Bodies of German-Polish Cooperation
The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK - Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Klimaschutz) is active in various German-Polish bodies as part of its departmental tasks:
German-Polish Environmental Council
Lead: Federal Environment Minister / Polish Environment Minister
This body, established on the basis of the German-Polish Environmental Treaty, works on joint priority issues in the field of environmental protection, nature conservation and climate protection. In addition to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU - Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit), the environment ministries of the states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are involved on the German side.
German-Polish Neighbourhood Commission for Nature Conservation and Environmental Protection Issues
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This commission also works on the basis of the German-Polish Environmental Treaty. It is responsible for coordinating cross-border cooperation at the technical level and preparing the meetings of the German-Polish Environmental Council (participating German authorities: see German-Polish Environmental Council).
German-Polish Programme Council "Transboundary Network of Protected Areas Lower Oder Valley"
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
The working group was convened by the Environmental Council. The current task of the Programme Council is to promote the transboundary exchange of expertise and the further development of the area in terms of the protection and sustainable use of biological diversity and sustainable regional development. The committee includes representatives of the BMU, the Polish Ministry of the Environment, the regional environmental authorities of Brandenburg and the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, the municipal administrations concerned and the protected area management bodies.
German-Polish working group for environmental impact assessments (EIA/SEA) in a transboundary context
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This working group, appointed by the Environment Council, has drawn up a German-Polish agreement on the implementation of cross-border environmental impact assessments, which has since been extended to include cross-border procedures for strategic environmental assessments (SEAs).
German-Polish Working Group on Waste Management
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This working group is also active for the German-Polish Environmental Council. A central topic of the cross-border exchange of expertise is cooperation in the field of transboundary waste shipments.
German-Polish working group on transboundary impacts of industrial accidents
Lead: BMU / Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Construction and Home Affairs (BMI - Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat) / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
The joint implementation of the Industrial Accidents Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is the result of many years of cooperation on behalf of the Environment Council.
In the meantime, the conditions have been created for a quick and efficient response to incidents along the common border in order to keep the impact on the environment as low as possible.
German-Polish Working Group on Air Pollution Control
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
In 2005, it was agreed to set up a working group to discuss cross-border air pollution control issues in connection with the requirements of the EU Air Quality Directive in the Environment Council.
German-Polish Working Group on Nature Conservation
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
Under the umbrella of this working group, sub-working groups on the transboundary management of protected animal species have been established. The Environment Council has currently decided on the activities of the working groups "Wolf", "Beaver" and "Cormorant“.
German-Polish Border Water Commission (GGK - Grenzgewässerkommission)
Lead: BMU / Polish ministries with technical responsibility
The basis for the work of this commission is the treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on cooperation in the field of water management at the border waters. Several expert working groups discuss and coordinate water management issues in the catchment areas of the Oder river, the Lusatian Neisse river and other surface waters on the German-Polish border.
International Commission for the Protection of the Oder against Pollution (ICPO) (IKSO - Internationale Kommission zum Schutz der Oder gegen Verunreinigungen)
Lead: competent ministries of the Contracting Parties (Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, EU)
The Contracting Parties cooperate in the field of water protection against pollution of the Oder river and the Szczecin Lagoon including their catchment areas. Under the umbrella of the Commission, several
technical working groups have been formed. Their tasks are the joint implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and the European Floods Directive as well as protection against accidental pollution.
Working group on international cooperation in the fields of agriculture, rural development, environment, nature conservation and climate protection of the MLUK Brandenburg with its Polish partner regions (PIZLUNK)
Lead: MLUK Brandenburg
On the basis of joint regional declarations with the partner voivodeships of West Pomerania, Lubuskie Land and Wielkopolska, a working body was set up to coordinate the annual programmes for implementing administrative cooperation. On the Polish side, the administrations of the Marshal Offices, the regional environmental inspectorates and the regional environmental directorates are represented in this body.
Oder Partnership
Lead: Berlin Senate Department
The Oder Partnership is an informal interregional network in which the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Saxony and the western Polish voivodeships of Wielkopolska, West Pomerania, Lower Silesia and Lubuskie work together on a project-oriented basis under the motto "Borders divide - the Oder unites". The aim of this cross-border initiative is to build an efficient regional network that will link the region on both sides of the Oder more closely in terms of infrastructure and politics and develop it into a dynamic economic area that cooperates in as many areas as possible.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK - Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Klimaschutz) is active in various German-Polish bodies as part of its departmental tasks:
German-Polish Environmental Council
Lead: Federal Environment Minister / Polish Environment Minister
This body, established on the basis of the German-Polish Environmental Treaty, works on joint priority issues in the field of environmental protection, nature conservation and climate protection. In addition to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU - Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit), the environment ministries of the states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are involved on the German side.
