Background

As a result of the analyses performed in 28 municipalities, members of the Regional Association of Municipalities Trakia the following common problems have been established:
- Lack of effective application of local legislation in the environmental area;
- Low interest on the part of citizens about the state of the environment;
- Lack of active mechanisms to guarantee citizens the right to obtain information on environmental matters.

As a mediator in promoting best practices and creating models for solving common problems of the municipalities, RAM Trakia has directed its effort to increasing the environmental understanding of citizens and encouraging their interaction with local government in solving problems of local impact. A pilot project was developed for the municipalities of Stara Zagora, Nova Zagora, Dimitrovgrad and Gurkovo, funded by the Phare Access 99 Programme of the European Union.

Practice

RAM Trakia efforts are directed towards:
- Long term publicizing of the possibilities for public participation in environmental decision-making;
- Enhancing public level of information on environmental matters;
- Increasing the quality of local government decision-making on environmental matters;
- Initiating legislative changes allowing to implement European Union practices for protecting the environment.

Municipality of Stara Zagora
A public survey has been conducted, initiated by Eco Europe Club, focused on citizen attitudes towards the current environmental situation in the municipality. A web site of the club has been developed allowing citizens to obtain fast and up-to-date information about the clubs activity, as well as their participation in a discussion forum on environmental issues in the municipality.

The efforts of the local team have been directed to intensive work with young people. A valuable partner are the members of the Municipal Youth Council and the participants in the optional environmental courses to the specialized high schools, which take part in the action Stara Zagora you are my own city focused on cleaning up the park around the Bedechka River, initiated by Earth Forever Foundation in partnership with Green Balkans Association.

Municipality of Nova Zagora

A memorandum for coordinating the activity of the community has been signed, aiming at immediate solution of environmental issues. The main task included in the memorandum is to create an Eco Council to the Municipality, which will have organizing and coordinating functions. The Eco Council will take part in identifying environmental problems, development and implementation of projects focused on environmental education with the active participation of local NGOs. The aim is to develop a common policy for the prevention or solution of environmental problems and supporting local authorities in this direction.

Eco Europe Club in Nova Zagora is a participant in the process of building a hazardous waste treatment plant information is presently being collected about the environmental effect to be achieved by constructing the plant. The Club is a mediator in the dialogue between the community and local government on the benefits and harmful effects of the plant s construction.

Support has been provided to the Culture Centre (Chitalishte) Dinyo P. Sivkov in the development of a project on creating an Open Air Eco Culture Centre. Activities have been planned for the Club s participation in the project for repair and completion of the water sanitation system in the Shesti District.

Municipality of Dimitrovgrad

A spring clean up was initiated in Dimitrovgrad, with municipal officials, representatives of schools, kindergartens, pensioner s clubs, business companies and citizens taking part in the promotion campaign. The local Eco Europe Club has produced leaflets and visual materials on the following topics:
- What can I do to make my place a cleaner one;
- Charges on waste what is the money used for;
- Systematic selection of local environmental regulations.

Together with the city s clean up, a campaign has been conducted for separated waste collection in the week 15 21 April 2002. 2125 kg of paper and 179 kg of plastic were collected and submitted for recycling.

Municipality of Gurkovo

A total of 6 lectures on medicinal plants and herbs in Bulgaria have been delivered in local kindergartens with the help of the municipal environmental expert. To stimulate children to keep clean their classrooms and school yards, special stickers have been produced, which are awarded to the best performing students. At the end of the school year the student who has collected the greatest number of stickers will receive a Young Environmentalist certificate. 70 trees have been planted, the seedlings donated by the local forestry. Measures have been taken for their protection, the children from kindergartens and schools having formed groups for taking care and watering them.

On the basis of citizens proposals a draft program for environmental protection has been developed for the period 2002 2003. The program includes measures for separated waste collection, protection of Radova, Lazova and Tundja river basins, increasing the sanctions for cutting wallnut trees, control over stubble-field burning etc.

Results

Four Eco Europe Clubs have been opened and equipped in the pilot municipalities, which in a short time have become favourite meeting places for discussions on key local environmental matters. Each of the clubs is maintained by a specially trained officer. Interaction between local authorities and citizens for solving important environmental issues has been sustainably promoted. The pilot municipalities are discussing their positions for changes in the legislation with the participation of expert ecologists from all member municipalities of the Association. A film is being prepared on citizen participation in the decision-making process for harmonizing Bulgarian legislation with the European Union one. The achievements can be expressed in numbers as follows:
- 10 round tables and workshops on citizen participation in improving the local environment have been conducted with a total of 220 participants;
- a survey of over 300 people has been performed, focused on the state of the environment in the pilot municipalities;
- over 20 additional partners have been attracted in activities related to improving the environment in the pilot municipalities.

The local clubs are initiators of complementary activities conducted in cooperation with the municipal administration and NGOs, which have led to unexpected positive results.