such an approach.
Natural Capital of Romania:
- 53 per cent of its territory consists of self-maintaining ecosystems with a
large variety of species;
- 42 per cent of the area comprises human-controlled and mono-functional
ecosystems targeted on intensive food production;
- 783 types of habitat have been identifies in the Carpathian Mountains (31
%); in the sub-Carpathian foothills and flatlands (36%); and in the lowlands,
floodplains, Danube Delta and coastal waters (33%), suggesting a
rich ecological diversity;
- 3,700 plant species and 33,800 animal species recorded up to now also
indicate a rich biological diversity;
- 3/4 of the arable land is in good condition, with high fertility; 1/4 of the
arable land (2.5 million hectares) require various degrees of expensive
melioration work;
- The average annual production of forest ecosystems is 25 million cubic
meters;
- Potential annual crop production may exceed 3 tones per hectare.
From the viewpoint of natural resources, Romania brings into the EU a significant
wealth of capital.
Thus, the total national land area consists of:
- 87% terrestrial ecosystems
- Forests 26.6% aut of which 15 % old growth forest
- Grasslands: 17.2%
- Agricultural ecosystems: 42.8 %
- 8% man-made ecosystems
It is of outmost importance that this Natural Capital is preserved and managed
in a sustainable manner. The principle of sustainability thus becomes
the path to follow. Long-term proper sustainable management of national
natural resources, while responding to the best interests of Romania, also contributes
significantly to the common Natural Capital of the European Union.
Non-renewable resources:
- An estimated stock of 200 million tons of crude oil and condensate;
- 400 billion cubic meters of natural gas;
- 3,433 billion tons of coal.
References
[1] 10117/06, the Council of the European Union
[2] UNDESA 2002 in PRIME-SD, Peer Review Improvement through Mutual Exchange on Sustainable
Development. A guidebook for peer reviews of national sustainable development
strategies, document produced as part of a Framework Contract Economic Analysis in the context of environmental policies and of sustainable development (Contract No.
ENV.G.1/FRA/2004/0081), February 2006
[3] UNDESA (2002) Guidance in Preparing a National Sustainable Development Strategy:
Managing Sustainable Development in the New Millennium, Background Paper No. 13,
DESA/DSD/PC2/BP13
[4] The Council of the European Union, 10917/06 – http://ec.europa.eu/sustainable/docs/renewed_eu_sds_en.pdf
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