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

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E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
S T R AT E G I C M O V E S
ples. Creating conditions for private sector participation is one of the ways to increase
access to capital and to introduce much-needed know-how.
Waste management infrastructure in SEE is inadequate and there are only a few
landfills in the region that comply with EU regulations. There are also a huge number
of illegal dumpsites or landfills with low standards. Urban areas in the SEE region
are relatively well covered by waste collection and transportation services,
unlike rural areas. At the same time, there is and will be pressure to change the situation
fundamentally as a number of EU directives stipulate the establishment of
integrated waste management systems, including separate collection, recycling, sanitary
landfills etc. All the SEE countries are on the right track in this respect as they
have all adopted the more economically justifiable regional approach. However,
the big challenge will be to implement it in practice in the coming years.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia have made the biggest progress in
project preparation for regional sanitary landfills, while Croatia and Kosovo (as
defined under UNSCR 1244) have been successful in closing and remediating the
biggest number of non-sanitary landfills. Closing and remediating old illegal dumpsites
is a precondition for establishing new waste management centres.
Challenges to environmental financing
in SEE on the national level
Financing environmental infrastructure projects in compliance with the EU
environmental acquis requires the establishment of a clear legal and strategic framework
and the reform of institutional and financial systems. The process necessitates
strong and persistent political will. At the same time, it is of the utmost
importance for governments to realise the political and financial opportunities presented
to the countries during the pre-accession period and to capitalise on them.
Political will for accession is currently relatively strong and many financial opportunities
are available.
The global economic recession has led to further constraints on the financial situation
in the SEE region and has affected investments in environmental infrastructure,
with some infrastructure projects having to be suspended. However, the
crisis is also an opportunity to carry out reforms that are less resource consuming.
In relation to affordability, in many cases large-scale infrastructure investments
are not attractive due to the long payback periods and other constraints. It is therefore
very important to make intelligent use of the resources available from the EC
and other bilateral donors in order to address the affordability issue.
The full transposition of the investment-heavy directives is an important driver
for environmental infrastructure projects as it will place a legal burden on national
and local governments to create the necessary conditions for investments to take
place. The lack of key sectoral and environmental investment strategies delays environmental
investments, since strategies set the framework and direction for follow-up
laws and regulations. This is also valid for local management plans. One of
the benefits of drafting strategies and plans through wide stakeholder dialogue is