Context:
The project builds on the regional EU-funded project ‘Towards a Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) in the European Neighbourhood’(ENPI-SEIS, €5.7 mil., 2009.12- 2015.03), implemented by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The ENPI-SEIS project supported the environmental and statistical authorities in 16 partner countries both in the East and South European Neighbourhood regions in promoting the SEIS principles. During the implementation of the ENPI-SEIS project, a regional set of eight (8) pilot environmental indicators was developed, produced and shared across the six partner countries in the East region. In 2014, general modalities of cooperation around SEIS and the political commitment to share environmental data was re-confirmed in joint statements (i.e. Letters of Intent, statements resulting from national workshops) between the Governments of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Armenia and the EEA (similar agreements with Ukraine and Azerbaijan are envisioned during the next phase of cooperation). At a higher political level, the Heads of State and Government confirmed their commitment to SEIS in the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit declaration signed in November 2013.
Regional Context:
The Eastern Partnership[1] sets out a path for EU to deepen its relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The Eastern Partnership is based on mutual commitments to the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights and respect for the rights of minorities, the principles of market economy and sustainable development. Under the Eastern Partnership, four thematic platforms have been established. An environment and climate change panel, under Platform 2 on Economic Integration and Convergence with EU Policies, covers the promotion of environment protection and strengthening of environmental governance in these countries.
The multilateral track of the Eastern Partnership is advanced through a number of flagship initiatives, where SEIS underpins the Good Environmental Governance Flagship Initiative. The goal of further promoting and strengthening the flagship initiatives was set at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November 2013. In particular, the Heads of State and Government highlighted the need to continue the process of regulatory approximation and policy convergence in the field of environment and climate change and specifically mentioned SEIS as one of the areas to further develop. In the declaration, the Heads of State and Government also stressed the need to continue EU assistance in view of establishing a fully operational SEIS. From 2014, the EU cooperates with the Eastern Partnership countries through projects financed under the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)[2], formally replacing the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).
In the pan-European region, environmental monitoring and information management was recognised at the 5th and 6th ‘Environment for Europe’ Ministerial Conferences in Kiev (2003) and Belgrade (2007) as a key objective and area for action in the further development of environmental strategies. The 7th ‘Environment for Europe’ Ministerial held in Astana in 2011 agreed to encourage countries in the pan-European region to further continue the implementation of SEIS. The 8th Ministerial is scheduled to take place in Batumi, Georgia, in June 2016 for which reporting on progress for SEIS implementation is one of the themes of the conference along the two key topics of green economy and air quality.
The protection of the environment was explicitly addressed during the informal ministerial dialogue meeting of environmental ministers and the EU held under the Eastern Partnership on 29 June 2015 in Minsk, Belarus. The ministers underlined the need for further cooperation in areas of common interest and concern, namely biodiversity (in particular to meet Aichi targets), water management (including marine environment- the Black Sea), air quality, green and circular economy (with particular emphasis on waste management its use as a secondary raw material and integration of environmental concerns into energy), climate change and stakeholder involvement. The importance of knowledge and information on the state of the environment to support informed decision-making and taking preventive action, as well as role of the SEIS Initiative in this process, was particularly mentioned.
For the upcoming 4-year period (2015-2019), SEIS and its impact on better environmental governance continues to be among the priority supported initiatives. The Regional Programmes on Environmental Governance and Climate Change[3] in the East region will specifically focus on the following four elements: support to further development of Shared Environmental Information Systems (SEIS East); Water management (underpinned by the EU Water Initiative + in 2016- 2020); Greening the economy and Climate change (with specific actions for the last two still to be decided in 2016-2017).
Objectives and expected results:
The overarching objective of the project is to support the further implementation of the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) principles and practices in the six Eastern Partnership countries.The specific objective is to strengthen the regular production of environmental indicators and assessment as a contribution towards knowledge-based policy-making and good governance in the field of the environment. This will result in improved national capacity related to the provision of environmental data and information in line with national and EU environmental legislation and practices.The main project results will be:
I.Improved implementation of regional/international commitments related to environmental reporting in line with EU/EEA best practices;
II.Improved capacities in the national administrations to manage and use environmental statistics, data and information in support to decision-making in line with EU/EEA best practices;
III.Preparation of regular State and Outlook on the Environment reports (SOER) and indicator-based assessments in line with EU/EEA best practices.
[1]http://eeas.europa.eu/eastern/index_en.htm (launched by the EU at a Summit with the Eastern European partners, May 2009 in Prague)
[2]http://www.enpi-info.eu/ENI
[3] The project is financed under this framework.
Context
The project builds on the regional EU-funded project ‘Towards a Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) in the European Neighbourhood’ (ENPI-SEIS, €5.7 mil., 2009.12- 2015.03), implemented by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The ENPI-SEIS project supported the environmental and statistical authorities in 16 partner countries both in the East and South European Neighbourhood regions in promoting the SEIS principles. During the implementation of the ENPI-SEIS project, a regional set of eight (8) pilot environmental indicators was developed, produced and shared across the six partner countries in the East region. In 2014, general modalities of cooperation around SEIS and the political commitment to share environmental data was re-confirmed in joint statements (i.e. Letters of Intent, statements resulting from national workshops) between the Governments of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Armenia and the EEA (similar agreements with Ukraine and Azerbaijan are envisioned during the next phase of cooperation). At a higher political level, the Heads of State and Government confirmed their commitment to SEIS in the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit declaration signed in November 2013.
