Regional Environmental Center (REC) services

Since its foundation, the REC has had a mandate to assist in the development of a strong and sustainable environmental civil society. In fulfilling this mandate, the REC strives to strengthen the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) and improve their knowledge, skills, capacities, infrastructure and viability. As a strategic partner for the implementation of the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention), we provide legislative, policy and institutional support to environmental stakeholders, as well as capacity building for the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (the PRTR Protocol). 

The REC contributes directly to the 2013 UNESCO Global Action Plan on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the UNECE Strategy on ESD, and facilitates the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by building capacity in relation to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We provide professional advice to decision makers on educational policy; promote dialogue and international cooperation among different stakeholder groups; disseminate knowledge on ESD policy and tools; develop innovative multimedia toolkits in both online and print formats for classroom use; build the capacities of regional, national and sub-national stakeholders; and facilitate public participation in policy making.

This area of expertise is connected to the World Health Organization’s European Environment and Health Process. It supports the implementation of the EU Environment and Health (E&H) Action Plan, and the Declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health and the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE), which were signed in Budapest in 2004 by 53 countries of the WHO Europe region. The REC was also involved in preparations for the Fifth and Sixth Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health, held in Italy in 2010 and in Ostrava in 2017, and supports the implementation of the Parma Declaration on Environment and Health and the Ostrava Declaration.

The REC provides legal expertise and technical assistance for the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation at national, European and international levels. We also support the development of local environmental policies, guided by the principles of good governance using participatory planning and decision making based on consensus, thus ensuring the transparency and accountability of local governments. Following a long-term commitment to environmental law reform in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and South Eastern Europe (SEE), the REC is facilitating the EU accession and association processes by supporting the transposition and implementation of the EU environmental acquis, promoting accession to multilateral environmental agreements, and strengthening regional cooperation and networking.

Within this area of expertise, the REC addresses the challenges associated with the negative environmental impacts generated by the use of natural resources; the rising costs of essential raw materials and minerals, their scarcity and price volatility; and the EU’s resource dependency. Support is provided to the development of national resource efficiency strategies. The focus is on material efficiency, the sourcing of raw materials, substitution, new materials, secondary raw materials, waste as a resource, land and soil use efficiency, using water as a resource, and the secondary use of biomass. The REC has deep and broad knowledge in the fields of waste and circular economy.

Within this area of expertise, the REC promotes governance for sustainability and facilitates the transition towards a green economy through a specific focus on smart cities and mobility, by delivering high-quality information services and products that relate to sustainable urban mobility and smarter cities. Experience also encompasses freight and green logistics, with specific attention to the realm of intelligent trans-European transport networks.

The REC is continually exploring innovative ways to focus attention on water-related issues, embracing a broad selection of stakeholders’ concerns in the interests of social and economic development and environmental protection. The REC`s work in this area of expertise, implemented in the context of the integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach, contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6) and its targets.