Strategic Moves - Regional Environmental Center for Central and ...

114
C H A P T E R 5
N AT I O N A L S T R AT E G I C A N D I N S T I T U T I O N A L F R A M E W O R K
BOX 16: Institutions for IPA implementation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
For the first IPA period, starting in 2007, the division of roles for IPA implementation has been agreed and is set out
in a series of documents, including operational agreements between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment
and Physical Planning (MEPP) and the Ministry of Transport and Communication for Component III (regional
development). Some institutions are already in place and have started their work.
In the MoEPP, a unit is foreseen with the primary role of implementing IPA projects in the environment sector, and in
2008 only six persons were engaged for this unit. According to the National Plan for the Adoption of the Acquis
(NPAA), this unit should engage 20 persons for the successful implementation of the projects. It is therefore clear that,
in the current situation, the structure is insufficient for dealing with IPA projects; and accreditation is still missing. Following
their recruitment, new staff members will require training and capacity building in order to prepare them for
their future duties. Sufficient time must therefore be planned for the starting phase.
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations (MoFTER) and entity
ministries are responsible for the environmental directives. More specifically, the
ministries of health, the institutes for public health, the municipalities and the cantons
are responsible for the implementation of the Drinking Water Directive.
Waste management is handled at both state and entity levels. Solid waste management
laws applicable to each entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina are developed
and approved at entity level. Efforts are made to harmonise legislation in the
entities. At federal level, waste issues fall under the responsibility of MoFTER. Municipalities
are responsible for organising waste management services, usually
through the department of communal affairs. The municipalities have attempted
to compensate for the weakness of the national legislation in the waste sector by enforcing
local regulations on waste management.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry and the
Federal Ministry of Physical Planning, Environment and Tourism are responsible
for river basin management in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Republika
Srpska, this responsibility belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Water Management.
There has been overall progress in Croatia in terms of administrative capacity.
However, the number of staff recruited is generally lower than is required to set up
adequate administrative capacities at national, regional and local level. Improved
coordination mechanisms and decision-making procedures are needed, given the
high level of fragmentation of environmental responsibilities across ministries and
public bodies (EC SEC [2009] 1333).
In Croatia, the Ministry for Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and
Construction (MoEPPPC) is responsible for the waste sector at the national level.
Two important bodies in relation to financing environmental infrastructure are
the Croatian Environment Agency and the Environmental Protection and Energy
Efficiency Fund (EPEEF), which assists the waste sector in the preparation of technical
documentation and IPA applications.
Responsibility for water management and for public water utilities is centralised
under Croatian Waters, a governmental institution. The Ministry of Regional De-