Economic Instruments
EPE called for the reporting at the pan-European level on the comparison
and the harmonization of national environmental and resource use charges
and taxes, through a joint endeavour between ECE and the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
In response, the ECE Committee on Environmental Policy organized a Workshop
on the role of economic instruments in integrating environmental policy
with sectoral policies jointly with OECD (Pruhonice, the Czech Republic,
October 1997).
The Workshop prepared Recommendations to Governments of ECE countries
in transition on the application of economic instruments for better integrating
environmental policy with sectoral policies (English,
Russian , Français) and a proposal
for a follow-up. The ECE Committee on Environmental Policy welcomed the
outcome of the Workshop and recommended the countries in transition to
apply its findings. Recommendations were submitted to the Aarhus Conference.
The Workshop proceedings were published as Role of Economic Instruments
in Integrating Environmental Policy with Sectoral Policies, United
Nations, New York and Geneva, 1998.
As a follow-up, the Workshop on Enhancing the Environment by Reforming
Energy Prices was convened jointly by the ECE Committee on Environmental
Policy and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), and in cooperation with the ECE Committee on Sustainable Energy
(Pruhonice, the Czech Republic, June 2000).
The Workshop prepared Recommendations to ECE Governments
on Enhancing the Environment by Reforming Energy
Prices as annexed to the Workshop report (English, Russian, Français).
As a follow up, the ECE Committees on Environmental Policy
and on Sustainable Energy, at their annual sessions in 2001, decided to
establish a Task Force on Environment and Energy for the period 2002-2005
with a mandate to develop non-legally binding guidelines for decision-makers
on reforming energy prices to support sustainable energy development.
The guidelines should help, inter alia, in preventing and reducing waste
of energy and energy-related environmental impact. As a first step, the
joint Task Force will focus on parts I and II of the guidelines, namely,
on (a) raising energy prices to economic levels in countries in transition,
and (b) reforming energy (consumption) subsidies throughout Europe. The
results will be submitted to the respective Committees for preliminary
review and then to the Bureaux of both Committees for their consideration
in early 2003, and transmitted, thereafter, to the Ministerial Conference
"Environment for Europe" in Kiev, 21-23 May 2003 for endorsement.
The Task Force will continue the preparation of part III of the guidelines,
on the internalization of external costs from energy production and use,
up to the year 2005.
For further information: mikhail.kokine@unece.org