The Cleaner Technology Centre of the University of Malta, in conjunction with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), organised two half-day seminars on 29th July and 29th August 2003. The objective of the seminars was to explain to the participants the implications of Directive EC 2037/2000 and how it affects users of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs).

Ozone Depleting Substances are used extensively in the cooling industry (refrigeration and air conditioning), the foam blowing industry, as a propellant in aerosols, in fire extinguishers and also in the agricultural sector.

Surviving Ozone Depleting Substances Phase Out - EC 2037/2000 Implications

The first seminar entitled Surviving Ozone Depleting Substances Phase Out - EC 2037/2000 Implications was held on 29th July at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard, Malta. There were 55 participants from the Industrial Sector, Academics, State Officials and Environmental NGOs. The presentations included explanations by officials from the regulatory body (MEPA) of how the EU directive is to be implemented. Mr. Peter Horrocks, an official from the DG Environment/Climate Change, present at the seminar also highlighted alternatives to ODS so as to comply with Directive EC 2037/2000.

ODS Panel

Case study from a Maltese Company (Biochemicals International) was presented illustrating how an alternative propellant to ODS was introduced. The presentation was then followed by a panel discussion and question time.

Seminar back drop

Use of Methyl Bromide - EU Regulation 2037/2000

The second seminar targeting the agricultural community, entitled Use of Methyl Bromide - EU Regulation 2037/2000 was held on 29th August at the Mgarr Farmers Cooperative Society, Mgarr Malta. The majority of the participants (about 30) were from the agricultural community as well as representatives from agricultural societies & cooperatives. Methyl Bromide is extensively used for soil sterilization in the pre-planting stage and to protect produce from pest infestation. Speakers from the Ministry of the Environment gave presentations on the historical use of Methyl Bromide, the phase out scheme and a selection of alternative methods for soil sterilization were presented. Questions and a discussion followed.

Methyl bromide Panel

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The programme of establishing a Cleaner Production Center in Egypt aims to improve the environmental and economic performance of Egyptian industry, increasing its competitiveness and facilitating access to the market. Those objectives will be met through building national capacity in cleaner production, fostering dialogue between industry and government and enhancing investments in the transfer and development of environmentally sound technologies.

It is planned to raise awareness concerning Cleaner Production (CP) at all levels of society, in order to ensure the sustainability of the application of CP concepts. The target beneficiaries of the Center will be small & medium-sized enterprises, regulatory governmental institutions and authorities, financial institutions, industrial research institutes and universities.

The programme takes a sectoral approach. Six industrial sectors are chosen, namely: textiles, food processing, chemical industries, fertilizers, handicrafts, and metal processing.

The objectives of the National Cleaner Production Center will be met by carrying out a series of activities. Notably, in-plant demonstrations, training programs, promotion of CP technology investments, dissemination of information, and policy advice on CP.

The Center, which is expected to start running by the end of this year, will be hosted by the Industrial Technology Center - Ministry of Industry and Technological Development, and UNIDO is the implementing agency. The estimated project budget is about 1,682,887 euros, of which 1,405,879 euros are granted by the Swiss and Austrian Governments, with 276,990 euros contributed by the Egyptian Government.

The Cleaner Production Head Office will be established in Cairo to serve the selected industries, while 3 other branches will be possibly established in governorates, namely, in Alexandria, Aswan and Sinai, according to geographical distribution criteria.

For further information, contact Eng. Hanan El Hadary (RAC/CP National Focal Point for Egypt) at the following address:

Eng. Hanan El Hadary
Manager of the Egyptian Pollution Abatement Project (EPAP)
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency
Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs
30 Misr Helwan Rd, Maadi
11728 Cairo (Egypt)
Tel.: +202 5261419
Fax: +202 5261421
e-mail: h_elhadary@hotmail.com

Within the EC LIFE Third Countries project "Capacity Building in Cleaner Production in Bosnia and Herzegovina", on 4 June last, the Centre for Environmentally Sustainable Development (CESD), in cooperation with the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials, organised the fourth branch meeting for large-scale industries in the premises of the latter in Zenica. The meeting was entitled "New Law on Environmental Protection and Measures to be taken in Industrial Production".

Twenty-five participants were present at the meeting, including representatives of federal and cantonal Ministries of the Environment, the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials and the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the University of Sarajevo, the municipality of Zenica, the Institute for metals, the company Eco-BiH, and five large scale industries (the Kakanj thermo power plant, the mining and metallurgical company RMK Zenica, the Tuzla thermo power plant, the BH steel company and the Kakanj cement factory).

The participants during the session

The aim of this meeting was to present how the cantonal government of the Zenica-Doboj canton promoted environmental protection and compliance with environmental standards through the privatisation process. Amongst other requirements, the government has incorporated environmental protection measures in the privatisation package, thus obliging the buyer to carry out a programme of activities aimed at pollution prevention and protection of the environment in accordance with the time schedule defined.

