COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

India agrees to EC plan to hold green workshop to promote clean tech

Ranvir Nayar in Paris

After several months of dilly-dallying, the Indian government has finally given the green signal to a proposal of the European Commission to hold an environmental workshop in India, involving all sections of the society.

The government consent was conveyed to the officials of the Commission during the recent annual EC-India Planners' Meeting that was held in Brussels.

So far, the government had been expressing its concern that the only interest of the EC in organising this workshop was to exhibit and sell its environmental technologies -- a field where the European Union member- countries hold almost 60 per cent of the world’s patents.

However, the EC had been emphasising its genuine interest in working to solve Indian environmental problems by engaging the entire society in a discussion.

Hectic activity is expected to be launched by the EC which wants to hold the workshop in early 2000.

A senior official of the EC is expected to visit India in a couple of weeks to initiate the process of organisation of this workshop.

The EC says this workshop will be unique since it will involve the entire society -- ranging from the government and the industry to the individuals and non-governmental organisations. Although the details are still being finalised, the ECC hopes the event will cover at least three days.

``Basically, we want three levels of interactions. Government to government, industry to industry and then at the non governmental organisation level. We intend that first these three groups meet separately, come up with issues most relevant for a broader discussion and then throw the three groups in together for a general assembly. Here, the working groups from each level will report their findings and also examine the future course of action,’’ a senior official of the Commission told Rediff On The NeT in Brussels recently.

EC hopes the gathering will be a very free flowing one with frank exchange of views not just between the Indians and the Europeans but within the entire melange. ``Time has come for a free and frank discussion on the state of the environment. We simply see ourselves as facilitators. We will be a good catalyst to get such a discussion going,’’ remarks the official.

The workshop is likely to see a significant representation from the EU countries, especially from the industry and the NGOs. And at each level, the Commission hopes there will be flow of information and ideas from the Europeans to the Indians.

For instance, the government level meetings can exchange views about legislation and administration. ``We can help the Indian government in some technical issues relating to environmental laws and how to administer these laws,’’ says an EC official.

However, EC officials say while government to government exchange of views will be crucial and helpful, the real steam will come from the industry and the NGO meetings. The Indian industry has shown a lot of interest in cooperating with its European counterparts on the subject.

The Commission has been in touch with industry associations like the Confederation of Indian Industry and the response has been extremely positive.

``Our industry has now enough technical expertise and experience that they can share with the Indians. They could tell them a lot about the pitfalls and dangers that they have overcome in the past and also the best technologies that are available in each sector,’’ says an EC official.

The civil society or the NGO gathering will also be crucial since the Indian NGOs can exchange crucial information on how their western counterparts are fighting the threats to the environment and also update about where the latest threats originate from. The two groups could also build up and share a database on common environmental challenges in both the regions and then work out a joint strategy to confront them.

Business news