CALL FOR PROPOSALS
within the 'Know-How Exchange Programme (KEP) for the year 2010 announced by the Central European Initiative (CEI)

The Central European Initiative (CEI) is glad to announce a Call for Proposals within the CEI Know-How Exchange Programme (KEP) financed by Austria through the Austrian Development Agency, for the year 2010. The Call is aimed to increase the competitiveness among the applicants which should trigger a better outcome of the projects. The Know-How Exchange Programme (KEP) was created in 2004 to support transfer of best practice and transformation experience from the EU to the non-EU CEI Member States.

By financing capacity building and technical assistance projects, the KEP offers grants to institutions willing to share their experience with their partners in the non-EU CEI Member States, thus helping non-members to advance on their path towards EU standards and policies. The Programme supports projects which are in accordance with the priorities of the recipients and that comply with their own strategies of development.

The deadline for submitting the applications will be 1 March 2010 in electronic format to the CEI Executive Secretariat and to the CEI National Coordinator of the applicant's country.

More information

Application Form

Rules and Procedures

PHARE 2005 PROJECT 'Enhanced environmental inspection for enforcement of new environmental legislation' completed

21 January 2010 - The final presentation of the PHARE 2005 Project 'Enhanced environmental inspection for enforcement of new environmental legislation', funded under EU programme for Croatia, was held within the premises of the Croatian State Archives on 21 January 2010. The Project was implemented by the company Project Management Ltd, Ireland in co-operation with SYKE, Finland from January 2008 to November 2009 with the objective to enhance environmental inspection activities and procurement of a range of IT, communications and video conferencing equipment to support efficient Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction environmental inspection activities. More ...

PHARE Project - Enhanced Environmental Inspection for Enforcement of the New Environmental Legislation in Croatia (pdf)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
for international project 'Coastal Cities Pollution Control Project 2' - IBRD No. 7640 HR 
 

The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction issues the request for expressions of interest to carry out consultant services for the purposes of Strengthening of Coastal Water Monitoring Network, project The Adriatic Sea Monitoring Program, 2nd Phase, financed under the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan for the Coastal Cities Pollution Control Project 2.

Eligible consultants are invited to send their letter of interest together with documents in Croatian and in English containing all necessary information of not more than 50 pages at the latest by 15 February 2010 to the following address: Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, Republike Austrije 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
 
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (pdf) 

15th CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC HELD
Copenhagen, 07–18 December 2009

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, attended by 119 world leaders, which represents the largest gathering of heads of states and governments in the history of the UN, ended on 19 December in Copenhagen, Denmark. As announced by Mr. Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, an agreement has been reached which contains significant elements, but which at the same time is not legally binding. He described the agreement as ‘politically important,’ demonstrating a willingness to move forward.

The main challenge of the following year is to turn what was agreed into something that is legally binding. Namely, the leaders from a number of states representative of a particular region and negotiation groups who were involved in the work of the informal Working Group chaired by the Danish Prime Minister Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, compiled a compromise text – ‘the Copenhagen Accord’. However, several developing countries protested against the manner in which the Copenhagen Accord was presented to the media before it was presented the representatives of the parties, and demanded that the said accord be introduced into negotiations only as a proposal by a certain number of countries. Therefore, it would not any longer represent a negotiation text. In the negotiations led by Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General, it was agreed that the Accord would be adopted by a Conference of the Parties (COP) decision, which registered it as an unofficial document. It was decided that the Parties which accept the Copenhagen Accord will be listed beneath the title itself. More ...

MINISTRY'S RESPONSE ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION PLANS AND ON TODAY’S ‘FOSSIL OF THE DAY AWARD’ IN COPENHAGEN
 

10 December 2009 - At the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC which is taking place in Copenhagen from 7th to 18th December 2009, the initial negotiation goal for greenhouse gas emissions of Croatia as an independent state is 33,2 MtCO2-eq. in the period 2013-2020. This is a reduction by 5% compared to the emission levels in the base year 1990, with Decision 7/CP.12 by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention taken into account. This is a temporary goal of the Republic of Croatia until the accession to the European Union, when Croatia will accept its commitments in accordance with the European Union commitments, which will then amount to 20% or more.

It is obvious that Croatia does not request to be allowed to increase emissions by 6% as the 'Green Action' NGO persistently repeats. Croatia is prepared to accept its share of commitments, but requests to be treated equally in this matter with other countries. More ...

5th MEETING OF THE SECTORAL MONITORING COMMITTEE OF THE IPA ENVIRONMENTAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME 2007-2009 HELD

On 10 December 2009, the 5th Meeting of the Sectoral Monitoring Committee under IPA Component III B Regional Development - Environmental Protection was held in Zagreb, chaired by the Head of the Operating Structure for IPA Component III B, dr. Nikola Ružinski, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, and Ms Elena Grech, Head of Department at the Directorate General for Regional Policy of the European Commission.

The current implementation status of projects within the framework of the Operational Programme, i.e. waste management, water supply and sewerage water management and technical assistance, was presented to the Sectoral Monitoring Committee members. It was emphasised that in the aftermath of the last meeting the European Commission had approved co-financing of the project ‘Water supply and sewerage system improvement and construction of the municipality of Knin wastewater treatment plant’ for which the Bilateral Agreement on project implementation will be signed soon. More ...

