Analysis for ENPI countries of Social and Economic Benefits of Enhanced Environmental Protection EuropeAid DCI-ENV/2009/ Wim Van Breusegem Team Leader Arcadis +32(0)

This presentation: introduction to the project Project Team Project activities Geographical scope Project objectives Justification of the project ? Target audience: who should benefit from the results ? Project results Dissemination of project results Technical scope What are benefits ? Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels2

Consortium & Team Consortium: –ARCADIS Belgium N.V (leader) –Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), –Ecologic Institute, –Environmental Resources Management –Metroeconomica Team: EU experts (methodology development, benefit assessments, reporting) National Experts: 1 in each country, to support the EU experts Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels3

The main project activity Assessment of the environmental, economic, social, and health benefits to society, arising from environmental improvements. Environmental improvements can result from taking action (policy, legislation, investments) to protect and to improve the quality of the environment, Assessment: the identification, and where practical, quantification and monetisation (i.e. estimation of the economic value) of the benefits hence making benefits comparable and understandable to a wide audience Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels4

Different types of benefits Environmental Economic Health Social Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels5

Environmental benefits = the positive impacts on the natural environment of meeting environmental targets. Example: if the target of secondary treatment of all urban waste water would be reached, this would result in environmental benefits, such as: –improved surface water quality –avoidance of eutrophication, that can lead to biodiversity loss Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels6

Economic benefits benefits from natural resources (e.g.tourism related to protected areas, higher fish catch rates), avoided costs (e.g. of hospitalisation and lost days at work from health impacts) the development of new and existing industries/sectors of the economy (e.g. renewable energy), increased employment through environmental investments (e.g. in waste collection, eco-tourism) Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels7

Social benefits: examples the safeguarding of, and access to, the natural and cultural heritage (avoided pollution damage to historic buildings or the destruction of historic landscapes), recreational opportunities (e.g., fishing and bathing), benefits of trust in quality environmental service provision (e.g., water quality), Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels8

Health benefits Can also be interpreted as social benefits, but given the direct link between health and environment, they have been assessed as a separate category. Examples: –a reduction in the cases of illness and the avoidance of premature mortality arising from water-borne diseases, –a reduction in respiratory and cardio-pulmonary diseases associated with poor air quality Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels9

Geographical Scope ENPI countries: –ENPI South: 9 countries –ENPI East: 7 countries Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels10

Project objectives Overall objective: move environmental issues higher up on the political agenda in the ENPI countries. Specific objectives: –to improve awareness in the countries of the social and economic benefits of enhanced environmental protection –to improve the countries capacity to assess these benefits Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels11

Project objectives In this way, the project will encourage each country: to mobilise the necessary financial resources for environmental improvements. integrate environmental considerations into policy making Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels12

Justification of the project Why is the project needed ? Policy makers have often a clearer perception of what it costs to maintain the quality of the environment, than of the resulting benefits. Why is achieving the objectives, i.e. raising awareness of benefits, important ? It is the perceived benefits that drive policy decisions to allocate public resources to maintain and to improve the quality of the environment; Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels13

Target Audience The project does not have a specific beneficiary,but 3 categories of authorities are targeted: 1.Authorities with environmental responsibilities 2.Authorities responsible for a development sector with a potential negative or positive impact on the environment (such agriculture, energy, or industrial development). 3.Finance ministries, as they often play an important role in deciding the funding levels for each other ministry. The benefit assessments provide evidence to authorities, that supports their arguments for funding of environmental actions and for environmental integration Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels14

Project activities Development of a benefit assessment methodology, building on previous analysis and methodologies, in particular on: –The IEEP methodology for DG Environment (2008) –the World Banks Cost of Environmental Degradation (COED) Methodology. Preparation of Benefit Assessment Manual for internal project use. Collection of available information from international organisations (UN, World Bank etc.) Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels15

Project activities A mission to each of the countries in the period May-October 2010: presentation and selling of the project, collection of data needed for the benefit assessments Follow-up by the projects National Expert in each of the countries Completion of a country information check-list, with all information needed for the country benefit assessments Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels16

Project activities Country Benefit Assessments Regional synthesis benefit assessment reports (ENPI East & ENPI South) A Benefit Assessment Manuel for policy makers 2 Final project events, to present the benefit assessment results –ENPI East countries: Chisinau,23-24 June 2011 –ENPI South countries: Brussels, June officials of each country have been invited Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels17

Dissemination of the projects results, through: The 2 final project events Country officials that participate in the final project events Publication on the projects website: Other ENPI projects Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels18

Project results 16 Country Benefit Assessment reports Regional Synthesis Benefit Assessments Reports (ENPI East & ENPI South) Benefit Assessment Manual for Policy Makers Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels19

Technical scope 5 themes : 1.Air 2.Water 3.Waste 4.Nature 5.Climate change For each of those 5 themes, we have selected a number of parameters (e.g. for air: ambient air quality). The benefit assessments are about assessing the benefits of improvements for each of these parameters Final Project Event:: ENPI - South, Brussels20

Thank you for your attention Project Analysis for ENPI countries of social an economic benefits of enhanced environment protection (DCI-ENV/2009/ )