THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE ESPOO CONVENTION STARTS TOMORROW, 8TH DECEMBER 2020, IN VILNIUS

The 8th session of the Meeting of the Parties to Espoo Convention will begin tomorrow, 8th December 2020, in Vilnius. It is an important international event focusing on the Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary context.

Representatives from more than 50 countries, including Mr. Robert Connelly, „the father of the Espoo Convention“, Ms. Olga Algayerova, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Ms. Florika Fink-Hooijer, the Director General at the European Commission’s Department for Environment and many others will join the Meeting. 

„This meeting is especially important in order to ensure the continuity of the Convention, which allows avoiding the negative environmental impact of the planned projects across boundaries“, says Kęstutis Mažeika, the acting Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Lithuania and the Head of the Lithuanian delegation.

Due to the worldwide coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and related constraints, the Meeting will take place remotely and will end on Friday, 11 December 2020, with the high-level segment. The Convention currently brings together 45 parties. This important international agreement was adopted in 1991, in the city Espoo, Finland. Therefore, it is truly symbolic that the high-level segment, which also marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention, will be chaired by H.E. Ms. Krista Mikkonen, the Finnish Minister for the Environment and Climate Change.