Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) are playing an important role in environmental education in South-eastern Europe. Although some organisations appeared to compromise themselves by becoming political parties, others did useful work in debating ecological issues, working on environmental projects and increasing public awareness. Most are involved in environmental education in some way, although few have the resources to establish extensive networks and hence they need umbrella groups to coordinate activities, like the Environmental Partnership for Central Europe, which is active in parts of the region with small grants, technical assistance and training programmes. Support from the West is also crucial and particular mention should be made of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), an international, independent, non-profit organisation founded in 1990 with the help of the EU and USA. It seems that the ENGOs can be very effective in environmental education and their efforts are often welcomed by governments. In a situation where capacity and finance are limited, ENGOs help to generate viable indigenous institutions and reduce the risk of donor addiction syndrome when foreign aid fails to give rise to positive long-term effects. But continued assistance is critical and international support is still needed.