This project aims at building and strengthening civil society in the environmental field in the candidate and potential candidate countries, through information exchange concerning EU Environmental Policy and developments in the EU policies related to enlargement and the Stabilisation and Association Process. The project will also enable the Commission to consult NGOs on developments in EU Environmental policy and its implications on them.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

• Improve the transparency and relations between the NGOs and DG Environment;
• Inform the NGOs about ongoing issues on enlargement, Stabilisation and Association Process and EU environmental policy developments;
• Consult the civil society on new EU environmental policy developments, and their implications for the Candidate and South East European Countries;

• Explore, with the NGOs, ways in which they can play an active and constructive role in the enlargement process (`environmental watchdog'),
• Create a platform for NGOs to address their concerns to EU policy makers in the field of environment and to enhance cooperation among the NGOs
  
  

The main components of the New NGO Forum will be:

• An email Forum which will serve as a platform for dissemination of information and discussion between DG ENV, participating NGOs and possibly other stakeholders from target countries;
• Annual meeting of the group of 20 selected NGOs
• A Website for the NGO Forum where all information will be stored
• A "database" of projects implemented by the participating NGOs and other NGOs from the target countries.
  
  

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has been awarded a contract by the European Commission (DG Environment) to facilitate this project. For this purpose the EEB works closely together with the Institute for Sustainable Development/ISD from Poland as sub-contractor given its expertise: a) as an organisation in a previous enlargement country, b) as a participant of the previous EU-NGO Dialogue meetings (1999 – 2004) and c)  as an experienced facilitator of training, workshop for NGOs in both Poland and other countries.