ABOUT US
European Environment and Sustainable
Development Advisory Councils (EEAC)
EEAC Background
EEAC Activities
EEAC Management
EEAC Background
Who are we?
The EEAC network is a unique collaboration between the councils
set up by European governments to provide independent and scientifically
based advice on the environment and sustainable development. The
network is a powerful tool for sharing information and experience
across Europe.
Co-operation between advisory councils under the
EEAC network started in 1993. More than 30 councils from 16 European
countries with around 400 key senior actors from academia, civil society/NGOs, stakeholder
organisations and the private sector now participate in the network.
Advisory councils for environmental policy and/or for sustainable
development typically have the following institutional characteristics:
- they are bodies established by a national or regional government for the tasks of
giving independent advice on environmental and/or sustainable development
issues, stimulating informed debate and/or communicating with a wider public
and fostering the involvement of civil society;
- they are composed of a limited number of council members, who are appointed (following
different procedures) to represent a spectrum of disciplines and expertise
from outside the government, often from or including civil society
organisations or stakeholders;
- they have a secretariat facilitating the deliberations and activities of the council, but
only the council itself can adopt positions and recommendations.
Download EEAC
brochure
Article
on EEAC on ELNI, "The network of European Environment and Sustainable Development
Advisory Councils (EEAC)", 1/2005
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Our Principles
The fundamental principle underlying the EEAC network is the common
understanding that present trends in production, consumption, trade, and
economic development as a whole are rooted in unsustainable uses of natural
resources. The global challenge
confronting humankind is to move to a new and more sustainable concept of
development. This new concept of development will acknowledge economic needs
and social aspirations, but also will respect the constraints imposed by the
requirement to protect the critical and unique values of the natural
environment.
Our Objectives
- to enrich the advice the individual councils give to their
national and regional governments;
- to provide an operational framework for joint activities;
- to profit from the experiences and work of councils in other
countries;
- to better anticipate forthcoming strategic issues at European level, and, where appropriate, to exert an influence on policy
developments at EU level by acting cooperatively.
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EEAC's Unique Value
The EEAC has a distinctive and authoritative role:
- our members have a unique character in terms of being official but
independent advisory bodies from a wide range of EU members states and
accession countries;
- councils are no stakeholders organisations themselves, but established
by national and regional governments with the task to give independent,
scientifically based advice and provide a dialogue among relevant
stakeholders;
- councils provide capacity int he EEAC network for sharing experiences
and perspectives, learning from each other, and recognising those areas
where collectively agreed viewpoints which transcend national perspectives
are vital for a more sustainable development in Europe;
- collective advice on EU policies is selective and focuses on more
strategic topics; any EEAC statement represents an agreement of councils
across Europe as it goes through a broad consultation among members and is
endorsed by each individual council supporting the advice.
We see the establishment and continuation of independent advisory bodies as
a means and indicator of good governance. Most European governments, as well
as the EU, recognise the added value of a broader knowledge basis and better
involvement of society in the preparation of policies and their
implementation.
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EEAC Members, Partners and Associates
The strengths of the EEAC network are both a common identity and the diversity
in the structure and function of its members, associates and partners, all of
whom share a common purpose in supporting the network’s Principles and
Objectives.
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EEAC Members
In order to become an EEAC member a council has to meet
the following criteria:
- institutional characteristics of an advisory council (as described on the
Who are we section),
- political and institutional independence, which is translated into a
real capacity to provide critical and independent advice regardless of the
government’s official position,
- support of the Principles and Objectives,
- payment of due subscriptions.
At present, the EEAC members are:
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EEAC Partners
In order to become an EEAC partner a council has to meet
the following criteria:
- to be an officially established advisory body that does not fully meet
the requirements described in Who are we section but has wider regulatory or operational
responsibilities and a real capacity to provide critical and independent advice,
- support of the Principles and Objectives,
- payment of due subscriptions.
At present, the EEAC partners are:
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EEAC Associates
EEAC Associates are officially established councils that:
- intends to either maintain a certain and partial degree of
collaboration within the network,
- or does not fully meet the necessary requirements to become an EEAC
member or partner.
At present, EEAC associates are:
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EEAC Activities
Working Groups
The thematic Working Groups (WGs) are a key mechanism of collaboration in EEAC. They are
initiated by a group of councils for topics of common interest and concern. The WGs are mandated for developing a policy debate and, when appropriate,
joint statements on a specific topic of relevant
interest. At present, the EEAC has six Working Groups:
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EEAC Annual Conferences
Annual conferences are each year hosted by EEAC members. The theme is
chosen according to the topic of a Working Group statement
that has been elaborated prior to the event (as it shows the table below).
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EEAC Statements
The WGs develop a policy debate and joint recommendations in the form of
statements or letter advice, which are endorsed by its members or a wider
range of councils. Once a WG statement is agreed by a clear majority of EEAC
councils, it becomes an EEAC statement. Such collective advice is addressed to
key players in the European, national and regional arena, and is typically
presented at an EEAC Annual Conference.
