From the start, participants in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe recognized environment as one of the obvious areas for a collective approach. Experience from other regions in Europe has shown that it has been possible to reinforce regional environmental cooperation in spite of wider political difficulties. This, in return, has helped to foster wider political dialogue. Thus in South Eastern Europe, regional cooperation in the field of environment can foster greater regional cooperation also in other areas and thereby can contribute to the reconstruction of the institutions, governments and viable civil society in the region.

Based on this understanding, the idea of a Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program (RERP) was developed. The concept of this program was originally submitted by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) to the European Commission in September 1999, and was presented by the Commission at meetings of the Stability Pact Working Table II on economic reconstruction, development and co-operation in Bari (October 1999) and in Skopje (February, 2000). At the latter meeting the establishment of the Task Force headed by the European Commission and one country from South East Europe (SEE) for implementation of the RERP was endorsed. The SEE countries, through their declaration at the meeting of high officials from the environment ministries in Skopje on January 26-27, 2000 endorsed this approach. This was followed up by a ministerial declaration at the meeting held in Skopje on March 16, 2000.

• Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program¹

• Clean up of hot spots in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

• Transboundary Nature Protection Areas

• Post Conflict Environmental Assessment Albania

• Post Conflict Environmental Assessment FYR Macedonia