US embassy cable - 05BUCHAREST611

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 000611 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ACE JENNIFER CERIALE AND DAVID FROMAN 
AND EUR/PPD MARION EKPUK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KDEM, KPAO, SCUL, PGOV, environment 
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY GRANT TO TERRA MILENIUL III 
ASSOCIATION - REPORT 
 
1. The purpose of the project "For Whom do we vote for 
sustainable development?" that Terra Mileniul III 
implemented through a $14,980 DSG was threefold: to 
monitor the environmental policies promoted by political 
parties in their electoral campaigns, to raise citizen 
awareness of these policies, and to influence the elected 
political parties on their environmental policy 
decisions. 
 
2. As result of the meetings with political parties and 
citizens, and after collecting environmental information, 
Terra Mileniul III noted that political policies 
concerning the environment were scarce. Consequently, 
during the electoral campaign, the grantee initiated a 
series of articles in the press about the insufficient 
attention paid to environmental issues in public policies 
and electoral platforms. 
 
3. The new Government has announced the ruling program 
for environment protection to be implemented by the 
Ministry of Environment. Terra Mileniul III brought 
together representatives of 29 NGOs and 7 political 
parties to analyze this program and establish a platform 
for cooperation in the next four years. In this respect, 
a list of partnership priority actions was developed for 
environmental authorities and NGOs. Environmental NGOs 
are committed to contribute to more effective 
environmental policies by sharing information and know- 
how with the government and by direct action. 
 
4. The project has succeeded in raising public awareness 
of environmental issues in Romania and setting the 
grounds for a partnership between the Ministry of 
Environment, and Agency for Environmental Protection and 
Romanian NGOs in the field. Cooperation between the 
Government and environmental NGOs was not effective in 
the past. NGOs complained that in the past 15 years there 
had been 13 ministers of environment who had rather 
administered ecological crises than making decisions to 
improve the environment. Terra Mileniul III and the other 
environmental NGOs participant in the project are now 
confident that the new Government will want to work 
together with NGOs for the common cause of protecting the 
environment in Romania. 
 
5. The grantee will continue to monitor the Government in 
its decisions affecting the environment and will publish 
a special report on environmental policies. 
 
DELARE