Evaluation of the law on grants for the Environment abroad

Report ID: 1

Wahrnehmungsbericht des Rechnungshofes

Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt für Wirtschaft und Technik Gesellschaft mbH

Kurzfassung

Die Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt für Wirtschaft und Technik Gesellschaft mbH (Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt) wurde 1994 als Trägergesellschaft der Fachhochschullehrgänge in Wiener Neustadt unter der Firmenbezeichnung Wiener Neustädter Bildungs– und Forschungsgesellschaft mbH gegründet. Seit der Aufnahme des Studienbetriebes mit 169 Studierenden in zwei Studiengängen entwickelte sich die Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt zur größten österreichischen Fachhochschule mit über 1 600 Studierenden. Seit Herbst 2002 werden insgesamt sieben Studiengänge in Wiener Neustadt und in zwei Filialen (Wieselburg, Tulln) angeboten.

Das von der Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt verfolgte Filialkonzept erschien dem RH grundsätzlich berechtigt. Einer Aufstockung der Studienplätze in stark nachgefragten Studiengängen sollte gegenüber der Entwicklung weiterer Studiengänge mit starker Spezialisierung der Vorrang gegeben werden.

Die Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt verfügte über gute, auf die gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen und die Vorgaben der Gesellschafter abgestimmte Planungsdokumente. Die selbst gesteckten und in den Studiengangsanträgen an den Fachhochschulrat formulierten Ziele konnten erreicht werden.

Sowohl die für die bereits erfolgte Verlängerung von zwei Studiengängen erforderliche Evaluierung als auch die von der Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt selbst regelmäßig vorgenommenen Befragungen von Studenten, Absolventen und Partnerfirmen erbrachten sehr gute Ergebnisse.

Die Finanzierung der Gesellschaft erfolgte zu mehr als 80 % aus der pauschalierten Studienplatzabgeltung des Bundes. Für technische Studiengänge waren die Normkosten zu niedrig angesetzt.

Marine Pollution from ships

Report ID: 21

Cyprus has over the years developed into a major maritime centre and today has the 6th largest 

merchant fleet in the world in tonnage terms. During the last few years it has taken steps to develop

its  infrastructure and improve its maritime administration in an effort to raise the standards of Cyprus 

registered ships and enhance the image of the Cyprus flag. It has signed and ratified all relevant 

international conventions and agreements and has voted national laws and regulations to enable their implementation . At the centre of this effort is the improvement of safety on board Cyprus registered ships and the protection of the marine environment.

Pollution Prevention through ship surveys

Flag State Control plays a major part in the prevention of pollution to the environment. Through the

regular inspection of the ships it is ensured that the requirements of the MARPOL Convention are

properly adhered to. The Department of Merchant Shipping has made significant improvement in this

respect during the last few  years and it has increased the number of inspections both by the

Department surveyors and the appointed surveyors overseas. Further improvement is expected as

more surveyors will be employed both in Cyprus and overseas during the next couple of years.

Control will also be enhanced as a result of the computerisation of the Department, currently under

way, which will enable the targeting of high risk ships for inspection.

The criteria for registration of ships under the Cyprus flag have been revised as from 1.1.2000 with more effective control being exercised on overage ships. An important development regarding the safe operation of the ships, which is also beneficial from the point of view of the protection of the environment, is the implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code as from 1998. Cyprus has implemented the Code for most ships (tankers, bulk carriers, passenger ships)

in 1998 and will implement it for all the fleet in July 2002. On the negative side it must be noted that all ship inspections by the Department surveyors have been suspended since February 2001 due to industrial action . Even though most of the gap is filled by the overseas inspectors the government must take all the necessary measures to resolve the dispute as soon as possible.

Port State Control of foreign visiting ships by the DMS is at an acceptable level and meets the requirements of the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding which states that at least 15% of the ships are inspected. By comparison however inspection rates by the maritime authorities in advanced  countries (U.S. Coast Guard, Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU) are much higher.

Inspections of Cyprus registered ships by foreign Authorities show a steady improvement and detention rates have decreased for the last three years. This is a direct result of the steps taken to upgrade Flag State Control. However, the Cyprus flag is still on the target list of the U.S. Coast Guard  and the Paris MoU with detention rates  marginally above average. The downward trend though leaves some optimism that the Cyprus flag will be taken off the target lists soon.