German-Polish Neighbourhood Commission for Nature Conservation and Environmental Protection Issues
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This commission also works on the basis of the German-Polish Environmental Treaty. It is responsible for coordinating cross-border cooperation at the technical level and preparing the meetings of the German-Polish Environmental Council (participating German authorities: see German-Polish Environmental Council).
German-Polish Programme Council "Transboundary Network of Protected Areas Lower Oder Valley"
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
The working group was convened by the Environmental Council. The current task of the Programme Council is to promote the transboundary exchange of expertise and the further development of the area in terms of the protection and sustainable use of biological diversity and sustainable regional development. The committee includes representatives of the BMU, the Polish Ministry of the Environment, the regional environmental authorities of Brandenburg and the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, the municipal administrations concerned and the protected area management bodies.
German-Polish working group for environmental impact assessments (EIA/SEA) in a transboundary context
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This working group, appointed by the Environment Council, has drawn up a German-Polish agreement on the implementation of cross-border environmental impact assessments, which has since been extended to include cross-border procedures for strategic environmental assessments (SEAs).
German-Polish Working Group on Waste Management
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
This working group is also active for the German-Polish Environmental Council. A central topic of the cross-border exchange of expertise is cooperation in the field of transboundary waste shipments.
German-Polish working group on transboundary impacts of industrial accidents
Lead: BMU / Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Construction and Home Affairs (BMI - Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat) / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
The joint implementation of the Industrial Accidents Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is the result of many years of cooperation on behalf of the Environment Council.
In the meantime, the conditions have been created for a quick and efficient response to incidents along the common border in order to keep the impact on the environment as low as possible.
German-Polish Working Group on Air Pollution Control
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
In 2005, it was agreed to set up a working group to discuss cross-border air pollution control issues in connection with the requirements of the EU Air Quality Directive in the Environment Council.
German-Polish Working Group on Nature Conservation
Lead: BMU / Ministry of the Environment Warsaw
Under the umbrella of this working group, sub-working groups on the transboundary management of protected animal species have been established. The Environment Council has currently decided on the activities of the working groups "Wolf", "Beaver" and "Cormorant“.
German-Polish Border Water Commission (GGK - Grenzgewässerkommission)
Lead: BMU / Polish ministries with technical responsibility
The basis for the work of this commission is the treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on cooperation in the field of water management at the border waters. Several expert working groups discuss and coordinate water management issues in the catchment areas of the Oder river, the Lusatian Neisse river and other surface waters on the German-Polish border.
International Commission for the Protection of the Oder against Pollution (ICPO) (IKSO - Internationale Kommission zum Schutz der Oder gegen Verunreinigungen)
Lead: competent ministries of the Contracting Parties (Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, EU)
The Contracting Parties cooperate in the field of water protection against pollution of the Oder river and the Szczecin Lagoon including their catchment areas. Under the umbrella of the Commission, several
technical working groups have been formed. Their tasks are the joint implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and the European Floods Directive as well as protection against accidental pollution.
Working group on international cooperation in the fields of agriculture, rural development, environment, nature conservation and climate protection of the MLUK Brandenburg with its Polish partner regions (PIZLUNK)
Lead: MLUK Brandenburg
On the basis of joint regional declarations with the partner voivodeships of West Pomerania, Lubuskie Land and Wielkopolska, a working body was set up to coordinate the annual programmes for implementing administrative cooperation. On the Polish side, the administrations of the Marshal Offices, the regional environmental inspectorates and the regional environmental directorates are represented in this body.
Oder Partnership
Lead: Berlin Senate Department
The Oder Partnership is an informal interregional network in which the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Saxony and the western Polish voivodeships of Wielkopolska, West Pomerania, Lower Silesia and Lubuskie work together on a project-oriented basis under the motto "Borders divide - the Oder unites". The aim of this cross-border initiative is to build an efficient regional network that will link the region on both sides of the Oder more closely in terms of infrastructure and politics and develop it into a dynamic economic area that cooperates in as many areas as possible.