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UNECE experts to visit Bulgaria to assess environmental policies and implementation

Experts from UNECE member States and the secretariat will be visiting Bulgaria from 11 to 21 April 2016 for a field mission in the framework of the third environmental performance review (EPR) of the country. The team will meet governmental officials and representatives of international organizations, NGOs, business and academia, in order to assess progress in environmental protection since the second review, carried out in 2000, and develop recommendations for future action.


In addition to environmental governance and financing, the third review of Bulgaria will evaluate the country’s efforts to abate air pollution, enhance the management of water resources, reduce waste, preserve biodiversity and improve environmental monitoring and information. It will also address the integration of environmental considerations in the energy sector, as well adaptation to climate change.


The outcomes of the third EPR of Bulgaria, including recommendations to the country, will be discussed by the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy at its meeting in Geneva in December 2016, with the participation of high-level officials from the Government of Bulgaria.


Since the early 1990s, the UNECE EPR Programme assesses progress made by individual countries in reconciling their environmental and economic targets and in meeting international environmental commitments. The reviews assist countries to improve their management of the environment by making concrete recommendations for better policy design and implementation. The current third cycle of reviews focuses on environmental governance and financing in a green economy context, countries’ cooperation with the international community and environmental mainstreaming in priority sectors. Bulgaria is the seventh country to be reviewed in this cycle following the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, Belarus and Tajikistan.


The third EPR of Bulgaria is being organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria. It is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the German Federal Environment Agency with funds from the Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP).


Three countries have delegated their experts for the review: France is providing an expert on climate change; Portugal, two experts on water management; and the Netherlands has seconded two experts on air protection and waste management. Financial support to the EPR Programme is also provided by Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.


For more information, please visit: http://www.unece.org/environmental-policy/environmental-performance-reviews/ongoing-reviews.html
or contact: [email protected]

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