FYI.
Stefanie Rixecker
ECOFEM Coordinator
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The Environment and Sustainable Development
in the New Central Europe:
Austria and Its Neighbors
Sponsored by the Center for Austrian Studies
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
19-21 September 2002
The sweeping political, economic, and social changes that have taken place
in Central Europe since 1989 have created a host of challenges for societies
and governments in Austria and the neighboring countries. Particularly
critical are questions of
the environment as they relate to the quality and character of everyday
life, sustainable economic development, and changes in popular values and
mores. These challenges have exacerbated old problems and created new ones
for the governments of the
individual countries, for the relations between Austria and its neighbors,
and for the region's relations with the rest of Europe and the international
community.
The emphasis on speedy recovery from World War II throughout Europe
and the development of heavy industry by the communist governments of
Central Europe caused serious environmental problems to arise in the 1950s,
1960s, and 1970s. Since the 1970s,
awareness of environmental problems such as pollution of air and water
resources, acid rain, and the accumulation of industrial wastes has grown
throughout Central Europe. Nonetheless, the high costs of remediation, the
potential impact on further
economic development, and the difficult choices involved have often
made it hard for governments and enterprises to address these problems. Old
interstate rivalries and the Cold War divisions in Central Europe long
impeded regional cooperation on environmental and economic questions.
The fall of the communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe
has made it possible to address environmental problems on a regional and,
indeed, European-wide basis. However, it has often been difficult to break
away from old national policies
and economic strategies to develop meaningful international cooperation. The
Gabcikovo-Nagymaros project to control the flow of the Danube provoked
serious debates in Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria in the 1970s, 1980s, and
even
the I990s. The long-term fate of nuclear reactors built with Soviet
technology in the former communist countries remains unresolved, and the
newly completed Czech plant at Temelin has become a serious point of
friction between the Czech and Austrian
governments.
The Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota, in
cooperation with other departments and research centers at the university,
will sponsor an international, multidisciplinary symposium on the
environment and sustainable development
in the new Central Europe. This conference will further the development of a
broad, open discussion across national boundaries by experts in higher
education, research institutes, government agencies, and nongovernmental
organizations regarding the
major issues of the environment and development faced by the countries of
Central Europe. To increase the awareness of commercial and industrial
interests in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest of the problems and
opportunities posed by environmental
concerns in Central Europe, this symposium will feature a half-day program
of workshops and presentations for business interests at the end of the
academic conference.
We welcome proposals for papers from scholars in the social
sciences, humanities, environmental studies, and public policy studies.
Papers should address recent discussions and/or the modern history of the
economic, political, and social issues
facing Austria and the neighboring countries of Central Europe
. protection and regulation of air and water quality, waterways,
groundwater, wetlands, and forests;
. mineral resource use and sustainable development;
. energy supplies and sustainable development;
. development of transportation and communication infrastructures;
. environmental and developmental challenges for rural areas;
. policy debates in national, regional, and European governmental
bodies regarding the environment and sustainable development in Central
Europe;
. environmental and sustainable development issues as factors in the
accession of new members to the EU;
. continuities and change in popular, intellectual, and artistic
representations of the natural environment, environmental change, and
economic development;
. the impact of environmental issues and concerns on business
strategies for Central European commerce and industry.
Proposals for papers on other issues relating to the environment and
sustainable development in Austria and Central Europe will also be
considered. The Center for Austrian Studies hopes to publish selected papers
from the conference in revised,
expanded form. Send a title, a one-page précis of the paper, and a
curriculum vitae of the presenter to:
Prof. Gary B. Cohen
Director, Center for Austrian Studies
University of Minnesota
314 Social Science Building, 267 19th Avenue S.
Minneapolis MN 55455
Tel: 612-624-9811, fax: 612-626-9004
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Internet: www.cas.umn.edu
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 1 FEBRUARY 2002
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Dr. Stefanie S. Rixecker, Senior Lecturer
Environmental Management & Design Division
Lincoln University, Canterbury
PO Box 84
Aotearoa New Zealand
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fax: 64-03-325-3841
Mob: 021 150 2862
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