Page Updated: 17-Oct-2006
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Environmental Management Systems

Pilot studies on Environmental Management Studies
in the military services

About... Environmental Management Systems

Within NATO, it has been recognised that an Environmental Management System (EMS) is a useful tool to manage the impact on the environment, not only for protecting the environment today but also for cleaning up military "mess" from the past and for creating an environmentally sound future.

In March 2000, the CCMS Pilot Study on EMS, co-chaired by the Netherlands and the United States, published its Final Report Environmental Management Systems in the Military Sector (CCMS publication no. 240 - PDF/288Kb). This report was the culmination of 4 years of work by many countries with a common interest in considering the feasibility of implementing EMS within their military sectors.

It offers initial advice/assistance as well as guidelines for application.

Since then two follow-up workshop-style meetings were held: to help nations address the practical challenges of implementing EMS as an impetus for integrating EMS into the management framework. The first one was held in Thun, Switzerland in 2001, the second in Vyskov, Czech Republic in 2002.

A third CCMS EMS workshop "Partnering for solutions to EMS implementation challenges” was organised by Germany in the NBC Defence and Self-Protection School in Sonthofen on 27 September to 1 October 2004.

The 4th follow up workshop on Environmental Management Systems in the Military Sector will be hosted by the Georgian Ministry of Defence. It will take place at the National Military Academy located in Tbilisi, Georgia from Tuesday 3 through Thursday 5 October 2006 with a brief summary plenary session from 09:00 to 11:00 on Friday 6 October 2006.

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