AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
The REC
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) is an
international organisation with a mission to assist in solving environmental problems.
Among other activities, the REC supports civil society organisations (CSOs) to be more
effective in their crucial role in the democratic process. The REC supports CSOs through
grants programmes, building capacities and organisational viability, and strengthening
networking. During its 19 years, the REC has distributed more than EUR 12 million in
5,500 grants to environmental CSOs. In South Eastern Europe, regional and national
grants schemes — including those carried out under the SECTOR project — have been
used successfully to support scores of CSOs during the last five years.
Serbian grants
SLOVENIA
ROMANIA
C ROAT I A
Sixty-five percent of the projects addressed waste management issues (recycling,
composting, waste motor oil, construction waste, disused plastic bags, etc.). Projects
sought to change consumers’ habits and to reuse, recycle and take a more conscientious
approach to waste disposal.
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
Thirty percent of the projects addressed energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and
climate change. Projects promoted more efficient energy consumption to achieve a more
rational use of resources. In Novi Sad, for example, activities focused on heat conservation
and the use of energy-efficient appliences in households, while those in in Dimitrovgrad
promoted renewable energy. In Subotica, energy-efficient transport was targetted.
SERBIA
REC HEAD OFFICE: Tel: (36-26) 504-000 l Fax: (36-26) 311-294 l Web: www.rec.org l
REC Country Office serbia l E-mail: [email protected] l Tel: (381-11) 7292-899 l
Country Office web: www.rec.rs
Several projects have dealt with land use and urban planning, pointing up the conflict
between development of urban areas and environment (in Pirot, Subotica in Kraljevo).
The SECTOR project
April 2006 marked the launch of the framework programme SECTOR (Supporting
Environmental Civil Society Organisations in South Eastern Europe), which helps
grassroots groups perform their roles as important drivers of community development in
the field of environmental protection. In promoting civil society, SECTOR aims to push
society toward more sustainable development and improved living conditions in cities.
Its beneficiary area covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (as defined by UNSCR 1244).
Running from April 2006 to April 2010, it has an overall budget of EUR 3.7 million,
provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Results
of an assessment survey, based on a questionnaire completed by groups in the region,
stakeholder interviews and background data, were presented in an updated directory of
environmental CSOs. The identified development needs were then addressed through
Mediterranean
activities falling under the other three core project components:
Sea
●● Organisational viability: The REC developed an organisational assessment and
development planning tool which was used by 58 CSOs. It helped them to better
organise, and get better results from, their activities; become more sustainable; and
better address the concerns of their communities. Thirty-five groups received seed
money to implement selected components of their development plans.
●● Project support (grants): This granting scheme identified and supported projects
initiated by CSOs in the target countries at the national and regional levels.
●● Networking assistance and training: The Master Class training series assisted
188 students in strengthening capacities in environmental lobbying, working with
independent media, facilitating public participation, doing advocacy work and
monitoring government and industry. Two regional CSO networks received grants
to begin realising their organisational development plans.
The SECTOR Programme in Serbia gave out EUR 175,000 in national grants, enabling
CSOs to carry out 19 projects. The grants sought to improve urban areas by encouraging
more sustainable habits and targeted a wide range of groups: local communities, experts,
municipal governments, schoolchildren and teachers and the media.
MONTENEGRO
KOSOVO
(as defined
by UNSCR 1244)
Adriatic
Sea
I TA LY
BULGARIA
FYR OF
MACEDONIA
●● Many organisations gravitate toward a niches determined largely by external pressures
and donor strategies, which leaves important issues unaddressed. This relates to the
environmental issues that CSOs deal with and the approaches they use. Nevertheless,
CSOs still help bring about positive changes that would otherwise take much longer.
ALBANIA
0
100
200
Lessons learned
●● CSOs developed skills in educating and awareness raising, building up solid references
in this aspect of their activity. CSOs successfully identified relevant stakeholders for
the projects, involved them in activities, and created cross-sectoral coalitions on the
TURKEY
local level. They made
good use of the media to promote their projects.
GREECE
kilometres
National SECTOR grants
The national grants were distributed in three rounds and supported 109 projects in
total. Announcements ran from 2006 to 2010, with a total of EUR 550,608 distributed.
The major themes of the projects included waste management, energy consumption,
sanitation, urban greening and urban transport.
By theme, the biggest share of projects — 40 percent — addressed waste-related issues, as
this was identified by most of the countries as the most pressing urban problem. Project
activities focused on awareness raising and education to influence citizens’ behaviour
and attitude. Along with campaigns on the classic topics of recycling and reusing
containers and other products, many CSOs tried innovative approaches such as urging
shop owners to consider reusable shopping bags, teaching householders to reduce water
consumption and educating members of the Roma community on waste collection.
