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1.3
AFES-PRESS Research projects funded by the |
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This report focuses on problems of international environment policy with respect to the inclusion of the Republic of Korea, Mexico and Brazil in obligations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and of the Kyoto Protocol. Three criteria are being used: a) their contribution to global warming, b) economic status, c) impact of global warming. The study is organised in eight chapters: chapter 1 introduces in this new policy area, chapter 2 reviews the international context of the debate on enlarging the Annex I states at the Third Conference of State Parties in Kyoto, chapter 3 and 5 analyse the regional context of climate policy for East Asia and Latin America, chapters 4, 6 and 7 offer three extensive case studies on the Republic of Korea, Mexico and Brazil while chapter 8 draws conceptual conclusions. This chapter summarises the comparisons among the three threshold states. The study recommends that all present and future members of OECD, EU and NAFTA should become Annex-I-countries and that a OECD and NAFTA "bubble" should be developed that permits limits to the differentiated increase of climate change gases according to the status of economic development. The study suggests a better co-ordination of German foreign and economic policy with respect to climate change and the promotion of energy savings, energy efficiency enhancement and commercialisation of renewables. Such a policy should aim simultaneously at the reduction of carbon emissions and at the creation of new and additional jobs at home. Project Output: Publication
Since the early 1990s, the Czech Republic has been a candidate for membership in the European Union. In 1998, as one of the five Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), the Czech Republic was selected for the fast track to EU membership, besides Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. At the European Council meeting in Helsinki in December 1999, the European Union decided to launch membership negotiations with the other five CEECs in the slow track: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia as well as with Cyprus and Malta and to offer Turkey the status of a candidate. Based on the Copenhagen criteria of 1993, the European Commission is negotiating with all 12 countries on 31 different dossiers, including energy and environment. The European Union has entered membership partnerships with all 12 candidate countries to assist them in adapting to the acquis communautaire. Already during the negotiation process, considerable efforts are required from the Czech Republic to comply with the legal standards of the European Union.
The project: "Energy and Environment in the Czech Republic" aims at an assessment of the present situation in the energy and environment sectors in the Czech Republic. Therefore, both the developments since the turn of 1989 and the requirements with respect to EU membership will be analysed. Furthermore, with this project, a positive contribution is to be made for a closer co-operation in the technical and administrative area between German and Czech partners. For these reasons, a mutual discussion process and transfer of knowledge and technology are to be initiated in the energy and environment sectors. In March and in May 2000, in two workshops the project results were discussed between the German and Czech partners.
The following regions have been in the centre of this project:
Given the good bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Germany, EU membership of the Czech Republic has been a major German political interest. For this very reason, this project on "Energy and Environment in the Czech Republic" was launched by German Federal Environment Office (UBA) with the support of the Czech Environment Ministry.
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Last updated 24.05.2003 by the webmaster