Building Effective Public Participation in Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the Lower Danube Region, financed by the Governance Support Program for Romania and Bulgaria of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented with the cooperation of Environmental Experts Association - Romania, 2004-2005.

The project was aimed at improving the environmental protection process along the Danube through transboundary cooperation between Romania and Bulgaria , being addressed to a various group of beneficiaries such as: governmental and local authorities; NGOs; EIA competent authorities; consulting organisation and experts in the field of EIA; media representatives; etc.

The targets followed along the implementation of the project were: improving the cross-border dialogue, the access to environmental information and the co-operation between the Romanian and the Bulgarian authorities and civil society on both sides of the Danube River by: organizing a training on the practical application of The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (the Espoo Convention) for local administrations and NGOs in the boundary regions along the Danube River; by setting up an informal network of NGOs, local authorities and businesses to facilitate exchange of environmental information in the Romanian-Bulgarian boundary region; by developing a guide book for promoting practical methods and tools for implementing the Espoo Convention.

Specific activities, implemented include:
• Assessment of the current implementation level of the Espoo Convention and Aarhus Convention in the Lower Danube Region.
• Organizing training sessions on practical issues in applying the Espoo Convention in the Lower Danube region. Participants were representatives of NGOs and local public administration in the transboundary regions along the Danube between Romania and Bulgaria.
• Developing and dissemination of a guide book and a web page to promote practical methods and tools for implementing the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in transboundary regions.
• Organizing national workshops and a regional seminar - setting-up an informal network of key figures in the EIA/SEA procedure to facilitate exchange of environmental information/ knowledge and coordination of efforts in solving environmental protection issues in the Romanian-Bulgarian transboundary region.