| dc.description.abstract | Soon after the political changes in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, Denmark took steps to protect the environment in these areas and later made a strong commitment to step up its environmental aid. But the goals of Denmark's environmental aid policy for Central and Eastern Europe were until recently vague, ambiguous and somewhat conflicting. In fact, the environmental aid projects were the policy. There was little political agreement on what Denmark's environmental aid policy should support, the likely effects of the aid, or the receiving countries' needs. Recently, in response to evaluations and criticism, portions of the aid were redirected to establish a program-oriented strategy for various environmental sectors. Furthermore, more emphasis was put on participation and dissemination of useful experiences with environmental protection in Central and Eastern Europe.
The article proposes to redesign Denmark's environmental aid policy by strengthening organization of the aid in receiving countries, and by specifying green principles for better granting aid. As well, it is proposed to make contextual environmental analyses at the level of the individual environmental aid projects. Most probably, an agreement on implementation and future operation of environmental aid projects concluded at an early stage could enhance project sustainability by ensuring feasibility and increasing the lasting effects of environmental aid projects. It is accordingly emphasized that by building more permanent relationships among project partners implementation might improve and longterms effects of environmental projects might be enhanced. | nb_NO |
