(Szentendre, April 5th 2004.)

Today, in the REC Head Office in Szentendre, Mr Boro Vucinic, Minister for Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Montenegro and Mr Corrado Clini, president of the Board of Directors of REC, have signed the Agreement between The Government of The Republic of Montenegro and the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) about the legal status of the REC in Montenegro.

The Parties to the Agreement confirmed the Legal Status acknowledged in the Charter of the REC signed in 1996, and Mission of the REC, to promote regional co-operation and public participation in all environmental issues, thereby assisting the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in their transition to democratic civil societies.

Formal agreement has been signed in order to determine the legal status of the REC and of its staff, to promote the efficient operation of REC and facilitate the increase of international assistance for the environment of the Republic of Montenegro. By signing this important agreement, the larger presence of REC in Montenegro will be assured, and the first further step will be opening of the REC Field Office in Montenegro, where the new projects concerning environmental protection will be initiated and implemented.