SEPA AND EEA, FIVE YEARS OF COOPERATION Serbian Environmental Protection Agency SEPA AND EEA, FIVE YEARS OF COOPERATION Dejan Lekic EEA NFP Serbia Serbian Environmental Protection Agency

SEPA – Who we are? Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) was founded by the Law on Ministries in 2004 as a specific organization within the Ministry of environmental protection and it became operational in November 2004. Main mission of SPEA is to ensure the availability of reliable data and information on the state of the environment, essential for effective environmental policy realization. SEPA has been established as a result of a need to have an organization that will focus on gathering environmental data and development of the National Information System for environmental protection. Integrating the work of all the scientific, professional and educational institutions, cooperating with international bodies, SEPA provides a central point for data and information access and dissemination.

Previous Experience - CARDS SEPA also continued focusing its efforts on the establishment of the National Automatic Air Quality Monitoring Network (funded from EU CARDS project). Until now, national budget contributed to this system by establishing 9 automatic air quality monitoring stations. Set of 28 automatic stations (together with one mobile automatic station), provided through the support of EU, will be installed during 2009, covering the whole territory of Republic of Serbia. Establishment of the National Reference Air Quality Laboratory (funded by EU CARDS and Serbian Environmental Fund) is ongoing and its equipment will be installed till the end of 2009. The whole system, consisting of automatic air quality monitoring network and national reference laboratory will lead to the creation of an integrated air quality control, monitoring and analysis as well as to the implementation of EU methodologies and standards in this field.

Cooperation with ЕЕА SEPA has been also seen as a key national institution for communication and cooperation with relevant bodies of European Union (EU), namely a National Focal organization for collaboration with European Environment Agency (EEA). Contribution to the European wide EIONET (Information and Observation network) data and information collecting and reporting system. In 2004, SEPA started active collaboration with EEA in providing first data on air and water quality, trying to organize data collection procedures at the national level, reaching very modest reporting level in reporting towards EEA within priority data flows of only 17% (together with Montenegro). Serbian Reporting Score and trend 2004-2009 During the year 2008/2009 SEPA increased its reporting towards EEA in both quantitative and qualitative way and according to the EEA score Serbian level of reporting reached 78%, a significant improvement from previous years.

Cooperation with ЕЕА Evaluation of the deliveries from Serbia (2008-2009)

New activities – SOER 2010 For the first time Serbia is involved, together with other WB countries, into the European State of Environment Report 2010 (SOER 2010) Each country will contribute in three themes: Diversity Commonality Flexibility Serbia delivered all the requested documents within proposed timeline Serbian deliveries at the SOER Web site

SEPA – EEA - IPA 2008 IPA 2008 - "Assistance to Serbian Environment Protection Agency as National focal point institution for cooperation with European Environment Agency in strengthening the EIONET in Serbia" (1.6 mil. €): The global objective is to increase the capacity of the SEPA and its data monitoring providers to carry out the monitoring and reporting responsibilities by supporting the Republic of Serbia in honoring its domestic and international environmental protection obligations. The specific objective is to design and help establish a fully functional National Environmental Information Network (National EIONET) that will improve (operational) reporting towards the EEA and other relevant institutions. Serbian National EIONET Scheme

International Cooperation Projects – Near Future IPA 2009 - "Assistance to the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in the development and management of the Serbian National Environmental Information System (SNEIS) as a component of the European Shared Environmental Information System" "Establishment of the Environmental Management Center" (bilateral support from Norway) "Extension of the participation of the WB countries in the activities of EEA " (ЕЕА and EC support through IPA) "Strengthening Administrative Capacities for Implementation of Air Quality Management System" (IPA 2007)

Serbia Progress Reports Serbia Progress Report 2007: "... The Environmental Protection Agency continued to carry out a number of tasks particularly in the areas of data collection and cooperation with the European Environment Agency. An integrated cadastre of polluters in Serbia has also been developed. However, the Agency lacks the necessary capacity to fully implement the integrated monitoring strategy." Serbia Progress Report 2008: "... The Environmental Protection Agency is fulfilling its tasks in the areas of data collection and cooperation with the European Environment Agency. Its performance is improving, but the Agency still lacks the capacity to ensure proper implementation of the integrated monitoring strategy." Serbia Progress Report 2009: "... The Serbian Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a good level of cooperation with the European Environment Agency on the European environment information and observation network." "... The Environmental Protection Agency remains fully operational and its performance is improving. However, it still lacks the capacity to ensure proper implementation of the integrated monitoring strategy."

Where do we go? Where IPA can help? Creation of the National Reference Centers for each particular environmental theme according to the EEA methodology Establishment of the National Environmental Indicators as a superset of EEA Indicators Creation and Implementation of the Integrated Monitoring Strategy Design and Creation of the National Shared Environmental Information System Fulfillment of all the international reporting obligations, reaching 100% score in EEA priority data flow reporting. Full EEA membership including active engagement in all the EEA projects and activities.

Help us to get involved in all activities right NOW! Where IPA can help? We waited ten years to start the cooperation... We then waited almost ten years to start implementing European methodologies and practices... Help us to get involved in all activities right NOW!

FIVE YEARS OF COOPERATION SEPA AND EEA, FIVE YEARS OF COOPERATION Thank you for your attention Dejan Lekic EEA NFP Serbia