Joint final report on the second audit of implementation of provisions of the convention on the protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea area (the Helsinki Convention): Pollution from ships in the Baltic Sea 2005

Report ID: 43

In 2004 the Supreme Audit Institutions in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and
Russia conducted an audit on preparedness to combat pollution from ships in the Baltic Sea. The audit was performed as a performance and compliance audit of the implementation of the articles concerning pollution from ships in the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (the Helsinki Convention), including relevant annexes and recommendations. The relevant articles in the Helsinki Convention are:

• Article 8 – Prevention of pollution from ships (including annex IV and the HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration)
• Article 13 – Notification and consultation on pollution incidents
• Article 14 – Cooperation in combating marine pollution (including annex VII)
• Article 16 – Reporting and exchange of information.

The objectives of the audit were to assess whether the national authorities in the respective countries comply with the provisions of these articles, including relevant annexes and recommendations.

Nature conservation of the Lake Fert

Report ID: 74

The region Lake Neusiedl/Fertő is a cross border landscape, unique in the world. The area around Lake Neusiedl/Fertő and that of the Hungarian Hanság, with the still existing areas of the formerly huge swamp and marsh-land, is a rare island of nature at the meeting-point of the two countries. The lake is the third largest standing water of Central Europe, its age is estimated at some 20 thousand years. Its length is 35 kilometres, width 7-15 kilometres, its surface area is 315 km², three quarters of it are in Austria, the Hungarian area is approximately 75 km². Its catchment area is 1,230 km², which is four times bigger than the lake itself. The natural water management of Lake Neusiedl/Fertő is mostly depending on precipitation and evaporation, influx and discharge are neglectable Water supply is provided through two streams, the lake does not have a natural outflow; its water can be let out only in an artificial way, through Hanság Channel, by opening the lock gate. The lake is characterised by shallow water, the great extent of the fluctuation of the water level, and the mild salt contents. The Southern (Hungarian) side of the lake is 80% taken up by reeds, in places its width reaches 5-6 kilometres; this zone of reeds provides the characteristic shape of the appearance of the lake, and it furthermore has a decisive affect on the water balance and the water quality of the lake.

The region around Lake Neusiedl/Fertő has a unique significance from the aspect of fauna and flora, the landscape, ethnography and the history of culture. From the ornithological point of view the area of Lake Neusiedl/Fertő is one of the most remarkable sites in Europe. More than 300 species of birds (150 of them breeding in the region), including many rare and endangered species, were observed.
In Austria the region consists of the Lake Neusiedl/Fertő and its reed belt and Western foreground terrain and the so–called Seewinkel. Salty ponds (“Lacken”) without any water contributor or drain with a depth of approximately 0.5 metres are characteristic for the Seewinkel.

On Austrian territory there are a landscape protection area, five nature protection areas, a protected habitat and the National Park Neusiedler See–Seewinkel. International appreciation was attained with the declaration as a Biosphere Reserve of the UNESCO, as protected area of the RAMSAR–convention, as an European Biogenetic Reserve and as a national park of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) category II. Furthermore, the region was declared as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and nominated as a protected area of the EU–Birdprotection and Habitat directives.

The joint opening of Lake Fertő National Park, which was established in Hungary in 1991 and was alled so in that time, and of the Austrian National Park, established in 1992 with an area of 9500 hectare took place in April 1994. Thus, the total area of the national parks forming a single ecological unit exceeds 33 thousand hectares. Its Hungarian part is 23.6 thousand hectares, which also contains the areas lying farther away from Lake Neusiedl/Fertő.
The so-called Fertõ land with a territory of approx. 12.5 thousand hectare can be considered an adjoining
area.

The geographical location of Lake Neusiedl/Fertő, as well as the international obligations, poses common
tasks for the two countries. In course of their activities, the Hungarian and Austrian national parks and water management agencies work together in organised forms. The joint activity was the reason for the co-ordinated audit by the supreme audit institutions of the two countries.

The audits were regularity audits as well as performance audits, focusing on the efficiency and effectiveness
of resources spent, and ecological issues of already implemented and planned programmes and measures. Intention of the audit was to reveal conflicts in the use of the region, to elaborate possibilities to solve them and to evaluate the bilateral co-operation.