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CHAPTER 2: THE ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL

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2.1. The Analysis of the External Environment

Agenda 21 is the UN plan of action for sustainable development in the 21st century, approved by 173 countries at the UN Conference for Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, 1992. Chapter 28 of the document concerns local authorities and urges them to produce their own Local Agenda 21, so as to take over the overall aims of Agenda 21 and put them into concrete actions and plans.
The Fifth European Community Environmental Action Programme - «Towards Sustainability»- acknowledges that «local and regional authorities have a particularly important part to play in ensuring the sustainability of development through the exercise of their statutory functions as 'competent authorities' for many of the existing Directives and Regulations and in the context of practical applications of the principle of subsidiarity».

2.2. The Analysis of the Internal Environment
Given that Baia Mare is known as a "critical area from the pollution viewpoint" in the region, despite its location in an attractive natural environment, a detailed dynamic and strategic analysis of the ecosystem has been provided. The utilisation of natural resources and the rigorous pollution control are priorities with major impact on the strategy and the action plans in the context of the Local Agenda 21.

SWOT
Natural environment

Positive factors Negative factors
Internal factors

Strong points:
· Capital and Environment
· (diversity, variety)
· Forest area and geomorphology of the region
· Attractiveness of the urban and peri-urban area
· "The city of chestnuts"
· Positive trends as to pollution reduction
· Many NGOs
· High degree of expertise in the eco, nature, touristic fields
· County and City Environment Action Plans
· Organised structures-institutions for: civil protection, against disasters, a centre for sustainable development UrbaNET and an active inspectorate for environmental protection (IEP), the Agency for Development of the Mining Areas (ANDIPRZM), the Ecological Guard

Weak points:
· Degradation of the natural environment
· (air, water, soil) and of the urban milieu
· Polluting industrial companies still functioning
· Lack of compliance programs for all polluting economic units
· Inefficient natural resource utilisation (water), wear of specific infrastructure
· Image of a polluted City
· Industrial structure (mining, metallurgy) with specific impact on the urban area
· Relatively passive NGOs and citizens
· (lack of organisational resources)
· Lack of integrated systems for the environmental management (eco-management)
· Lack of an ecological landfill
· Lack of intensive utilisation of ecological means of transport (bicycles), in perfectly proper urban conditions - lack of areas specially arranged (parking lots-routes)
· Insufficiency of environmental local resources-funds
· Environmental standards ISO14000 not applied

External Factors

Opportunities:
· Attract investors with financial resources in the implementation of clean technologies
· Implementation of environmental programmes / projects, `area` chiefly financed by international organisations
· Development of high technologies and high added value in the non-polluting industry and service areas, Eco_Business Eco_Turism, Recycling sectors included
· Apply the "Polluter pays" principle
· Reform the local technical education system (ISJ MM) in the eco, tourism, ICT, sustainable development fields (EduTECH plan)
· Globalisation

Dangers / risks:
· Pollution got out of control
· Lack of conformity with the legal environmental requirements of several agents / human activities
· Risks afferent to urban infrastructure (water, sewerage), collection-discharge areas included (dam, Sasar river)
· Modular strategies and small investments with great impact on the environmental quality are not applied.
· Irrational exploitation of forest resources in the near areas, short, medium, long-term effects
· Geographical location (near Hungary and Ukraine) disadvantageous from the viewpoint of Environment - Pollution (water, air)
· Lack of harmonisation with the acquis communautaire (re-technologization and accelerated pollution costs)
· Globalisation

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