MINISTRY'S COMMUNICATION REGARDING UN
COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE DECISION ON THE COMPLIANCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

Already allowed CO2 emission quota increase not recognized to Croatia

Croatia announced appeal to the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change

03 December 2009 -The UN Compliance Committee did not accept a part of the Initial report on Kyoto Protocol implementation by the Republic of Croatia related to the greenhouse gas emissions calculation. The UNFCCC expert review team which reviewed the Croatian report did not agree with the initial CO2 emission amount, 5% of which Croatia is committed to reduce under the Kyoto Protocol in the period 2008-2012. This means that the expert review team deems that Croatia should not have added additional 3.5 million tons of emissions - the quota allocated to Croatia by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Nairobi in 2006 - to its actual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990, the base year under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. More ...

Decision 7/CP.12 - Level of emissions for the base year of Croatia 

PRESENTATION OF THE PHARE 2006 PROJECT
'Development of Hazardous Waste Management System, Including the Identification and Management of “Hot Spot Sites” in Croatia'

Zagreb, 7 December 2009

04 December 2009 - A formal presentation of the PHARE 2006 project 'Development of Hazardous Waste Management System, including the identification and management of “hot spot sites“ in Croatia' will be held on Monday, 7th December 2009 at 09:30 in the Hotel Regent Esplanade, Mihanovićeva 1, Zagreb. Mr. Richard Masa, Second Secretary, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Nikola Ružinski, State Secretary, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction and Mrs. Josipa Blažević-Perušić, State Secretary, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, will address the participants.

The objective of this project is to assist the MEPPPC to improve the management of hazardous waste and polluted and contaminated locations in order to improve the environmental conditions and enforce the EU acquis. More ...
 

Agenda (pdf)

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MINISTRY’S INSPECTIONAL SERVICES HELD

16-17 November 2009 - The annual meeting of all inspectors, lawyers and civil servants of the Directorate for Inspectional Affairs, Directorate for Legal Affairs of the Inspectional Supervision, Directorate for Instructive and Internal Control and Independent Service for Inspectional Services Coordination, entitled 'Inspectional supervision in the service of improving the quality of life', which was opened by Ms Marina Matulović Dropulić, the Minister of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, was held in Zagreb on 16 and 17 November 2009.

12th CEI SUMMIT ECONOMIC FORUM (SEF) - ‘The Way Ahead: Towards a Better Future’, 12 November 2009

12 November 2009 - The 12th CEI Summit Economic Forum (SEF) entitled ‘The Way Ahead: Towards a Better Future’ takes place today in Bucharest, Romania. The event is organised in cooperation with the Romanian Government, which presides the CEI this year and in collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Some of the CEI Forum topics are energy supply and efficiency, financing the real economy, trade and SMEs.
 

After the SEF completion, which is organised in parallel with the Meeting of CEI Ministers of Foreign Affairs and preceded by the Roundtable of Economic Ministers of the 18 Member Countries of the CEI on 11th November, the Summit of the CEI Heads of Government will follow on 13th November. The Summit Economic Forum will gather representatives of the business and finance community, industry leaders and others thanks to whose immense and dedicated participation each year the SEF has become one of the most successful events in the region.

Further information on 12th CEI Summit Economic Forum (SEF)

Programme

FIRST NATIONAL REPORT ON AARHUS CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION

The Republic of Croatia has been a party to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Official Gazette – International Treaties 01/07), i.e., the Aarhus Convention, since 27 March 2007 and has the obligation, under the Convention, to prepare its first National Report on Aarhus Convention implementation and to submit it to the Convention Secretariat.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, in co-operation with the Working Group for Report Preparation (consisting of representatives of the relevant Ministries and other public administration bodies) coordinated preparation of the Draft Report. Such Draft Report was made available to the public and civil organisations through the web site of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction, and a public debate was held at the premises of the “Tribina grada Zagreba” in Zagreb in March 2009. Representatives of the Working Group, several NGO’s and journalists attended the debate.

Report on Aarhus Convention Implementation (pdf)

NOTIFICATION ON EEAC CONFERENCE IN DUBROVNIK

The Croatian Council for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection (SORZO), in co-operation with the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) organised the 17th Annual Conference of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils – EEAC. The Conference took place in Dubrovnik, Hotel La Croma, Iva Dulčića 34 on 22-24 October 2009.

The theme of the EEAC 2009 was 'Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures'. This area is of exceptional importance for the whole of Europe, as was indicated in the final Statement from the last year’s Conference (EEAC 2008) held in Bordeaux, France. Accordingly, the influence of transport and energy on ecosystems and biodiversity needs to be considered a long way ahead within the meaning of the long-term sustainability. Within the framework of the EEAC 2009, a Special Session on 'Environmental Risks of Oil and Gas Transport by Tankers in the Adriatic and Management Solutions' organised by the SORZO was held on 22 October.

The Conference presentations are available here

More information is available at the e-mail address of Hrvoje Kušić, Ph.D., the Conference Organising Committee Secretary hkusic@fkit.hr.

MINISTRY'S RESPONSE WITH REGARD TO
ZELENA AKCIJA PROTEST ACTION

 
Letter to the Secretary General of the European Environmental Bureau (pdf)