Industrial pollution, waste and air; three EU-funded projects conclude successfully

July 2003 will see the closure of three EU-financed twinning projects which had been operating at the Czech Ministry of the Environment for 18 months. The three projects concerned have been financed by the European Union under its Phare programme and aimed to help the Czech authorities in the implementation and enforcement of the new Acts on industrial pollution prevention and control (IPPC), waste management and air protection . The total EU contribution to the three projects amounts ? 4.3 million (CzK 135.88 million) including technical advice and relevant equipment. The project ”Institutions for Permitting and Monitoring in the Air Quality Sector” started on 1 February 2002 and will run until 31 July 2003. Partner country has been Germany with Mr Reiner Strau from the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety as Pre-accession Adviser. The budget of this project amounted to ? 0.7million (CZK 22.12 million). The main target of the project has been to support the Czech institutional capacities in the area of air pollution control for the full transposition and implementation of EC legislative requirements. Regional offices have also been actively participating in the implementation of the project. A supplementary investment part of the project worth ? 1 million (31.6 million CzK) financed supporting equipment for air quality monitoring in accordance with the relevant EU legislation. The implementation of the project “Implementation Structures for IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) and IRZ register” was a cooperation between the Czech Ministry of the Environment and Germany with Mr. Franz Ellermann as Pre-accession adviser. The project worth ? 1 million (CZK 31.6 million) started on 1 February 2002 and it will be terminated on 31 July 2003. The main target has been to prepare the state administration for the new system of issuing integrated permit according to the requirements of the EC Directive on Integrated Prevention and Pollution Control. The project also included training programmes for the state administration, the preparation of expert documents and exchange of information in the area of IPPC and issuing of pilot permit for three IPPC installations. The project also included an investment component with an additional budget of ? 0.5 million (16.8 million CzK) to finance information systems for a best available technology database and an integrated pollution register. The last of the three projects “Centre for Waste Management” started on 12 February 2002 and will be terminated on 11 August 2003. Together with the Czech Ministry of the Environment it has been run by Austria in co-operation with Italy and France with Mr. Bernhard Siegele as Pre-accession Adviser. The project with a total budget of ? 0.7 million (CZK 22.12 million) aimed to implement EC legislation in the field of waste management, particularly through the establishment of the Centre for Waste Management. The Centre supports the Czech Ministry of the Environment in managing the national waste management system with emphasis on the process of implementation of the environmental acquis communautaire in this area. The project also provided for training of staff in all relevant subjects in the waste management field and helped to establish the Waste Information System. Additionally, sampling equipment and analytical devices have been purchased from the investment component of the project with a budget of ? 0.4 million (12.64 million CzK). The Phare programme aims to help the Czech Republic prepare for membership of the European Union. Since 1990, some ? 993.5 million (CzK 30.8 billion) worth of Phare projects have been approved for the Czech Republic. Twinning is an integral part of the Phare programme focusing on specific topics and provision of help with the fulfilment of responsibilities resulting from the future membership in the EU. The projects can support the transposition of EC legislation (acquis communautaire) as well as abilities to apply it. Some 90 Phare twinning projects have been approved to date, representing approximately ?72 million. Under the ISPA programme, which finances transport and environmental projects, some ?350 million (Czk 10.8 billion) has been approved since 2000, and under the SAPARD programme, which funds agriculture and rural development measures, some ?70 million (CzK 2.1 billion) has been approved since 2000. In 2002, under the European Union Solidarity Fund, a further ? 129 million (over Czk 3.9 billion) were approved to help the Czech Republic in its efforts to repair flood damage. This brings the total of EU funding approved for the Czech Republic to date to EUR 1.615 billion (CZK 50 billion). For further information, please contact Dusan Ondrejicka, Press Officer, Delegation of the European Commission, Pod hradbami 17, 160 00 Prague 6, Phone: 02/2431 2835, or visit the Delegation’s web site on: www.evropska-unie.cz Zdroj: MŽP