3rd Interim report September 2011- March 2012.pdf - Renanetwork.org

Interim Report, No 3, 19 September 2011 – 18 March 2012
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
The Regional Environmental Network for Accession (RENA) has been established as a follow-up project
of REReP, the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme for Southeast Europe, which
ended in 2009. The project has been commissioned to the Consortium led by Human Dynamics
with its head office in Vienna, Austria.
The overall project objective is to enhance regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and Turkey
in the field of environment in the prospect of accession to the European Union.
The cooperation between the countries through RENA is focused on priority areas of
approximation to the EU environmental and climate acquis.
RENA supports eight beneficiary countries, which are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99, the fYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey.
RENA primarily supports the administrative authorities with responsibility for environment and
natural resources in the beneficiary countries, that is, ministries with primary responsibility for
environmental protection, and other ministries, institutions, and authorities responsible for, e.g.,
nature, climate, water, forestry or chemicals.
RENA also coordinates and cooperates with other stakeholders and initiatives working in the
region, including:
• International Financing Institutions, bilateral donors, international organisations:
Cooperation is facilitated through Support to EC/IFI Coordination in the Western Balkans and Turkey
organisation of back to back meetings, participation in workshops and trainings;
• Other EU related initiatives and projects, like WBIF, DABLAS, HORIZON 2020 and
others: Cooperation is facilitated through organisation of back to back meetings, participation in training
and workshops, sharing and promotion of lists of priority projects with regional impact on environment;
• Environmental Civil Society Organisations and Non-governmental Organisations:
Cooperation was facilitated through the Environment Forum project until the finalisation of the project, and
since then it has been facilitated through the nominated representatives of the NGOs;
• Neighbouring EU member states and other EU member states: Cooperation is facilitated
through invitations to participate in trainings and workshops.
RENA priority issues are based on those set by the environment ministers of the eight beneficiary
countries. These priority issues are:
• Strategic planning of the pre-accession process;
• Public participation;
• Climate change;
• Cross border cooperation on environment;
• Preparation of environmental investment projects.
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