Kaliningrad: Improving environmental protection and public awareness

Abstract:

As part of greater freedom in the post-communist era Russian cities increasingly start to give greater importance to environmental issues. In the 1990s the network of Environmental Centres for Administration and Technology was established in four cities of the Baltic Sea Region and in the Albanian capital Tirana. The Kaliningrad branch was set up in 1995 and has elaborated and implemented a great variety of environment-related projects and strategies which brought new impetus to the region's environmental planning. It can serve as a model of good practice in urban development for the following reasons:

• transfer of Western know-how and technology and combination with local expertise;
• elaboration and implementation of projects by a joint unit of local and Western experts;
• support for the process of developing new legal and organisational structures in environmental areas;
• successful fund matching of money from European sources, Western partner cities and local budgets;
• informational and operational input in the Local Agenda 21 process.

Background and objectives

ECAT Kalingrad, the Environmental Centre for Administration and Technology, was established as a self-sufficient independent unit of the Mayor's Office in Kaliningrad. It has its own legal status and is run by a staff of five Russian and five Western European environmental experts in cooperation with an office manager and interpreters. The concept of ECAT is to combine Russian and Western European know-how and technical expertise in order to elaborate comprehensive environmental strategies and to achieve realistic solutions for environmental improvement on a local level.

ECAT aims to put its goals into practice by carrying out the following main tasks:

• acting as an advisory body in all issues of environmental protection and technology for local and foreign authorities, industries, investors and other organisations;
• designing environment-related action programmes in cooperation with local authorities, enterprises and other organisations;
• implementing EU-funded projects in the Kaliningrad region and in the city of Kaliningrad;
• improving access to information via organing seminars.

Implementation

Project date and status

ECAT Kaliningrad was set up in October 1995 as the third ECAT in the Baltic Sea Region. It is an on-going activity.

Strategy

ECAT-Kaliningrad was founded to improve the environmental situation in the Russian excalve. Its strategy is to design and implement projects in the fields of water protection, air protection, soil protection, waste management, nature protection, environmental management and awareness raising and environment-related education. It therefore concentrates on the following activities:

• identification of concrete projects, preparation of action plans and securing the financial basis;
• assistance in elaboration and enforcement of local environment-related laws and support in the creation of new administrative structures;
• facilite access to financial sources for authorities and enterprises with the aim to stimulate progress in environmentally compatible production methods;
• acting as a mediator between institutions and organisations in the environmental field;
• assistance to foreign organisations which are involved in environment-related activities in the Kaliningrad Region;
• conducting surveys to raise environmental awareness.

The main efforts are the creation of new partnerships between the city and region of Kaliningrad and Western European organisations as well as strengthening local and regional structures involved in the implementation and guidance of environment-related activities. ECAT-Kaliningrad therefore aims to combine running individual projects with the institutional strengthening of partnerships by providing a consultation back-up.

Activities

Within a three years period ECAT Kaliningrad has initiated a considerable number of activities in the city and the region of Kaliningrad. The projects should help to raise the environmental standards and to act as a starting point for further progress in the area concerned. The following projects have been started:

