The Russian Federation has chosen not to participate in the Project. It never properly endorsed the Terms of Reference. Nevertheless, since Project initiation, the European Commission and the Project team made steady efforts to encourage Russian participation. With no progress visible, the first SC meeting (the 7th of November, 2008) put a deadline of December 15, 2007 for a Russian Federation decision to join the Project. But there was no response to the EU Commission's letter to that effect. As a result, the second SC that took place on 19th of May, 2008, decided to use expert days planned for Russia for activities benefiting Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat. In the same time, in line with the regional focus of the Project and per consultations with EC management, the Project continues to support involvement by Russian specialists in the regional meetings, such as, for example, the Regional Meeting on Biodiversity in September 2008 in Odessa.

Background

The Russian Federation is situated in the Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is washed by the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the White Sea, the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea and the Chuckchee Sea in the north; by the Baltic Sea in the north-west; the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea in the south-west; the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Japanese Sea in the east. The Ural Mountains divide Russia into European and Asian parts.  (See more)

The Russian Federation faces serious environmental problems, which threaten the recovery of the local economy, particularly on the Black Sea coast and in rural areas, where economic growth depends vitally on environmental services and natural resources. The environmental problems can be categorized in the following main directions:

• eutrophication
• unsustainable use of natural resources
• human health risks
• unsustainable use of the coastal zones
• introduction of exotic species
• risks for environmental calamities