Thirty-seven percent of the projects focused on awareness-raising activities aiming to
make cities more green and promote community involvement in development decisions.
The CSO activities ranged from removing illegal dumps near waterways to establishing
“green zones” and giving practical education in the field.
●● The projects carried out showed that CSOs have little capacity for effecting policy
change. CSOs often avoid issues that can lead to disagreement with local or national
authorities or the business and industrial lobby.
●● CSOs do not cooperate enough with other CSOs and instead mainly compete. Neither
do they exploit opportunities to enlarge membership and engage volunteers.
●● CSOs should be encouraged to get long-term benefits out of their projects and establish
sustainable operations with more members, more volunteers and more partners.
DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL GRANTS PROJECTS BY THEME
All countries’ projects
Greening cities
and urban planning 37%
Water and wastewater
management 6%
Transport and
its impacts 9%
Energy consumption 8%
Waste management 40%
Serbia’s projects
Transport and its impacts 0%
Water and wastewater
management 0%
Stretching City Limits
National Grants Help Environmental
Groups Improve Urban Life in Serbia
Waste management 65%
Energy consumption 5%
Greening cities
and urban planning 30%
SECTOR
Recycling for the Future
Bad bags
In order to draw attention to problems related to waste generation and disposal in a multi-ethnic
community of Belgrade, the Center for Environmental Balkan Initiativess decided to raise awareness
about these issues as a way toward urban sustainability. The CSO carried out a pilot project for educating
students and teachers about waste-management issues. This project contributed to changing existing
consumer habits among teachers, pupils, employees of public utilities in the Municipality of Pancevo
and other citiziens. The project encouraged community members to get involved in the process of waste
reduction and separation at its source.
Around 1.5 billion plastic bags are used in Serbia each year. They are in use just briefly but take 1,000
years to decompose. Along with other waste materials that could potentially be recycled, they end up as
part of the 2.2 million tonnes of municipal waste generated every year in Serbia.
This project aims to stop people from using thin plastic bags by presenting alternatives and putting public
pressure on experts, authorities, and managers of supermarkets. Through this project, the Volunteers’
Centre of Vojvodina (VCV) also raised awareness among the general public of the importance of their
role in solving the problem. Awareness raising targetted different social, ethnic and age groups, as well
as people with disabilities.
The development of the module for children’s environmental education began with the preparation and
printing of the publication Glossary of Recycling, translated into four minority languages (Romanian,
Hungarian, Slovakian and Bulgarian). The book was used in an educational module that was implemented
in eight primary schools in the Municipality of Pancevo. Twenty-six teachers benefited from the training
and 180 pupils attended workshops in schools.
An important aspect of the project was creating a strategic partnership between representatives of
different sectors (public, private and civil) with an interest in the plastic-bag issue. Cooperation was
established with government at different levels with the purpose of setting out a strategy for ending the
use of thin plastic bags.
In the awareness-raising capmpaign, the CSO used a number of tactics to transmit their message
effectively: it was edited down to a short, usable form; disseminated through the media and a web
portal; discussed during radio interviews and relayed in leaflets and posters. The CSO and partner
journalists designed a radio program called “Recycling — a Way of Urban Sustainability” which was
aired on the radio 13 times. This helped media professionals become much more familiar with solidwaste management, recycling and environmental problems. By now, they are more keenly aware of the
importance of their role in the process of following ecological standards.
A campaign was organised involving several activities. Trainings and workshops engaged young people
in recycle art, and 40 young activists were trained and later on passed on their knowledge to 600
schoolchildren. Street activities brought focus on the topic in public markets and squares in five cities
and strong media attention helped amplified the project’s messages throughout the project period. VCV
contributed to changing consumption patterns and reducing the usage of thin plastic bags.
At the same time, the CSO lobbied supermarket managers and the government at different levels.
Although the lobbying yielded limited results, VCV managed to establish good cooperation with local
and provincial governments and enhanced their readiness to act when it comes to solving this issue.
After the first series of broadcasts, the media began informing the public about these topics more
frequently. The local government contributed significantly in the preparation of promotional materials.
The good cooperation between the CSO, local government, schools, media and the public utility
company contributed to the success of the project’s implementation and impact.
During this project 40 new volunteers joined VCV in their activities.
Contact: Lea Cikos l Volunteers’ Centre of Vojvodina (VCV) l Njegoševa 3, 21000 Novi Sad l
Tel: (381-02) 1-549-197 l E-mail: [email protected] l Web: www.volontiraj.rs
Contact: Katarina Milanovic l Center for Environmental Balkan Initiatives l xxxxxxxxxxx,
Belgrade l Tel/Fax: (381-11) 154-022 l E-mail: [email protected]
Sparking interest in electricity savings
Energy inefficiency in households is a problem in every metropolitan area. In centrally planned
economies such as the former Yugoslavia’s, energy efficiency was rarely considered in the development
or use of living spaces.