• collection and central treatment of galvanic waste in Kaliningrad: the project has been implemented in one of the local industries by reconstructing an existing waste water treatment. The closed-cycle system includes systematic collection, central treatment and recovery of galvanic waste and uses Russian technology and Danish know-how;
• waste water treatment at the bus washing facility of the municipal transport company in Kaliningrad: instalment of new equipment for closed circuit waste water treatment at the bus washing aims to reduce the discharge of oily waste water into rivers and lakes. The project uses Russian technology;
• improved monitoring of drinking water quality in Kaliningrad at Vodokanal: the project aims to enhance safety of drinking water by the installation of monitoring equipment for analysis and control of inorganic components in water such as chlorine, nitrate, sulphide and heavy metals;
• new water quality management in Kaliningrad's border regions with Lithuania, Poland and the coastal zone: the project is designed to develop a cross-border river basin management network which includes a monitoring system for rivers, a management plan for open water resources and waste water management along the coastal zone of Kaliningrad;
• elaboration of a traffic concept for the city of Kaliningrad: the project envisages a stock- taking the transport situation in the city of Kaliningrad and elaborating recommendations to introduce better inspection of vehicles and general raising of public awareness;
• monitoring air quality in the city of Kaliningrad: the project is designed as a model approach to the problem of air pollution. It includes the operation of an air-monitoring bus provided by the city of Bremerhaven in order to elaborate expertise for an air quality report for the city of Kaliningrad. Furthermore the project concentrates on a six months long air quality monitoring programme of airborne dust, dust fall, gaseous and organic components;
• conceptual study of hazardous waste management: a feasibility study is to provide information on origins, amounts, trends of hazardous waste and hazardous waste streams in the Kaliningrad region in order to give recommendations on future organisation of hazardous waste management;
• elaboration of a concept for ecotourism and nature protection at the Curonian Spit and Vistula Spit: the project aims to improve environmentally friendly use of natural resources and protect natural areas against excessive tourism. In addition, support with equipment material for public awareness raising and environmental education will be drawn up;
• improve management of the Kaliningrad Zoo: the zoo project is a central element to upgrade urban leisure infrastructure in an environmentally compatible way. It includes an survey of management improvements, elaboration of a marketing strategy, training in new management methodologies, improvement of animal husbandry, development of an aquarium unit, setting up a children's zoo;
• environmental improvements in the Kaliningrad harbour area: additional training and exchange of experience with Danish partners with the aim of setting up an environmental protection unit within the port administration of Kaliningrad;
• oil spill management in the city of Kaliningrad: the project aims to improve oil spill contingency planning and to provide practical training in combating oil spills;
• improvement of energy efficiency in Kaliningrad: energy efficiency measures mainly relate to avoidance of energy losses: two projects tackle the problem of leakage detection and the use of innovative energy saving methods by training and the transfer of technology, e.g. infra-red equipment;
• initiation of a Local Agenda 21 process in the city of Kaliningrad: in cooperation with German and British partners the project envisages creating structures to guarantee cooperation, consensus building and participation of citizens in the environmental planning process, putting into practice demonstration projects and the provision of additional information on the environmental situation;
• introduction of an Environmental Management System for Kaliningrad municipal administration: as part of the LA 21 project this aims to make progress in incorporating environmental principles into municipal planning;
• utilisation of renewable energy in the Kaliningrad region: the project plans to develop hydro- electric plants in the Kaliningrad region;
• capacity building at environmental laboratories in the Kaliningrad region: the project includes review and upgrading six selected laboratories, training instructors and evaluating performances. In addition, the laboratories will cooperate with Danish partners to carry out inter-laboratory proficiency tests and enable greater dissemination of know-how;
• elaboration of information on the environmental situation in the city and region of Kaliningrad: two projects have contributed to a better environmental information basis by collection and publication of environmental data and carrying out an opinion poll;
• elaboration of training and information material to raise public awareness: dissemination of environment-related knowledge includes the organisation of an environmental video week for more than 2,500 pupils, conducting environmental training courses for teachers, organisating an environmental campaign on the streets of Kaliningrad, and making a film on Kaliningrad's nature reserves as additional input into the ecotourism project.

Partners

ECAT Kaliningrad is financially supported by the European Commission via the projects, in particular from the LIFE programme. It operates with direct contact to the following partners:

• the Kalingrad Mayor's office;
• the regional administration of Kaliningrad;
• the Russian State Committee for Environmental Protection in Kaliningrad;
• the local government of the Danish partner city of Aalborg;
• the Centre for Conception of Technical Training and Qualification on behalf of the German partner city of Bremerhaven.