In that sense, the representative of the Federal Ministry of the Environment presented the environmental requirements from the new set of environmental laws that were adopted recently and that had been prepared in accordance with European Laws and Directives. The representative of the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) working group presented the current findings and needs of BiH in the field of environmental protection summarised in the NEAP for BiH. The CESD representative presented the opportunities hidden behind the concept of cleaner production for industrial polluters concerning compliance with the recently adopted environmental laws.

Mr Mladen Rudez from the Federal MoE answering
the questions of the participants about the new Law on Environment

The participants all agreed that greater understanding and cooperation between government and industry is needed and they recognised the opportunities hidden behind the concept of cleaner production as one of the possible ways to meet more easily the environmental standards and regulations of the Zenica-Doboj canton.

2nd module of the MOED training course

Within the LIFE project of capacity building in cleaner production in BiH, the second part of the training course on the Minimisation Opportunities Environmental Diagnosis (MOED) methodology will take place the following 9-10 October in Sarajevo. Ms Susanna Rivero and Mr Alfred Vara from the Centre for the Enterprises and the Environment (CEMA) will participate in the training activity jointly organised with CESD.

The first module on the MOED had trained the participants to the stage of collecting the data to be the basis for carrying out a MOED. With the data collected from the companies, the second module on the MOED will identify alternatives for preventing pollution and provide criteria for assessing those from a technical and economical point of view. Prior to that, several visits to selected local companies will be made on 7 and 8 October.

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The Environmental Sector Program (ESP) is a six-year framework project for broad assistance to national endeavours within environmental management. It is a cooperation initiative between the Egyptian and Danish governments. The total budget of the ESP is around 49.5 million euros.

The component Achieving Compliance in Industry (ACI) is part of the Environmental Sector Program (ESP). The objectives of this component are to support industry in improving compliance with environmental regulations through Cleaner Production. The services are provided to industry within the Environmental Compliance Office (ECO) established at the premises of the Federation of Egyptian Industry. ECO started working on February 2002, and its role is to plan, guide, help, and inspire enterprises to have a plan for reducing their waste at source and increase their productivity.

The following are accomplishments of ECO:

• It covered four sectors (metallurgy, engineering, food, textiles)
• 130 factories have been screened by the project so far
• 33 pre-assessment environmental studies have been completed
• 8 implementation projects have started to date
• The project is working in four initiatives: Greater Cairo - 6th of October industrial city - Alexandria - Upper Egypt

ECO activities include:

• Planning
• Good housekeeping and low cost/no cost options
• Environmental management systems
• Staff training
• Full environmental assessment
• Access to soft loan (pilot project)
• Workshops
• Possible access to larger soft loans

For further information, contact Eng. Hanan El Hadary (RAC/CP National Focal Point for Egypt) at the following address:

Eng. Hanan El Hadary
Manager of the Egyptian Pollution Abatement Project (EPAP)
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency
Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs
30 Misr Helwan Rd, Maadi
11728 Cairo (Egypt)
Tel.: +202 5261419
Fax: +202 5261421
e-mail: h_elhadary@hotmail.com

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The Focal Points of RAC/CP met for the fourth time on 12 and 13 June last. The occasion gave them the opportunity to review the progress made during 2002-2003 and pave the way for future action for the next biennium: 2004-2005.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey were represented at the Meeting, as well as the MAP Coordinating Unit, the European Commission and UNIDO.

Presidential board and Focal Points at the opening of the 4th Meeting of RAC/CP NFPs

Collaboration between RAC/CP and the National Focal Points (NFPs) was addressed at the Meeting, in addition to the future role and orientations of the Centre within the framework of the Strategic Action Programme to address pollution from land-based activities (SAP) and the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD). Furthermore, the Focal Points had the opportunity to present the activities performed at the national level to spread pollution prevention approaches, along with the barriers they had been encountering when carrying out the aforementioned task.

Detail of the Focal Points at the session reviewing the activities of the biennium 2002-2003

With the aim of facilitating the implementation of the SAP, RAC/CP had prepared a regional plan for reducing by 20% the generation of industrial hazardous waste in the Mediterranean countries. The Meeting, having reviewed the plan, agreed on the process of submitting it to the Contracting Parties in November, for their consideration of approval.

Subsequently, the future orientations of RAC/CP were presented, mainly implying a greater involvement of the Centre within the SAP, and thus, closer cooperation with the MED POL Programme. The representative of the MAP Coordinating Unit, also MED POL Coordinator, presented the framework for this enhanced cooperation between RAC/CP and MED POL, notably the SAP and its planned implementation, and explained how RAC/CP would be involved in the industrial component of the Programme.

RAC/CP would like to thank all National Focal Points for making the Meeting a success and thank in advance the Focal Points for their active participation during the future biennium 2004-2005.

Note: A CD-ROM containing the documents of the Meeting both in English and French was sent to the Focal Points after the Meeting. Further copies of the documents are available on CD-ROM upon request (please contact us at http://www.cema-sa.org/car/eng/cleanpro@cema-sa.org, tel.: +34 93 415 11 12 or fax: +34 93 237 02 86).