By using energy efficient products, households can reduce their electricity consumption and the pressure
they put on the environment. Citizens can change their own habits and behavior and influence those
of the people around them. Nowadays, with energy-efficient goods available to the public, citizens just
need to be better informed about why it is better to invest to use them (even if if requires some initial
investment). It is also important to educate the public about the need for good insulation and the
rational use of energy recourses.
To address these needs, the Civic Association Environmental Engineers of Novi Sad conducted a series
of educational and awareness-raising activities. The CSO carried out an educational campaign for 20
young people, including workshops and lectures about the rational use of electricity in cooperation
with the Faculty for Technical Sciences, the Provincial Secretariat for Sport and Youth, the Provincial
Secretariat for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development and the Student Union.
Under the same project, they opened the Centre for Energy Efficiency for Households, which provides
advice to citizens on how to use household energy more rationally. The information is given in person
and through a web service, e-mail, an eco-phone line and a library.
In the practical component of the project, the CSO helped 24 households replace energy inefficient light
bulbs with energy efficient ones and gave them instructions on other ways to save electricity at home.
The CSO conducted an intensive awareness-raising campaign that included producing and distributing
promotional materials (in Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian and Slovakian), press conferences, briefings
for journalists, advertising in media, TV slots, a radio jingle, a web site, public promotions, and an open
competition for drawings and paintings in primary and secondary schools.
Finally, the CSO contributed to reducing energy consumption in households in Vojvodina. This project
was recognised and accepted as an official part of Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign 2005-2008.
Contact: Igor Jezdimirović l Civic Association Environmental Engineers l xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Novi
Sad l Tel and Fax: (381-21) 636-71-39 l E-mail: [email protected] l Web: www.activity4sustainability.org
Composting turns trash to treasure
In order to reduce solid-waste disposal and improve the environment, living conditions and human
health in Subotica, the Association of Youth and the Game (AYG) designed a project with following
objectives: reduce waste disposal into landfills;
●●
raise awareness of the importance of composting;
●●
change people’s perception of organic waste from useless to useful;
●●
increase the number of institutions and households that practice composting; and
●●
bring together various sectors in resolving waste problems.
AYG conducted workshops for teachers and students of elementary and secondary schools and for
citizens of the community of Aleksandrovo. It produced 500 copies of a composting manual in Serbian
and Hungarian language; installed seven composting units in schools, households and the offices of
the local municipality; carried out a media campaign that included the production and broadcast of a
movie about composting in Serbian and Hungarian language, printed 2,400 copies of an environmetnal
information brochure in Serbian and Hungarian language, organised press conferences, made a survey
about citizen interest in composting; and provided consultancy to those interested in composting.
The project contributed to the reduction of waste disposal in landfills and thus contributed to solving
environmental problems related to landfilling organic waste. The number of institutions and households
that practice composting increased and the project managed to shift the popular perception of organic
waste as being a useful fertiliser.
A stronger link between stakeholders was forged and the AYG positioned itself as a relevant actor in this
field on a national level.
Contact: Ljubomir Stankic l Association Youth and The Game l xxxxxxxxxx, Subotica l Tel: (38124) 55-44-35 l E-mail: [email protected]
Cities and Civil Society Get a Boost in Serbia
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
The REC
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) is an
international organisation with a mission to assist in solving environmental problems.
Among other activities, the REC supports civil society organisations (CSOs) to be more
effective in their crucial role in the democratic process. The REC supports CSOs through
grants programmes, building capacities and organisational viability, and strengthening
networking. During its 19 years, the REC has distributed more than EUR 12 million in
5,500 grants to environmental CSOs. In South Eastern Europe, regional and national
grants schemes — including those carried out under the SECTOR project — have been
used successfully to support scores of CSOs during the last five years.
Serbian grants
SLOVENIA
ROMANIA
C ROAT I A
Sixty-five percent of the projects addressed waste management issues (recycling,
composting, waste motor oil, construction waste, disused plastic bags, etc.). Projects
sought to change consumers’ habits and to reuse, recycle and take a more conscientious
approach to waste disposal.
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
Thirty percent of the projects addressed energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and
climate change. Projects promoted more efficient energy consumption to achieve a more
rational use of resources. In Novi Sad, for example, activities focused on heat conservation
and the use of energy-efficient appliences in households, while those in in Dimitrovgrad
promoted renewable energy. In Subotica, energy-efficient transport was targetted.
