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Conference for the European Landscape Convention

Strasbourg, Council of Europe, March 30-31 2009

The 5th conference for the European Landscape Convention took place in Strasbourg from March 31-31 2009 in a very special atmosphere - the visit of President Obama and the NATO representatives to celebrate the 60th birthday of NATO was approaching. It was also an important conference for CIVILSCAPE, as it was the first official conference organised under the new regulations for the implementation of the landscape convention - and the first conference for CIVILSCAPE after it had been founded in 2008.

The 5th conference for the European Landscape Convention took place in Strasbourg from March 31-31 2009 in a very special atmosphere - the visit of President Obama and the NATO representatives to celebrate the 60th birthday of NATO was approaching and Strasbourg was full of policemen. The landscape conference was the only one held at this special time in the Council of Europe - never have we experienced this building so quiet and empty.

It was an interesting conference and important for us, as the NGOs made it very clear that they wish to see civil participation taken seriously at all levels of implementation of the landscape convention - from local to European, just as the landscape convention itself decrees.

It was the first conference for CIVILSCAPE at which it was represented by its secretary general, who personally had attended most of the previous conferences and work shops in other roles. It also was the first time that we could present ourselves to the member states and the representatives of the Council of Europe in publicly. The statement by the secretary general provided a short description of CIVILSCAPE and its aims as well as a political statement on the need for a strong participation of the civil society. But he also stressed that CIVILSCAPE wants to co-operate with all parties, NGOs as well as governments and administrations to bring the landscape convention to fruition and that we see ourselves as a partner for the landscape convention.

A number of talks with representatives of other NGOs as well as government representatives ensured that note was taken of CIVILSCAPE - and already some NGOs from smaller regional ones to big international ones expressed their interest in becoming members. Also government representatives took an interst in CIVILSCAPE. Furthermore, the representative of Hungary expressed his interest in CIVILSCAPE as an instrument for strengthening civil society and promised to assist our search for partners and members in Hungary.