International Cooperation

25th Anniversary of Regional Environmental Center (REC) for Central and Eastern Europe

Logo for the 25th Anniversary of the REC

The 25th Anniversary of the Regional Environmental Center (REC) for Central and Eastern Europe was celebrated at a high-level Ministerial event on June 10-11, 2015.  The event took place at REC headquarters in Szentendre, Hungary, under the sponsorship of Hungarian President János Áder.

The REC's mission is to catalyze and facilitate the transition to democracy, stability and sustainable growth in Central and Eastern Europe.  Twenty-five years after its creation, the REC continues to work with its stakeholders from governments, civil society and the private sector to promote sustainability, facilitate environmental improvements, and strengthen capacity through sharing information and lessons learned.
 

A Presidential Proposal
July 12, 1989

"Economic progress cannot be at the expense of the air we breathe and the water we drink… And that is why I will ask the United States Congress... to establish an international environmental center for Central and Eastern Europe, to... bring together private and government experts and organizations to address the ecological crisis. After all, our shared heritage is the Earth. And the fate of the Earth transcends borders....”

U.S. President
George H. W. Bush

The REC was established in 1990 by EPA on behalf of the United States, Hungary and the European Commission, at the initiative of then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush. 

Video credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

The 25th Anniversary Ministerial included sessions highlighting past successes and charting a course for the REC's future. Invited ministers, academicians, business and civil society leaders from the region as well as donors and partners from around the world shared their views and recommendations according to the REC's 25th Anniversary themes of "Results, Empowerment, and Change."

The Ministerial was attended by high-level representatives, including former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly who played a key role in the establishment of the REC.  Search the EPA archive for EPA Administrator William K. Reilly's oral history interview.

The REC - THEN

“To overcome the bitter legacy of decades of environmental neglect, the new democracies of Eastern and Central Europe must encourage environmental investment in their new free economies… But it must be environmentally sound, sustainable economic growth, consistent with the needs and constraints of nature… I envy you in the Center who have a blank tablet, a universe of important problems, and an invitation to write a critical chapter in the history of this region, to play a leading role in a the long-awaited and desperately important reconciliation of people and nature.”

Then-EPA Administrator
William K. Reilly
(September 6, 1990)

Historical Documents Available:

The REC - NOW

“When I spoke as head of the U.S. Delegation to the Earth Summit in Rio in June 1992, I chose to make the environmental commitments and achievements of the countries of Eastern Europe my principal theme. It was frankly the most significant and promising environmental success story of the decade. And the REC played an important unifying part in that story.”

Former EPA Administrator
William K. Reilly
(June 10, 2015)

The REC: 25 Years Later

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International Cooperation