The project Support to the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning in Kosovo Contribution No. 11716, was funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The overall aim of the project is to contribute with capacity building support to Kosovo Environment Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Spatial Planning in Kosovo, and particularly to the implementation of Kosovo Environment Programme. The aim was also to, during March 2019–April 2020 develop a fully-fledged project proposal to deliver to Sida in April 2020.
This proposal is now delivered and focuses on capacity building in environmental information management, water management, and preparations for the country´s negotiations on EU accession.
By organizing three workshops Building a Project Proposal on Environmental Capacity Development analysis was made and ideas developed for further cooperation between KEPA and the Swedish EPA for the time period August 2020 to December 2024. The analysis and ideas were synthesized in an end seminar held in Kosovo in January 2020.
Water management
The work on water management was initiated by a study tour of key representatives working with water management issues in Kosovo. The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) in Gothenburg hosted the visit. The focus of the visits was the EU Water Framework Directive, pressures and impact assessment, surface and groundwater monitoring networks, and floods protection and control. Conclusions and suggested focus for activities were drawn from the study tour and put in the work building a project proposal.
Environmental Information System
The objective of the second workshop was to formulate activities in the area Environmental Information System (EIS) At this workshop the Swedish EPA and KEPA informed each other about the status of environmental information systems in respective countries. There were also other issues discussed, like gender, ongoing projects, communication and biodiversity, national parks and management of these.
Climate Change and regional cooperation
The last workshop focused on EU, Climate Change and regional cooperation. It was arranged by KEPA, the EU Office and the Swedish EPA and took place in Pristina, Kosovo in January 2020. I addition to Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia participated. All countries shared their experiences working with EU directives on climate. The evaluations made afterwards showed good knowledge and a will to cooperate with each other but also problems like lack of staff and resources.
The EU office informed the meeting of the green deal. And showed a video of Kosovo’s environmental problems:
End seminar
Lastly an end seminar was arranged, the 23–24 January 2020 by KEPA and the Swedish EPA with the aim of better ownership of the future project. Participated did SwAM, the County Administrative Board of Dalarna, the responsible for the Kosovo Environmental Project, MESP, Prishtina Municipality, Fushe Kosovo Municipality, Association of Kosovo Municipalities, Sida, CNVP Kosovo, and donors; JICA project on Air Management, MCC Project on Environmental Data, and IWRM-K Swiss project on Water, and EU office augmenting to around 45 persons.
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