SEPA 2020-2024 Environmental Capacity Building on Data use

This statement reflects the results from the period November 2020 to December 2024 of the Project "Environmental Capacity Building on Data use, 2020-2024" - an agency to agency cooperation with the Swedish and Kosovo's Environmental and Protection agencies. An appraisal was conducted in November 2024, for a new period of support, which can serve as a complement to this statement. Further more, a statement of final reports and a closing memo will soon be performed. This statement is relayed on reports, travels, meetings and the evaluation performed in November 2024 (by the consultants Zehra Kacapor-Dzihic and Blerta Perolli-Shehu). Linked to the above mentioned goals, the following examples of results have been achieved summarized in points: 1) Communication: - Raised public awareness and engaged public on key environmental issues such as air quality and national park conservation. Challenges remain in ensuring consistent enforcement and long-term investment in proposed solutions. - Designed information signs and events for picking trash in nature. - Workshops and focus groups to integrate different institutions, stakeholders and inhabitants regarding new studies on air quality and socio economic situation in Sharr Mountain National Park. 2) Environmental Information System (EIS): - Improved data management and integration of geospatial information together with enhanced knowledge on metadata. - Development of a metadata portal for environmental data, including geospatial information compatible with EU standards (INSPIRE and ISO), allowing better data reporting and sharing, fulfilling the requirements of the European Environment Agency and EU Standards. - The Project trained various Kosovar institutions to manage and update environmental metadata, creating user access for over 90% of relevant agencies. Significant progress was made in involving numerous national institutions, for example the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals. - The EIS-system has so far served governmental purposes but also increased transparency and accessibility for the public, NGOs, and media. However, as some stakeholders lack proper metadata for their submission on environmental data, the portal is still under construction and needs to be maintained with a long term plan. 3) Water Management: - After initial challenges in starting this component the activities resulted in joint efforts for the first chemical water tests in Kosovo and improved understanding of water management strategies. - Specific samples were taken in Drini River. The river has problems with organophosphates due to waste in the nature, emissions from industries, sewage treatment plants, or effluents containing pharmaceuticals from hospitals. There might also be other organic hazardous substances that need to be removed. Therefore the specific samples were taken, for the first time in Kosovo. The results are still being analyzed and the data of the samples will show what kind of improvements are needed. This component was a collaboration between the County Administration Board of Dalarna and Kosovo Hydromet Agency/institution (within KEPA). After the first year of difficulties in a proper start of the work a good relation and effective collaboration emerged. The first challenges were mostly due to restrictions during Covid, but also because the partners needed to check with other donors who worked in the same field - in order to not duplicate the activities. 4) Environmental quality improvement measures especially on air quality: - Identification of key sectors contributing to air pollution such as residential wood burning and diesel transport. - Evidence based studies and strategies for emission reductions were adapted and cost benefit analyses of proposed measures. - Public engagement through campaigns about air quality, working closely with the regional program with Unicef and the Embassy of Sweden who used the environmental hero Era to engage children. 5) National Parks, focusing Sharr Mountain National Park: - Cross-border cooperation linked to the work with conducting a management plan for Sharr Mountain National Park. - A socio economic study which engaged local experts within conservation and socio economic topics. - A specific Strategic Sustainable Environment Assessment was performed just before the end of 2024, in line with the national law on National Parks. This will serve as a good platform for the future collaboration. Other results During the four year's of cooperation, this fifth component was added in September 2022. Shortly after that, a long term adviser came to live in Pristina, which led to smoother and a more effective cooperation and tangible results. A specific cooperation also started with Save the Children Kosovo, to enhance the children's perspectives and rights in the National Parks activities. All through the activities, gender perspective has been integrated. For example: A manual on how to work with gender in KEPA's policies and the hands-on implementation. This was especially guiding the strategy for EIS, Environmental Information System. During the data collection process from the relevant institutions, data was disaggregated by gender, age and location. This will be requested for the continued development. When it comes to the overall ambition and goal to strengthen the capacity of the Kosovo institution KEPA there were signs, also stressed by the evaluators in November 2024, that the institution improved its role as a coordinator for environmental data - for the benefit of stakeholders in the area but also of the citizens. Parallel to this development, slowly the government of Kosovo, increased the engagement and promised more resources for long term planning. This also resulted in new directions in the newly conducted national strategy Strategy for Environmental Protection 2024-2033 which outlines the long-term goals as well as the needs identified by KEPA. During autumn 2024 the partners KEPA and SwEPA jointly went through the new strategy and decided to plan for a new phase of collaboration. They prioritized some areas in the new strategy that also were in line with the Swedish Strategy for the Reform Cooperation with Western Balkan /Kosovo. An amendment to the agreement had given room for this activity. Finally, the coordination with other stakeholders and donors improved especially during the last two years. A more profound relation with EU was developed which has led to a planned cooperation for the new phase. The exchange with Japan has been crucial when it comes to the area of air quality and Switzerland in water management. Contacts have also been established with GIZ, Austria and USAID. A continued collaboration with Save the Children Kosovo will take place for the next phase, which also will strengthen the connection between KEPA, the other institutions involved, SwEPA and civil society organizations.

The objective of the contribution is to support the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Economy and Environment to build capacity in analyzing and making data available through the Environmental Information System (EIS) according to guidelines from the European Commission. This will prepare Kosovo to satisfy the requirements of Chapter 27 of the EU acquis, which is one prerequisite for EU accession. There are four specific objectives of the contribution: 1) Strengthened communication; providing correct and comprehensive environmental data to decision makers and to the general public, 2) Improved environmental information systems; develop management and analysis of environmental data, 3) Capacity development for sustainable water management; support in implementing several of the plans already developed for better water management and 4) Strengthened implementation capacity for environmental quality improvement measures; using analytical tools such as cost benefit analysis and feasibility studies in an integrated manner when developing action plans, especially in the area of air quality and climate change. The contribution will touch upon implementation of several of the EU directives connected to chapter 27, but especially the following ones: the Directive on Public Access to Environmental Information; the Directive on Establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information; the Water Framework Directive; the Groundwater Directive; and the Directive on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air. Implementing an EU directive is normally an arduous process and involves several agencies and ministries. In other words, the contribution will not manage to implement specific directives per se, but rather ensure that KEPA is in a good position to play their part in the overall work needed to be carried out for implementation. The activities will center around several assessments of the current situation in the different areas and be followed up by workshops and trainings to improve individual and organisational competence at KEPA according to recommendations of the assessments. These assessments will be carried out by procured experts, either local, regional or Swedish depending on the nature of the issue. ToR will be developed by SEPA with input from KEPA. The current work plan is easy to follow, but does not provide a lot of detail. More specific baselines and targets for the activities will be presented in the inception report due in May 2021.