Report sets out opportunities for green growth in Eastern Partnership countries
07.07.2011 | Publications
A new report on ways and potential to promote a green economy in the Eastern Partnership countries has identified substantial opportunities for green growth in energy efficiency, as well as for greening the industrial sector. All countries in the region would need to improve legal and regulatory systems, upgrade capacity and infrastructure and raise public awareness, the report says, while the European Commission has an important role to play in knowledge transfer and policy support.
The EU-funded report was commissioned to provide information about
the current situation and potential opportunities in the Eastern Partner
countries to make progress towards a green economy and the introduction
of eco-innovation policy instruments. It will serve as a basis for the
Eastern Partnership thematic seminar on the green economy to be held in
Brussels today, 7 July 2011.
The report finds that the concepts of green economy and green
growth are new for all Partner countries, and that while most have a
general socioeconomic development strategy and have adopted or are
updating environmental documents, no country has specific strategic
documents on green economy, sustainable production and consumption or
cleaner production.
Most relevant legislation dates back to the 1990s, and
environmental permitting systems in all countries are almost fully based
on the old Soviet ad hoc system, the authors say. The report also says
that economic instruments do exist but are not efficient or fully
implemented. Harmful subsidies are still in place, mainly in the energy
and water sector, it adds.
However, all countries do implement measures to increase energy
efficiency and introduce renewable energy technology in order to reduce
dependence on energy imports and to improve energy security. All
countries also have available (though under-funded) intellectual
potential in scientific research, while all countries are parties to the
majority of relevant global multilateral environmental agreements.
In terms of opportunities, the report highlights:
- Substantial opportunities for green growth in energy efficiency (including housing), organic agriculture and food industry, transport sector and ecotourism/eco-agro-tourism could be found in the region. Potential for expanding the use of renewable energies is widespread but differs from country to country.
- Concrete opportunities for greening the industrial sector (especially manufacturing) can be found in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine and Armenia.. Opportunities in sustainable forestry management and wood processing industry (e.g. construction materials) exist in Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine.
- Opportunities for regional or sub-regional activities can be found in: energy, transport (rail and water transport), air quality governance and water management (trans-boundary rivers, Black Sea).
In order to promote a green economy, the report says all countries wound need to:
- improve their legal systems and especially their regulatory mix
- build additional capacities in the field of environmental management
- improve coordination among ministries and relevant state agencies
- develop specific water related infrastructure as well as waste management systems
- improve their environmental monitoring system (with the exception of Belarus)
- support green procurement at all levels of public administration
- raise awareness in the field of green economy
In order to support Partner countries towards the green growth objective, the European Commission is urged to:
- Increase the importance of green economy issues in ongoing projects
- Prepare a new ‘umbrella’ project on Green Economy Governance
- Increase the importance of green economy relevant issues in existing financing mechanisms
- Increase coordination of activities with international organisations active in the region in the field of green economy
Read more
Opportunities and options for promoting a green economy in the Eastern Partnership Countries – download the full report (PDF) (also available in Russian)
DG Environment – website
ENPI Info Centre webpage – environment
ENPI Info Centre press pack – EU and the Eastern Partners: Cooperation to face the environmental challenge
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