CZECH REPUBLIC TO FINANCE UNIDO CLEANER PRODUCTION PROGRAM IN CROATIA

CROATIA $ ZAGREB/VIENNA, Oct 8 (Hina) - The Czech Republic has signed an agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for the financing of cleaner production programme in Croatia. The agreement was signed in the UNIDO headquarters in Vienna on Tuesday. "The Czech government will finance the three year project designed to train Croatian professionals in the concepts and methods of cleaner production," read a statement released by the UNIDO press office. The UNIDO will use the experience acquired at its Cleaner Production Center in Prague, one of ten such centres in the world, and will adapt the training to the needs of an economy in transition. The cleaner production programme, dealing with the elimination of waste production, reduction of environmental pollutants and optimisation of the use of resources which consequently results in economic benefits, has been successfully tested in different countries. Waste production in Croatia is estimated at 7 million tons per year, out of which 350 tons are considered hazardous waste. (hina) jn mš 081253 MET oct 97