From the beginning of negotiations, the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians took into account the relevant provisions of global, regional, and subregional environmental legal instruments, strategies, and programmes, with the aim to ensure a more thorough implementation of the existing instruments in the Carpathian region.
As a base for negotiations, a thorough study was carried out. This study explored existing regional instruments and programmes for all socio-economic sectors relevant to the Carpathians. It identified gaps in transboundary cooperation, as well as the main needs and opportunities for enhancing transboundary cooperation. It analysed existing cooperative programmes and projects, made recommendations to further support these programmes and projects, and assessed the existing instruments and programmes that addressed the various sectors. It also examined the issue of whether there were any benefits to developing a new convention.
The resulting Carpathian Convention aims to put the principles of sustainable development to work at the regional level. The Carpathian Convention supports the effective implementation of MEAs for sectors where such MEAs exist (e.g., biodiversity and river basin management) by integrating, complementing, and translating them into policy objectives specifically adapted to the context of the Carpathian mountain region, which extend over the territories of both the European Union and neighbouring Eastern European States. For other sectors that are not covered by MEAs (e.g., sustainable forestry, sustainable tourism, etc.), joint strategies or future protocols to be developed under the Framework Convention might well serve as an inspiration for future Pan-European or other approaches.
The Carpathian Convention was adopted after less than two years of negotiations, and it entered into force on 4 January 2006.
For further information, see http://www.carpathianconvention.org or contact harald.egerer@unvienna.org.