Three side-events to the Belgrade "Environment for Europe" Conference related to the Espoo Convention and its Protocol on SEA. In addition, the Ministers "noted with interest" an Initiative on SEA (the "Belgrade SEA Initiative") - see the Conference documents. (The Protocol on SEA itself was adopted at the previous Conference, held in Kiev.)

Side event: Future directions after ten years of implementation of the Espoo Convention, 10 October (agenda )

1. Opening of the side-event and welcome, by Secretary of State, Mr Silviu Stoica, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Romania (speech )

2. Informal panel discussion, taking stock of relevant experience with the implementation of the Convention and discussing future directions, chaired by Mr Stoica.

Panellists:

State Secretary Nikola Ružinski, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning & Construction of Croatia (statement )

Mr Bruno M. Oberle, State Secretary, Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland (statement )

Mr Alistair Clark, Corporate Director of Environment and Sustainability, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (statement)

Mr Thomas Alge, Head Environmental Law, ÖKOBÜRO, member of the European ECO-Forum (statement: English , French , Russian )

3. Closing of the side-event, by Mr Stoica

Closed meeting: Discussion on the Work Programme for implementation of the proposed Belgrade SEA Initiative, 11 October

Side event: Implementation of the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment: from Kiev to Belgrade and beyond, 12 October (agenda: English , Russian ) ; main presentation )

Chaired by His Excellency Constantin Mihailescu, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Moldova

Opening H.E. Constantin Mihailescu, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Moldova

I. Status of implementation of the Protocol (UNECE) with an example of its practical application in South-East Europe, facilitated by Nick Bonvoisin, UNECE

• Status of implementation - Nick Bonvoisin, UNECE
• Country case study presentation - Nenad Mikulic, Ministry of the Environment, Croatia (presentation )
• Summary of capacity-development needs - Nick Bonvoisin, UNECE
• Questions

II. Capacity development for the implementation of the Protocol, facilitated by Henrieta Martonakova, UNDP Bratislava

• Capacity development in EECCA - Henrieta Martonakova, UNDP Bratislava
• Resource Manual to support application of the Protocol - Nick Bonvoisin, UNECE
• Lessons learned from implementation of the Sofia EIA Initiative in South-East, Central and Eastern Europe, Marta Szigeti Bonifert, Executive Director, the REC (presentation )
• Questions

III. Way forward with implementation of the Protocol, facilitated by Ausra Jurkeviciute, REC

• National capacity-development strategies for implementation of the Protocol in EECCA: experiences in Georgia - Bobbi Schijf, Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (presentation )
• Proposed Belgrade SEA Initiative and its work programme - Nick Bonvoisin, UNECE
• Questions

Discussion, facilitated by Henrieta Martonakova, UNDP

Conclusion - Henrieta Martonakova, UNDP