With the enlargement of the European Union, the accession countries are
coming under pressure to develop and meet EU standards for environmental
protection and sustainable development. In this ongoing process, global
economic liberalization, regulatory policy, conservation, and lifestyle
issues are all involved, and creative solutions will have to be found.
Historians, geographers, economists, ecologists, business management
experts, public policy specialists, and community organizers have come
together in this volume and examine, for the first time, environmental
issues ranging from national and regional policy and macroeconomics to
local studies in community regeneration. The evidence suggests that, far
from being mere passive recipients of instruction and assistance from
outside, the people of Central and East Central Europe have been engaged
actively in working out solutions to these problems. Several promising
cases illustrate opportunities to overcome crisis situations and offer
examples of good practices, while others pose warnings. The experiences
of these countries in wrestling with issues of sustainability continue
to be of importance to policy development within the EU and may serve
also as examples for both developed and developing countries worldwide.