Environmental Capacity Building Programme

Ekoforum

21 July 2006

The Environmental Protection Bureau, with assistance of the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR), prepared the draft-National Environmental Protection Programme, under the auspices of the 2003 Environmental Capacity Building Programme.

After a series of inter-ministerial consultations and collection of positive opinions from all relevant ministries, the Government adopted, on June 15, 2006, a Decision to Define National Environmental Programme and submitted it to the Parliament.

The draft was prepared with full cooperation of all relevant ministries and participation of all stakeholders � representatives of experts� institutions, local self-government, NGOs, international organizations (OSCE, UNDP, UNEP/UNOPS, SIDA) and the general public.

The Programme defines the strategic goals of environmental protection policy, as well as the specific goals towards different media (air, water, land) and sectors, i.e. impact of individual sectors on the environment (industry, energy, agriculture, mining, etc.). In addition, the Programme proposes the reforms necessary to achieve the goals.

The preparation of this Programme was started with the aim to develop modern environmental protection policies, based on the principle of sustainable development. The implementation of the programme will be realized through action plans, adopted by the Government for a period of five years. The action plans will further develop the goals of the Programme and sets of measures and activities, and will also include assessment of costs.