The conference and exhibition "Environment 2003" are organized by the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. It is the fourth time that this event is taking place and it bears out the consistent endeavour in Egypt to force the pace for greater development on the market of environmental protection.

Egypt, a country that has enormous environmental problems, started as the first country in the region to seriously take measures to achieve the control and reduction of pollution. Since the Rio World Summit on Environment in 1992, Egypt has set the subject of environmental conservation and the protection of its natural resources as a priority issue. The country became signatory to all international treaties related to environment. Taking into consideration that environmental pollution can on a long term basis only be combated in a global effort, the Government of Egypt has assumed obligations under a number of such agreements and is furthermore engaged in several regional and international cooperation arrangements targeting environmental problems and sustainable development.

Technically assisted and funded by a host of donors the Egyptian government embarked upon a mission to formulate an Egyptian Environmental Action Plan. A task that involved the whole spectrum of potential stakeholders including legislators, enforcement bodies, industry and NGO's. The main outcome of this action plan was a comprehensive law (Law 4), decreed in 1994 from the Egyptian government, which made the compliance with a number of relatively strict environmental standards a requirement for all companies in Egypt. The aim was to reach international standards after a few years, a process that is being conducted right now.

The law gave industrial enterprises a three-year grace period to conform their emission to the new standards, but it expired by the end of February 1998, without significant results. Establishments which are now not in compliance with the terms of the law are facing fines, penalties, and the possibility of being shut down.

In summer 1997 a new Egyptian Ministry of State was established for Environmental Affairs - an indication of the serious interest of the Egyptian government in solving the country's environmental problems. The new Environmental Ministry under the Minister H. E. Mrs. Nadia Makram Ebeid has since then embarked on a more systematic strategy of environmental management. It has been actively taking steps to stop the pollution from industrial and governmental sources into the air and water. All new projects require now an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Therefore, as a result from the law and its enforcement, a high demand for environmental services and equipment has been developed, creating an array of business opportunities ranging from consultancy, to monitoring, project management, technology transfer, to supply of machinery and equipment and local manufacturing.

At the same time, the Egyptian Government has passed the necessary legislations to ensure the active participation of the private sector in infrastructure projects on a BOOT basis. Moreover, the requirement for touristic projects to fulfill their infrastructure needs are creating a new dimension in the fields of energy, desalination and waste water with emphasis on renewable energy utilization.

Egypt is supported in its efforts by multilateral donors such as the World Bank, UNDP and the EU, as well as bilateral donors such as USAID, GTZ, DANIDA, CIDA, etc. They have assisted the government of Egypt in capacity building, so that it is itself able to apply the law. This included for example the establishment of state of the art fixed and mobile laboratories, trained sampling teams, environment police, technical committees as well as surveys of the black spots within industry resulting in the compilation of a list of companies to be either CLOSED or FINED.

Beside the legal approach to environmental protection there are some other factors that are supporting a faster and more serious adjustment to better environmental standards.
First of all the decision for Egyptian companies to adjust to international environment standards is becoming much easier. Several donors make funds including a mixture of grants and soft loans available for consultancy and the acquisition of cleaner technologies and its required machinery and equipment. This applies to both mainstream production technologies as well as end-of-the-pipe waste management technologies. Some of the major programs are: the European Union Industrial Modernization Program providing a 250 mill. Euro grant supported by an EIB 150 mill. Euro soft loan, the German 150 mill. Euro soft loan from KFW for the private sector and the same amount for the public sector, a JBIC 300 mill. US$ soft loan, a soft loan from the World Bank over 10 mill. US$, and the 300 mill. US$ CIP program of USAID that could be utilized for procurement of machinery and equipment. This is sustained by funding from the government as well as the new polluter pays system through the electricity bill and private sector contributions. All this has led to the creation of an annual financed market of more than 2,1 billion US$ that is expected to grow over the next years.

Furthermore with GATT only a few years away, and a host of free trade agreements, customs barriers are being replaced by non tariff barriers, the most common of which are environmental barriers. This is forcing exporters (and potential exporters) to act green, which leads to a new market for consultancy, green materials, technologies, eco-labeling and environmental management systems.

But environmental awareness is not only growing in the export market, where prestigious groups strive for an active role in the global arena. It is also spreading in the domestic market. Industries start to understand that pollution comes from waste. In other words, it is their money flowing into the air, soil and water polluting them. New terms are spreading within the business community such as "eco-efficiency", "dematerialization", "waste-minimization, etc. Furthermore, industry is discovering the local spread of green consumers that could make-or-break their sales and they are more and more confronted with the fact that the developed world is actually closing its markets to polluted products and even to polluting industries. Therefore companies see the urgent need to act green as well as prove it through eco-labeling creating a new domain of environmental accreditation.

After the current five year plan (2003-2007) however, the annual financed environment market is expected to decline being mainly a maintenance for existing projects that will naturally be conducted by the original providers. That is why it is important to start NOW.

The huge demand, as well as the seriousness of the Egyptian government in applying the law, the availability of funds from different donor agencies, and the presence of local companies with manufacturing capability justifies the involvement of international companies. There still is a long way to go, and the growing market for environmental businesses offers good opportunities for both suppliers of technologies, machinery and equipment as well as for operators.

"Environment 2003" constitutes the most important information platform for environment businesses. The conference will act as a gateway to profitable environmental compliance showcasing business opportunities opened by the environmental legislation, environmental trade barriers, NGO projects and a growing number of green consumers. The exhibition will act as a one-stop-shop for environmental compliance showcasing consultants, technology providers, machinery and equipment manufacturers, funding agencies and donor programs in the various sectors of environmental conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources and their protection.

For more information please contact: MAGICX