Policy Forum of Sustainable Development

The Policy Forum focuses on current policy issues related to sustainable development. The goals of this Forum are to achieve a better understanding of the issues, inform the general public, NGOs, governmental and business decision-makers and recommend new approaches, innovative solutions and advanced practices.

Projects of the Policy Forum inform the general public, NGOs, governmental and business decision-makers on new approaches, innovative solutions and advanced practices related to sustainable development. They facilitated a better understanding of and provided a framework for discussing key policy issues.

Between August 2000 and April 2001, the Center worked on a research project Evaluating the Economic and Social Damage Caused by the Cyanide and Heavy Metal Pollution of the Tisza in January-March, 2000. The project commissioned by the WWF evaluates the costs of early response actions, the loss of fishing and angling industries, the opportunity cost of tourism and tourism related activities as well as the excess expenditures related to the marketing actions that were taken to combat the Tisza river's impaired image. Furthermore, the study examines the damages caused to businesses and the effect of the contamination on the value of real estates.

With statistics and case studies, it presents the dramatic effect the cyanide contamination had on the region's economy and businesses. Losses were particularly painful in a region that has very few operating enterprises and where tourism promised feasible path for economic development. Losses per entrepreneur were particularly high compared with the size of these enterprises. In addition, the cyanide contamination introduced a type of risk to the Tisza region. So far, local tourism has built on the region's unrivalled natural scenery. From now on, businesses shall reckon with the possibility that a major river pollution may happen - killing the river's wildlife, ruining the river's image and scaring off tourists, which affects returns on recent investments, and the possibility of attracting new investments into the region.

The results will be utilized by WWF as well as any organization that needs argument to support their claim to stop similar accidents and environmental catastrophes.

Previous Policy Forum activities included the following projects and events:

A survey investigating whether environmental problems were part of the candidates’ campaign in the fall 1998 local government elections, and whether the programs of the candidates had environmental components. Results were published in the media.

Discussions of CES’s Policy Forum:

(a) on difficulties of NGOs registering as “public benefit organizations with exalted priority” (1999).
(b) on environmental issues related to the government’s Agricultural Program. The discussion was organized, because the program, as well as the national discussion on the program, did not sufficiently consider issues of sustainable development. Participants of the meeting analyzed how the Agricultural Program affected sustainability in agriculture and made policy recommendations (1997). A summary about the discussion and recommendations was published as a position paper.
(c) on the newly introduced law on and institutions of regional development with the participation of NGO representatives and the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (1998).
(d) two discussions on environmental implications of privatization (1997).

A public opinion survey (late 1997) investigating the potential political implications of the Hungarian government’s position related to the Bõs-Nagymaros dam with a special emphasis to the 1998 parliamentary elections. Results were published in the media, sent to the members of the Hungarian parliament and environmental NGOs.

A report on the experience of on-going local community democracy building and environmental projects in Hungary (1997). The paper provided recommendations for the Hungarian Rural Development Concept and Plan.

Joint research with the Department of Business Management of the Budapest University of Economics on market opportunities and business strategies of environmental businesses. The 24-page research report was published in May 1997.

A database of environmentally friendly products, energy efficient products and technologies using alternative energy designed for households and small communities was set up by a joint project with the Ecological Institute for Sustainable Development. A brochure about these products was published and disseminated to rural households and municipalities in 1996.

Three reports for the Ministry of Environment on “Environmental Management Options for Hungary for the Next Ten Years”, “State and Opportunities of the Hungarian Business Sector” and “Opportunities for Improving Efficiency of Governmental Environmental Policy and Possibilities for Increased Representation of Environmental Interests in Hungary”.

 

The Tisza Project

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