Full list of EEAC and WG
Statements
The following table shows how in most cases, EEAC Annual
Conferences from 1999` are related to the publication of an EEAC statement:
|
EEAC Annual Conferences
|
EEAC statements
|
|
2008:
Sustaining Europe for a Long Way Ahead,
Bordeaux, France
|
|
|
2007:
Energy Efficiency, Évora,
Portugal
|
Energy
Efficiency: Key pillar for a competitive, secure and environmentally
friendly European Energy Policy
|
|
2006:
Sustainable Forest
Management,
Warsaw, Poland
|
|
|
2005:
Climate Change and
Biodiversity, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
|
Biodiversity
Conservation and Adaptation to the Impacts of Climate Change
|
|
2004:
Towards
a European Marine Strategy on the Marine Environment,
Berlin, Germany
|
Towards
a European Marine Strategy on the Marine Environment
|
|
2003:
European
Governance for the Environment, Florence,
Italy
|
European
Governance for the Environment
|
|
2002:
Agriculture and nature in an
expanding Europe - can a greener CAP fit it all?,
Kilkenny,
Ireland
|
Towards
Sustainable Agricultural Policies in
Europe
|
|
2001:
Greening Sustainable Development Strategies, Stockholm,
Sweden
|
Greening
Sustainable Development Strategies
|
|
2000:
The Coastal Zone
Sustainable Development Policies in Europe,
Sesimbra, Portugal
|
The
Coastal Zone Sustainable Development Policies in
Europe
|
|
1999:
EU Enlargement and
European Environmental Policies, Budapest,
Hungary
|
|
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EEAC Workshops and Seminars
The EEAC network also organises workshops and seminars on particular
subjects of interest to our members. In some ocassions, these seminars have
been intended to launch an EEAC publication based on a commissioned research
study. The most recent events have been:
Full list with EEAC Publications
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EEAC Management
The following bodies are involved in the management of our network:
- The Annual Plenary Session is composed
by EEAC members and partners and has the ultimate authority in the network. It meets yearly
at the Annual Conference.
- The Steering Committee stimulates,
facilitates and supports the joint network activities.
- The Board
of the Stichting Management for EEAC
is responsible for the administrative and human resources issues.
- The
EEAC Office is the facilitator and secretariat to the network and
co-ordinates its activities.
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Steering Committee and Board
In 1997, a Steering Committee was formed to oversee the management
of the network and the EEAC Office. There are some rotation mechanisms
for the Steering Committee seats. The Annual Plenary Session elects the
chairs, vice-chairs and the co-opted members. Terms of office of chair
and vice-chair are two years.
In 2005, the network established a Stichting Foundation for Management
of EEAC under Dutch law with the purpose of executing management tasks for
the network. The Stichting, that granted legal personality to the network,
supports its functioning by providing administrative services,
including the management of financial and human resources.
At present, the Steering Committee has the following members:
|
Chair
|
Frans Evers, RMNO, The Netherlands
|
|
Vice-Chair
|
Angelika Zahrnt, RNE,
Germany
|
|
EEAC Office supervisor
|
Herma de Wilde, RLG, The Netherlands
|
|
Host conference 2007
|
Prof. Henrique Schwarz, CNADS,
Portugal
|
|
Host conference 2008
|
Prof. Michel Ricard, CNDD,
France
|
|
Co-opted seats
|
Jan de Smedt, FRDO-CFDD, Belgium
Christian Hey, SRU, Germany
|
Representative
from
new member states
|
Prof. Franc Lobnik, CEPRS, Slovenia
|
Chairmen of the Steering Committee have been:
|
1997-1998
Prof. Eckard Rehbinder, Chairman of the German Advisory Council on the Environment
(SRU)
|
|
|
1999-2000
|
Hubert David, President of
the Environmental and Nature Council of Flanders (Minaraad)
|
|
2001-2002
|
Prof. Richard Macrory, Member of the UK Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution
(RCEP)
|
|
2003-2004
|
Prof. Franc Lobnik,
President of the Slovenian Environment Council (CEPRS)
|
|
2005-2008
|
Frans Evers, Member
of the Dutch Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature
and the Environment (RMNO)
|
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EEAC Office
In 1997, the network installed a common secretariat, the EEAC Office with
the task of acting as facilitator to the network and
co-ordinate its activities. The EEAC Office has been hosted by English Nature
(1997-99), by the German
Environmental Advisory Council (1999-2002), and the Dutch Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature
and the Environment (2002-2005). Since 2005, it is located in Brussels in
the premises of the Environment and Nature Council of Flanders (Minaraad).
For further questions about participation
and membership do not hesitate to contact the Steering Committee via the
EEAC
Office.
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Copyright
© 2000-2008 by European Environment
and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, Den Haag. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated on 26 May 2008