EU funded projects in BiH

Sectors
EU Acquis chapters	Environment
Programme Funding Year	2008
Value	€79,514
Periods of implementation	2010
Locations	BANOVIĆI, GRAČANICA, GRADAČAC, KALESIJA, KLADANJ, LUKAVAC, SREBRENIK, TUZLA, ŽIVINICE, ČELIĆ, DOBOJ-ISTOK, SAPNA, TEOČAK, SARAJEVO-CENTAR, HADŽIĆI, ILIDŽA, ILIJAŠ, SARAJEVO-NOVI GRAD, NOVO SARAJEVO, SARAJEVO-STARI GRAD, TRNOVO (FBiH), VOGOŠĆA, GRUDE, ŠIROKI BRIJEG, LJUBUŠKI, POSUŠJE, ČAPLJINA, ČITLUK, JABLANICA, KONJIC, NEUM, PROZOR, STOLAC, RAVNO, ODŽAK, ORAŠJE, DOMALJEVAC-ŠAMAC, BIHAĆ, BOSANSKA KRUPA, BOSANSKI PETROVAC, CAZIN, KLJUČ, SANSKI MOST, VELIKA KLADUŠA, BUŽIM, BOSANSKO GRAHOVO, TOMISLAVGRAD, GLAMOČ, KUPRES, LIVNO, DRVAR, BUGOJNO, BUSOVAČA, DONJI VAKUF, FOJNICA, GORNJI VAKUF - USKOPLJE, JAJCE, KISELJAK, KREŠEVO, NOVI TRAVNIK, TRAVNIK, VITEZ, DOBRETIĆI, FOČA - USTIKOLINA, GORAŽDE, PALE - PRAČA, BREZA, KAKANJ, MAGLAJ, OLOVO, TEŠANJ, VAREŠ, VISOKO, ZAVIDOVIĆI, ZENICA, ŽEPČE, DOBOJ - JUG, USORA, MOSTAR

Environment is a high ranking issue on the European agenda and increasingly so with regard to its interventions in BiH. The BiH and the European Unions' strategic documents stress the importance of proper implementation of the environmental acquis. While the official responsibility for compliance lies with the BiH authorities, the NGO community has a very important role to complement the work of the administration by signalling infractions, collecting of information, coordinating the pilot project and educating citizens about their rights and obligations. BiH environmental NGOs have developed considerably over the past decade. Further support to their capacity building and know how improvements has been recognised as valuable for their becoming full and complementary partners of the administration in implementation of the environmental acquis. The European Union has recognised those needs, and provided series of development projects to contribute to encouragement of the partnership between governmental and non-governmental sectors with the aim of effective implementation of EU standards in environment in BiH. In that respect, this European Union project aimed at supporting partnerships between governmental and non-governmental sectors with the aim of effective implementation of EU standards on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) in BiH. We supported that by building capacities of civil society organisations on monitoring of behaviour of the industry in compliance with environmental permits, enhancing government and NGOs to address jointly specific environmental problems caused by industries and by raising awareness on necessity of industry to comply with environmental permit requirements and standards by fact findings missions and surveys conducted in the target area, with recommendations as useable and important country wide.

With the European Union funding, this project had significant impact on identifying needs and constraints in the area of industry related environmental permits and standards as well as on improvement mechanisms of the industrial practice in BiH so as to operate in more environmental friendly principles. We helped having capacities of civil society organisations for monitoring of behaviour of the industry in compliance with environmental permits built. A network of environmental NGOs (ten in total, one per canton in the FBIH) was created that acted as a as partner to governments with common interests in combating the industrial pollution. They conducted monitoring of the industrial behaviour in relation to implementation of environmental laws on 50 selected industries (5 per canton in FBIH) and produced an integrated monitoring report with identified good practices as well as bottle necks and needs for corrective and/or improvement measures. The report is publicly presented and shared with competent services. Also, we enhanced a close dialogue and joint actions of governments and NGOs in addressing specific environmental problems caused by industries. We also supported the public awareness regarding environmental regulations and related industrial performance by series of media and public awareness campaigns conducted. By such actions, we contributed to reducing pollution in BiH and improving quality of living in BiH through improvement of industrial practices and the overall cooperation between civil society organisations and governments in BiH.