Can International Legal Principles Promote the Resolution of Central and East European Transboundary Environmental Disputes?

Paul Williams, American University Washington College of Law

Abstract

The fall of communism and the subsequent opening of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have revealed a regional ecosystem under serious strain after over forty years of communist stewardship. Although the entire region suffers from an exploited ecosystem, particular destruction has occurred in the border regions of the CEE states. The substantial environmental destruction and continuing degradation in these border regions give rise to a number of transboundary environmental disputes, which must be resolved if the situation is to be alleviated.'