Discussion of environment, energy and transport: strengthening links within the ECE region

HARALD KREID, Chairman, said that last Friday the ECE had hosted a high-level meeting on transport, environment and health in Geneva; there was agreement that more needed to be done and at the same time a certain reluctance had been apparent about moving ahead. A compromise had been found in the sense that it had been agreed at the meeting to keep under consideration the idea of launching negotiations for a potential framework convention on these topics.

DANUTA HÜBNER, ECE Executive Secretary, said there was willingness within the secretariat and among ECE member States to expand inter-sectoral efforts; breakthroughs had already been made in intersectoral work in relation to transport and the environment, and it was clear that such work could be valuable; other work had been done in such areas as trade and timber. It was important to discuss difficulties and obstacles hindering inter-sectoral work and to consider what could be done to overcome them.

Panellists for the debate consisted of chairpersons of ECE principal subsidiary bodies (PSBs) and directors of relevant ECE departments.

HENRI-CHARLES BLANC, Chairperson of the Committee on Sustainable Energy, said his Committee already had a bi-sectoral name; it looked at things from an intersectoral perspective by definition. The group was regularly in search of balance, among other things by pushing for environmental approaches to energy and for conservation while at the same time acknowledging that of course people often did need to use energy and should have enough available to meet their legitimate needs. The Energy Efficiency 2000 programme of the ECE was one way of dealing with such matters. It was necessary to have an orderly approach, and for inter-sectoral activities to have clear rules.

GEORGE KOWALKSI, ECE Director for Energy, said energy issues did have significant impacts on environment and health; there were apt to be frictions between differing goals as everyone tried to move toward more sustainable energy supplies. It was here that inter-sectoral approaches perhaps could be most useful. Among the policy challenges for the energy sector were enhancing efficiency, internalizing negative externalities, shifting energy use to more benign energy sources, and coping with the consequences of conventional sources, as obviously not all energy use would be able to be sustainable. A task force had already begun looking at internalizing negative environmental externalities into pricing systems, and into subsidization, as well as energy taxation; it was a complex area, and progress, particularly in relation to energy taxation, would take time. A second area of effort had been in the transport sector, especially in terms of shifting energy use there to more environmentally friendly types. The use of natural gas for freight transportation was one option being discussed; a stage-by-stage approach was being taken in hopes of building consensus on the matter. Of late, energy issues were starting to mount higher in the policy agenda, which might lead to tension with those concerned with environmental impacts.

VIRGINIA TANASE, Chairperson of the Inland Transport Committee, said many European economies were in transition, with those countries having infrastructures that needed serious development; it was worth noting that developed European countries had experience in these matters that could be valuable for the transition economies. The subject of transport and the environment had drawn attention recently; the matter of transport and industry also needed attention, however; at this point transport policies in the ECE had integrated most of the important aspects of environmental protection and health. Sectoral competencies had to be kept in mind in further consideration of such matters. Transport, as a sector, was a major generator of economic growth with implications for the well-being of populations; there also were negative aspects to transport development, however, and at least in the transition countries it appeared that these negative matters were not of much note to the public -- citizens were too heavily focused on improvements that could be made to their standards of living through the development of transport systems.

JOSE CAPEL FERRER, ECE Director for Transport, said the implications of transport on environment had been addressed for some years -- in fact one could say that transport and its relation to other issues had been dealt with throughout the history of the ECE, or for more than 50 years. Emission limits established in ECE regulations in force at present were substantially lower, in some cases by factors of 50, than they were 30 years ago. The number of traffic fatalities had declined by some 40 per cent over that period; energy consumption per vehicle had dropped by 40 per cent, although it had to be said that increasing numbers of vehicles and their increasing power had meant that overall energy consumption had not been reduced. In the future, any Committee initiating activities calling for intersectoral cooperation should make sure that these activities generate a real value-added.

HUGO VON MEIJENFELDT, Chairperson of the Committee on Environmental Policy, said the Committee had been pushing for inter-sectoral cooperation for years, as from its point of view less-cooperative efforts simply hadn't been effective. Environmental matters did not lend themselves to narrow approaches. As a result of the integrative approaches pursued, much progress had been made, among other things in helping both the environment and industrial and transport efficiency, which in turn helped the industrial and transport sectors to be more cost-conscious and successful. Central and Eastern European countries had an opportunity to learn from the EU countries; they also had the opportunity to learn from mistakes made by the EU countries, and those had been many. Among other things, if environmental burdens were taken account of at the start of development efforts instead of only later in the process, when the negative consequences started to hit home, that would be a great advance. Setting targets was useful and effective.

KAJ BÄRLUND, ECE Director for Environment and Human Settlements, said he did not wish his department to be seen as one that would affect the activities of other sectors such as transport and energy, but to help them work for the better overall situation of everyone. He did think it was important to serve the interests of the whole of society and therefore, to take into account the true environmental costs of transport, energy and industrial activities; too often these costs were hidden or not sufficiently reflected in prices. He hoped that the sectors were at the start of long and fruitful cooperation. Not a great deal had been done to date, but work was beginning and it was fairly clear that such operations would be long-term -- he hoped to see sufficient commitment and political will for the process to succeed, and he did not think it was a foregone conclusion that there would be friction between the aims and intentions of sectors. It was, on the other hand, important to avoid mistakes now that could have major future consequences, as, for example, through letting public-transport systems in transition countries deteriorate while fostering the growth of road transport that could add to health and pollution problems.

