These Guidelines were prepared by the ECE secretariat, within the framework of the ECE/ UNEP Project FP/2707-92-02 (3002), and with the assistance of experts from: Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland,  Russian Federation and United Kingdom. 

The main purpose was to assess the opportunities of applying methods, policies and procedures used in market economies in countries in transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, to exchange views and experience between environmental policy makers and administrators both from countries in transition and from the west, to improve
information dissemination systems for environmental management in the ECE region, and to strengthen the institutional capabilities and skills in environmental management and planning in countries in transition.