History
The European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) was founded in the mid-1980s and began its official activities in 1990. The Association was registered at the court in Siegen, Germany, which remains its official seat.
Beginnings of the Association
The Polish Branch of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists was established in 1991 thanks to the efforts of Professor Tomasz Żylicz (University of Warsaw), Professor Kazimierz Górka (Cracow University of Economics), and Professor Bazyli Poskrobko (Białystok University of Technology).
In June 1990, on the initiative of Prof. Dr. Hab. Bronisław Kamiński, then Minister of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, and Forestry, a meeting was held that brought together about 60 prominent Polish economists. An organizing team was selected during this meeting, and its first working session took place a month later. During that session, the Founding Committee was established, which in March 1991 organized the Founding Congress of the Polish Branch of EAERE in Kraków. The Congress was attended by around 100 economists representing all major academic and research centers in Poland.
Until 2014, the organization operated under the name Polish Branch of the EAERE. At the request of the EAERE authorities, the name was changed to the Polish Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists. The new name was officially entered into the National Court Register on July 9, 2014, by the District Court in Kraków.
General Assemblies of the Polish Branch of the EAERE
| 09.03.1991 r. | Founding Congress | Kraków |
| 26.03.1993 r. | I General Assembly | Kraków |
| 22.09.1994 r. | II General Assembly | Wrocław |
| 27.01.1997 r. | III General Assembly | Warszawa |
| 21.09.1998 r. | IV General Assembly | Rajgród |
| 19.06.2000 r. | V General Assembly | Łódź |
| 16.09.2002 r. | VI General Assembly | Augustów |
| 20.09.2004 r. | VII General Assembly | Olsztyn |
| 25.09.2006 r. | VIII General Assembly | Kraków |
| 23.09.2008 r. | IX General Assembly | Katowice |
| 20.09.2010 r. | X General Assembly | Wrocław |
| 05.12.2012 r. | XI General Assembly | Wrocław |
| 04.12.2013 r. | XII General Assembly | Białowieża |
| 13.10.2014 r. | XIII General Assembly | Łódź |
| 11.05.2015 r. | XIV General Assembly | Kołobrzeg |
| 19.10.2016 r. | XV General Assembly | Kraków |
| 24.05.2017 r. | XVI General Assembly | Szczecin |
| 25.10.2018 r. | XVII General Assembly | Łódź |
| 19.09.2019 r. | XVIII General Assembly | Warszawa |
| 21.09.2022 r. | XXI General Assembly | Poznań |
Mission of the Association
Its objectives are defined as follows:
- to stimulate the development of economic disciplines focused on environmental protection and natural resources;
- to initiate and conduct research on environmental aspects of economic development;
- to influence economic policy in the area of environmental protection and natural resource management;
- to organize training and information activities;
- to raise environmental and economic awareness among entrepreneurs and society through the exchange of information, education, and the promotion of conservation and resource-saving initiatives.
In June 1991, in cooperation with the State Environmental Protection Inspectorate, the Association organized a seminar for company directors and environmental officers from 80 industrial facilities in Poland identified as the “largest polluters of the natural environment.” It is also worth noting one of the first major conferences organized jointly with the Polish Economic Society in September 1991, entitled: “Economic and Legal Instruments of Environmental Protection in a Market Economy.”
Despite considerable challenges in obtaining funding, the Association has pursued publishing activities in three main forms:
- The “Economics and Environment” Library, which focuses on publishing conference materials and is edited by Prof. Kazimierz Górka from the Cracow University of Economics;
- The scientific journal “Economics and Environment” (formerly Ekonomia i Środowisko), currently edited by Dr. Hab. Eng. Elżbieta Broniewicz (previously by Prof. Bazyli Poskrobko until 2021);
- Book publications by the Foundation of Environmental and Resource Economists in Białystok, chaired by Dr. Hab. Eng. Elżbieta Broniewicz (previously MSc. Eng. Andrzej Demianowicz).
Members of the Association participate in advisory bodies on environmental protection and provide expert opinions on ecological policy. The Association has also coordinated the following projects, led by Prof. Kazimierz Górka:
-
Euroregions as a factor in the economic development of border areas and environmental protection in Poland;
-
Modification of the waste disposal fee system – survey-based research;
-
System of financing environmental investments in Poland versus EU regulations – survey-based research.