A Decade of Nurturing the Grassroots [antikvár]

This report traces the development of a promising initiative to help -citizens of the countries of Central Europe deal with profound envi-v ronmental challenges and in the process, strengthen the transition to democratic societies after decades of Communist rule. Originally established as a temporary measure for supporting grassroots initiatives in Central Europe, the Environmental Partnership for Central Europe (EPCE) oyer the past decade has developed into a consortium of indigenous foundations irrfhe Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and (from 2000) Romania that are now4helping their societies face new challenges, including those related to the expansion of the European Union. One of many initiatives conceived and funded primarily by private foundations in the West during the tumultuous changes that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communist regimes throughout the region, the Environmental Partnership has since emerged as a model from which many lessons can be applied to other areas of social policy ^.nd parts of the world. The Environmental Partnership will complete ten years of operation in 2000. As EPCE moves into its 11th year of existence, this report presents "an overview of its history, an examination of current activities, observations on future directions, and lessons that might be applied to other settings. Examples ai*e given throughout the text of initiatives undertaken by partnership participants to curb air, water, and soil pollution, to inform the public of what is at stake, to strengthen democratic processes, and to persuade official and unofficial centers of 5