SERBIA
REC HEAD OFFICE: Tel: (36-26) 504-000 l Fax: (36-26) 311-294 l Web: www.rec.org l
REC Country Office serbia l E-mail: [email protected] l Tel: (381-11) 7292-899 l
Country Office web: www.rec.rs
Several projects have dealt with land use and urban planning, pointing up the conflict
between development of urban areas and environment (in Pirot, Subotica in Kraljevo).
The SECTOR project
April 2006 marked the launch of the framework programme SECTOR (Supporting
Environmental Civil Society Organisations in South Eastern Europe), which helps
grassroots groups perform their roles as important drivers of community development in
the field of environmental protection. In promoting civil society, SECTOR aims to push
society toward more sustainable development and improved living conditions in cities.
Its beneficiary area covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (as defined by UNSCR 1244).
Running from April 2006 to April 2010, it has an overall budget of EUR 3.7 million,
provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Results
of an assessment survey, based on a questionnaire completed by groups in the region,
stakeholder interviews and background data, were presented in an updated directory of
environmental CSOs. The identified development needs were then addressed through
Mediterranean
activities falling under the other three core project components:
Sea
●● Organisational viability: The REC developed an organisational assessment and
development planning tool which was used by 58 CSOs. It helped them to better
organise, and get better results from, their activities; become more sustainable; and
better address the concerns of their communities. Thirty-five groups received seed
money to implement selected components of their development plans.
●● Project support (grants): This granting scheme identified and supported projects
initiated by CSOs in the target countries at the national and regional levels.
●● Networking assistance and training: The Master Class training series assisted
188 students in strengthening capacities in environmental lobbying, working with
independent media, facilitating public participation, doing advocacy work and
monitoring government and industry. Two regional CSO networks received grants
to begin realising their organisational development plans.
The SECTOR Programme in Serbia gave out EUR 175,000 in national grants, enabling
CSOs to carry out 19 projects. The grants sought to improve urban areas by encouraging
more sustainable habits and targeted a wide range of groups: local communities, experts,
municipal governments, schoolchildren and teachers and the media.
MONTENEGRO
KOSOVO
(as defined
by UNSCR 1244)
Adriatic
Sea
I TA LY
BULGARIA
FYR OF
MACEDONIA
●● Many organisations gravitate toward a niches determined largely by external pressures
and donor strategies, which leaves important issues unaddressed. This relates to the
environmental issues that CSOs deal with and the approaches they use. Nevertheless,
CSOs still help bring about positive changes that would otherwise take much longer.
ALBANIA
0
100
200
Lessons learned
●● CSOs developed skills in educating and awareness raising, building up solid references
in this aspect of their activity. CSOs successfully identified relevant stakeholders for
the projects, involved them in activities, and created cross-sectoral coalitions on the
TURKEY
local level. They made
good use of the media to promote their projects.
GREECE
kilometres
National SECTOR grants
The national grants were distributed in three rounds and supported 109 projects in
total. Announcements ran from 2006 to 2010, with a total of EUR 550,608 distributed.
The major themes of the projects included waste management, energy consumption,
sanitation, urban greening and urban transport.
By theme, the biggest share of projects — 40 percent — addressed waste-related issues, as
this was identified by most of the countries as the most pressing urban problem. Project
activities focused on awareness raising and education to influence citizens’ behaviour
and attitude. Along with campaigns on the classic topics of recycling and reusing
containers and other products, many CSOs tried innovative approaches such as urging
shop owners to consider reusable shopping bags, teaching householders to reduce water
consumption and educating members of the Roma community on waste collection.
Thirty-seven percent of the projects focused on awareness-raising activities aiming to
make cities more green and promote community involvement in development decisions.
The CSO activities ranged from removing illegal dumps near waterways to establishing
“green zones” and giving practical education in the field.
●● The projects carried out showed that CSOs have little capacity for effecting policy
change. CSOs often avoid issues that can lead to disagreement with local or national
authorities or the business and industrial lobby.
●● CSOs do not cooperate enough with other CSOs and instead mainly compete. Neither
do they exploit opportunities to enlarge membership and engage volunteers.
●● CSOs should be encouraged to get long-term benefits out of their projects and establish
sustainable operations with more members, more volunteers and more partners.
DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL GRANTS PROJECTS BY THEME
All countries’ projects
Greening cities
and urban planning 37%
Water and wastewater
management 6%
Transport and
its impacts 9%
Energy consumption 8%
Waste management 40%
Serbia’s projects
Transport and its impacts 0%
Water and wastewater
management 0%
Stretching City Limits
National Grants Help Environmental
Groups Improve Urban Life in Serbia
Waste management 65%
Energy consumption 5%
Greening cities
and urban planning 30%
SECTOR