MIKKO ELO, Vice-President of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said environment, energy and transport were three areas of major concern to the Assembly. Pollution dating from the Iron Curtain era would take years and much coordinated effort to ameliorate; energy sharing for efficiency and development was a primary aim of several programmes and policies; reducing the effects of energy production on the environment included taking the Kyoto agreement into account, along with other matters related to greenhouse gases; and the EU was otherwise deeply involved in reconciling transport needs with environmental concerns. Better links in these fields were needed not only between eastern and western Europe, but between northern and southern Europe.

Several national delegations spoke, remarking among other things that increased specialization also required increased cooperation and coordination between different sectors in order to ensure effective progress; that even closer contacts between principle subsidiary bodies were needed; that existing statistical databases should be consolidated into a multi-sectoral framework; that calculations of the external costs of transport and their impact on the environment might usefully be applied in the form of taxes on heavy-duty vehicles that reflected the principle of "the user pays"; that a framework instrument on energy, transport, environment and health could be useful for guidance and solidarity on such important matters; and that energy efficiency programmes could be useful for transition countries, as such steps could reduce the need for imported fuels.

The first speaker of the second panel debate, ALEXANDER SAFARIK-PSTROSZ, Vice Chairperson of the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development, told the meeting that the Committee was open to and fully recognized the importance of inter-sectoral approaches taking into account such matters as transport and the environment. Steps had been taken to facilitate trade in the area of biomass; there had been cooperation with the Timber Committee in the area of environmentally sustainable trade in timber products; and there had been efforts to promote the restoration of polluted sites. The intention and goal was to have a balanced approach. Transport, of course, was an integral part of trade, and there was a common interest in promoting efficiency in trade, transport and customs matters. It was a challenge to find a policy mix suitable to everyone's needs.

SVEIN LONGVA, Chairperson of the Conference of European Statisticians, said much more needed to be done to enhance inter-sectoral links, although much also had been done. ECE statistical work to date was based on statistics provided by national offices and major regional and international organizations; without such help, little could be achieved. A much stronger integration of statistical work across ECE divisions would be necessary in future, and work was under way to integrate databases; it would be up to the ECE to meet this challenge.

JEFFREY SERVEAU, Chairperson of the Timber Committee, said the Committee had participated in integration work with a series of other regional organizations; it now set aside 5 per cent of its budget for this purpose. Increased cooperation with Trade, Transport, and other ECE committees was being discussed, and he proposed a meeting among relevant ECE committees to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, the Timber Committee remained committed first of all to focusing on its core responsibilities.

DANIELA GRABMULLEROVA, Chairperson of the Committee on Human Settlements, said the committee's very purpose was inter-sectoral; effective environmental, energy and transport functions could be met by careful and wise management of human settlements. It was important to continue cooperation to share expertise and enhance urban planning and decision-making throughout the ECE region, reflecting the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements. Balances had to be struck between the economic development of towns and cities and the preservation of historical, architectural and cultural assets; such work was difficult and sensitive, as was meeting ever-expanding needs for safe and affordable housing. One of the most important strategic directions of the Committee and the ECE as a whole was to help the transition countries to advance their economies and improve living standards -- that meant that the tasks undertaken should be as practical and useful as possible.

Among remarks offered by national delegations speaking from the floor were that ECE work to date had been useful for enhancing national plans for energy development and energy conservation, especially in relation to municipal energy networks; that the PSBs should address inter-sectoral matters with pragmatism and flexibility, according to need; and that there should be strong coordination with actors outside the ECE and the UN system, including the private sector.

Mr. KREID, Commission Chairman, summarizing the debate, said it was clear that inter-sectoral cooperation did not occur spontaneously, this was not one of those spontaneous forces of the market economists talked about; such cooperation had to be fostered and pushed. At the same time, there had to be a sense of balance and cooperation. Inter-sectoral efforts had to reflect the vast differences in development around the ECE region -- those in transition countries were focusing primarily on development and improving living standards, and were not thinking about environmental impacts at the same level as other countries of the region. Their situation had to be taken into consideration. The resources and existing responsibilities of the PSBs involved had to be kept in mind; they were already heavily loaded with work and responsibilities, and it was important that inter-sectoral work not be something that overburdened them. Finally, inter-sectoral efforts were going to be a long process; solutions and advances would not come over night; what was necessary was to start firmly and to approach matters thoroughly, to avoid costly mistakes and reverses in direction. Mr. Kreid then read out some conclusions to be included in the Commission's final report on the matter, including that the ECE recognized the important role to be played by the Commission in carrying out and coordinating inter-sectoral cooperation.

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 Ref: ECE/GEN/01/17