ABOUT CAN CEE


Climate Action Network Central and Eastern Europe (CAN CEE) is a voluntary, independent and not-for-profit association of non-profit and non-governmental civic organisations. It is a network of 18 non-governmental organisations from 15 Central and Eastern European countries. CAN CEE was established in 1994 to bring together NGOs from across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) that are concerned with the growing impact of climate change.

CAN CEE’s main aim is to promote actions to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.


What does CAN CEE do?

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unites NGO views from across the region into a common position and helps to represent their concerns at an international level, including co-ordinating their lobbying efforts in the UNFCCC process

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acts as a source of information for its members and a mean for them to exchange views with each other on climate change by maintaining a web page and mailing lists

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promotes the actions of its members and helps link these to wider efforts

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co-ordinates the Central and Eastern European efforts in combating the climate change and co-operating with other focal points of Climate Action Network

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develops the network on international, national and regional level

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enhances the public awareness about climate change problems by using press-campaigns, conferences and workshops

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monitors and encourages the implementation of strategies and regulations to combat climate change

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encourages Central and Eastern European governments to be internationally more responsible for implementing the provisions of the UNFCCC and its Protocols

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sets up and co-operates with thematic networks, platforms and ad hoc co-operations on all levels

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carries out other activities that could contribute to fulfilling the aim of CAN CEE

Providing information As an active player in the Climate Action Network, CAN CEE has access to a world-wide group of experts and campaigners in climate issues. Through CAN CEE its members are kept abreast of the latest developments in the international negotiations. CAN CEE also produces a newsletter, to both provide and update on this information and to highlight the important developments in CEE. Through its international links it is capable of providing information on EU programmes and initiatives.

Making CEE’s voice heard Increasingly, and especially in those countries preparing for accession to the EU, policy is being influenced from outside the region. With its close links to the international NGO community and its sister organisation in Brussels, CAN CEE makes sure that the NGO voices from CEE are heard in the wider policy framework. It promotes and supports the local actions of its members by publicising them more widely and helping to link them to the wider European climate agenda. Working closely with Climate Action Network Europe, its Western European partner, CAN CEE works to make climate change and sustainable energy, transport, waste and agriculture issues a central part of transition, including accession to the EU for the candidate countries.

Participating in international debates As a regular participant in the meetings of the UNFCCC and other international negotiations, CAN CEE helps to shape the outcomes of those negotiations. CAN CEE campaigns to make sure that the Kyoto Protocol targets are achieved and enforced. In particular, CAN CEE has expertise on the development of Joint Implementation (JI), Actions Implemented Jointly (AIJ) and emission trading (ET).


"Climate change is one of the most important global environmental, economical and social problems. The public and political awareness of the problem in CEE region is limited. Therefore the activities of CAN CEE, such as pressing the politicians to take some actions or raising public awareness, are very important. That makes CAN CEE a part of the democratic process that is going on in the CEE region."

Zbigniew Karaczun, Polish Ecological Club – FoE Poland