Structure

1. Name of the project

Baltic Environmental Information Dissemination System (BEIDS)

2. Participants (regions, countries, consultants etc.)

The project has national partners in Hamburg (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark),

Finland (Turku/Abo), Uppsala (Sweden) as EU partners, as well as Vilnius and Kaunas (Lithuania), Gdansk (Poland) and St. Petersburg (Russia).

3. Duration of realization of the project (dates)

The project´s first phase is from September 1999 to August 2001. A second phase from 2001 to 2004 is planned.

4. Sources of financing Russian side

The Baltic State Technical University as the Russian partner provides the logistical and technical basis for the project in Russia, supported by a mixture of German and Swedish financial resources.

5. Short description of the project

The Baltic Environmental Information Dissemination System is a project aimed at improving cross-sectorial communication on the environment sector, focusing on energy, transport and sustainable development, which may serve the purpose of not only facilitating the exchange of ideas and relevant environmental information, but also catalysing the search for sustainable solutions for the region´s problems, at the same time contributing to a) spatial planning and b) the increase on economic and social cohesion.

The project provides a sound technical basis upon which the exchange of environmental data and information between participant countries (and within these countries) may take place, also offering a suitable atmosphere for the cross-sectorial transfer of technologies in all directions (i.e. not only West-East but also East-West) and the promotion of good practices, especially in the energy and transport sectors.

The basis of this project, which involves Denmark, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden, is the need to strengthen the development potential of the countries of the region, by means of a partnership dealing with environmental issues. Its beneficiaries are therefore government agencies, officials and private planners, small, medium and large firms on the energy and transport sectors, municipalities, research organisations and NGOs.

6. Results achieved

Perhaps the main achievement of the project so far has been the establishment of a multi-disciplinary network, coordinated by the partner agencies in the participating countries. The network provides a sound technical basis upon which cross-sectorial communication, networking and know-how transfer on energy, transport and sustainable development takes place, thus filling in a gap which is regarded as very important by Baltic 21.

During the time it has been undertaken, BEIDS has been offering added value to attempts to promote sustainable spatial development by improving cross-sectorial communication in the environment sector via an innovative approach which takes advantage of modern technologies, with an ability to focus on energy-transport-sustainability, whose relevance to BSR is likely to grow in the years ahead. Although at this point in time BEIDS has been limited to 7 BSR countries, it is planned that it will in the future be extended to become a all-Baltic environmental information dissemination system. Another of its main impacts has been is in respect of improved communication, networking and know-how transfer, also opening-up the way for joint ventures in the energy and transport sectors.

Moreover, BEIDS is providing what is likely to be a long-lasting contribution to improved environmental communication and information exchange among EU and non-EU partners in the SBR and among partners and organisations within their own countries. By promoting the dissemination of information which is a) timely, b) relevant and c) applicable to commercial contexts (e.g. transport projects, energy saving approaches), BEIDS is continuosly working in support of spatial planning and sustainable development in the BSR.

7. Bottlenecks encountered during the process of realization

One of the main difficulties so far has been the identification of sources to support the participation of C&E European countries in the project. However, the networking established as part of the project has enabled it to identify non-EU sources.

8. List of informational materials on the project (reports, Internet sights, publications)

The project has produced the following information materials:

• a multi-language web site in Danish, English, Finnish, German, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Swedish;

• information brochures in Danish, English, German, Lithuanian and Russian;

• an annual report also available in various languages;

• a book on environmental engineering in Russian in support of environmental training;

• over 30 briefings issued to recipients in all participant countries.

• Information and training session across the Baltic.

 

People to contact: Prof. Walter Leal Filho, Dr. Antja Kaemmerer, Ralf Behrens BEIDS Project Office Technical University Hamburg-Harburg Technology (TuTech) Schellerdamm 4 D-21079 Hamburg Germany Tel: 00-49-40-76618050 Fax: 00-49-40-76618058 E-mail: Beids@tutech.de

In Russia: Prof. Nikolaj Ivanov, Marina Butorina Baltic State Technical University 1st Krasnoarmeyskaya Str., 1 198005 St. Petersburg Russia: Tel: +7 812 1101573 Fax: +7 812 3161559 E-mail:bmv@spb.cityline.ru

Language: Russian, English

Volume: 1-2 pages

E-mail: Karelina@leontief.spb.su

           Zhanna@leontief.spb.su