ECAT Kaliningrad is part of the ECAT network in the Baltic Sea Region. Other centres exists in Kaunas in Lithuania, Riga in Latvia, St. Petersburg in Russia and Tirana in Albania. There is a regular exchange of information, and experts meet annually in order to discuss common issues and future activities. In addition, a quarterly newsletter is published by the ECATs.

Financing and resources used

ECAT Kaliningrad's activities are mainly funded by money from EU programmes or financial support individual funders either from partner cities or other organisations. The following funds have been put together to start projects:

• collection and central treatment of galvanic waste in Kaliningrad: 214,000 ECU;
• waste water treatment at the bus washing facilities of the Kalingrad municipal transport company: 10,000 ECU;
• improved monitoring of Kalingrad drinking water quality at Vodo chanal: 20,000 ECU;
• new water quality management in Kaliningrad's border regions with Lithuania, Poland and the coastal zone: 2,410,000 ECU;
• elaboration of a traffic concept for the city of Kaliningrad: 450,000 ECU;
• monitoring air quality in the city of Kaliningrad: 40,000 ECU;
• conceptual study of hazardous waste management: 21,000 ECU;
• elaboration of a concept for ecotourism and nature protection at the Curonian Spit and Vistula Spit: 491,000 ECU;
• improvement of management in Kaliningrad Zoo: 274,000 ECU;
• environmental improvements in the Kaliningrad harbour area: 183,000 ECU;
• oil spill management in the city of Kaliningrad: 250,000 ECU;
• improvement of energy efficiency in the city of Kaliningrad: 151,000 ECU plus 4,500 $;
• initiation of a Local Agenda 21 process in the city of Kaliningrad: 592,000 ECU;
• introduction of an Environmental Management System for Kaliningrad's municipal administration: 52,200 ECU;
• utilisation of renewable energy in the Kaliningrad region: 99, 820 ECU;
• capacity building at environmental laboratories in the Kaliningrad Region: 500,000 ECU;
• elaboration of information on the environmental situation in the city and region of Kaliningrad: figures not stated;
• elaboration of training and information material to raise public awareness: 49,000 ECU.

Results and impacts

As all projects are in the implementation phase or just about to start there is little knowledge on actual results or impacts.

Lessons learned And transferability

The great variety of projects and partnerships in ECAT Kaliningrad's activities demonstrate that a relatively small independent unit within the municipal administration can bring about environmental benefits for special environmental areas, environmental planning and the public awareness raising policy. The success of ECAT Kaliningrad's work in mainly due to reliable partners in Western partner cities who are willing to contribute equipment and manpower to environmental improvements. This also applies to other organisations which act as partner in individual projects (e.g. universities, institutions with responsibilities for technology transfer and technical expertise, municipal utilities, media experts). Furthermore, the ECAT approach is highly successful in applying for funds as it can rely on an implementation body that utilises Western as well as local knowledge. As the different branches make clear this policy can be transferred to other cities and regions if local decision makers are willing to cooperate.

Source of Information

ECAT 1996: Report on the environmental situation in the City of Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad

ECAT 1996: Opinion poll "The Health of our City", Kaliningrad

ECAT 1998: Newsletter Issue 13, November 1997 - January 1998

Personal contact with the project manager Dr. Ingrid Hofmann

Contact:

Cities:

Kaliningrad :

Kaliningrad is located in the extreme west of Russia on the River Pregel. It is the centre of an administrative district of the same name and is an important commercial and industrial centre. Since the Baltic states became independent and Kaliningrad became completely enclosed, and thus isolated from the main Russian territory, the city has been facing massive economic decline. Important economic fields include mechanical engineering, chemical industry and musical instrument manufacture. Due to severe bomb damage during the Second World War, historical buildings in Kaliningrad, such as the 14th century cathedral, still lie in ruins in the city centre. Due to current economic difficulties, building substance and infrastructure are also subject to widespread deterioration.

Population:

Project was added at 23.11.1998
Project was changed at 23.11.1998

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