Baltic gets environmental support
Through its INTERREG IIC programme, the European Commission is supporting a 1 million euro project aimed at promoting environmentally-sustainable economic policies in the Baltic region. The Baltic Environmental Information Dissemination System (BEIDS) has been set up in response to the problems caused by on-going developments in both the EU and non-EU member states bordering the Baltic Sea. Due largely to a lack of awareness of environmental legislation and a failure to make use of the best available technologies, this has often resulted in increased exploitation of natural resources and significant environmental problems. BEIDS is a collaboration between the local authority of Hamburg, Germany and academic institutions in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland. Using the opportunities provided by the internet and electronic mail the partners will gather and disseminate information on environmental, transport and energy issues. The partnership hopes to encourage networking and the information exchange between all groups with an interest in planning issues, notably scientists and educationalists, industry, local authorities and NGOs.