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An Introduction to Environmental Institutions in Germany and the Federal Environmental Agency Christina Pykonen, Umweltbundesamt, I 1.2 – International Environmental Protection
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Content 1. Responsibilities for environmental management 5. Cooperation and coordination 2. Administrative structures 3. Environmental institutions 4. Federal Environmental Agency 6. European Union
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Responsibilities for environmental management Environmental management shared between the Federation, the Länder, and municipalities Environmental responsibilities are laid down in constitution, laws and regulations. Federation has lead role and Länder take part in legislative process through the Bundesrat. Länder have main responsibility for enforcing environmental laws. German Länder
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Responsibilities for environmental management Atomic Act General administrative regulations TA Air TA Noise TA Waste EIA Framework legislation Water budget Nature conservation Landscape mgt. Concurrent legislative powers Waste management Air quality control Noise abatement Chemicals Act FEDERATION Enforcement responsibilities Authorizations for - Building and operation of industrial plants, power plant, waste disposal site and treatment plants - hazardous waste transport - waste water discharge Establish and certify inspection and monitoring stations Monitoring and controlling Create emission and emission register Determine air, nature, landscape, and water protection areas punish offences LÄNDER Typical responsibilities: Building and landscape planning Urban sanitation Water supply Sewage disposal Upgrade waste recovery and recycling Clean-up contaminated sites Sanitation of old sewage system Noise protection measures Implement nature and landscape protection Observe environmental compatibility of energy supply Advise citizens and supply of information MUNICIPALITIES Division of environmental responsibilities Fed. law presides over Länder law Elaborate and implement Consent of Länder Executed by order of Federation
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Administrative structures Inter- mediate authority Lower authority Superior authority Su- perior au- thority Intermediate authority (special administration) Lower authority (special administration) Intermediate authority (general administration, e.g. District Government) Ministry Federation Ministry Länder Counties Municipalities Major county towns Towns not belonging to a county Lower authority (special ad- ministration) Municipalities Structure of the Administration in Germany
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Environmental institutions A profile of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety - Bundesumweltministerium Established in 1986, offices in Bonn and Berlin There are some 830 employees in six departments Areas of responsibility include: environmental protection, health-related aspects of environmental protection, nature conservation, nuclear safety and radiation protection Environmental Minister since 1998 – Jürgen Trittin, Parliamentary State Secretaries – Margareta Wolf and Simone Probst, State Secretary – Rainer Baake Three federal agencies in portfolio: Federal Environmental Agency, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, and Federal Office for Radiation Protection
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Environmental institutions Directorate General IG Environmental Health, Immission Control, Safety of Installations and Transport, Chemical Safety Directorate General RS Safety of Nuclear Installations, Radiological Protection, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Organizational chart of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Directorate General G Strategic and Economic Aspects of Environmental Policy, Cross-sectional Environmental Legislation, International Cooperation Directorate General Z Central Functions Directorate General WA Water Management, Waste Management, Soil Conservation, Contaminated Sites Directorate General N Nature Conservation and Sustainable Use of Nature State Secretary Parliamentary State Secretary Minister
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Environmental institutions Government spending on the environment in 2004 (in Million €) Ministry of Environment789 Foreign Office 93 Ministry of Finance 439 Ministry of Economics and Technology 473 Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture 235 Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing451 Ministry of Defense341 Ministry of Health1 Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth34 Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development771 Ministry of Education and Research600 general financial management57 environmental protection loans from the ERP special funds900 environmental protection loans from the federal banks1.300 Source: BMU Website- www.bmu.de/en/1024/js/tasks/ausgaben/main/htm Totalwww.bmu.de/en/1024/js/tasks/ausgaben/main/htm6.484
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Federal Environmental Agency A profile of the Federal Environmental Agency - Umweltbundesamt Established in 1974 Largest environmental scientific authority operating at the federal level Covering diverse spectrum of responsibilities including classic and interdisciplinary areas The Agency has 5 functions: advise and support BMU and other ministries, implement legislation, collect and provide data on the environment, inform and educate the general public, international activities Headquarters located in Berlin and in 2005 Dessau Operates 23 measuring stations throughout Germany Employs nearly 1200 people with annual budget of 100 Million €
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Federal Environmental Agency Division III Environmentally Compatible Technologies – Processes and Products Department E German Emissions Trading Agency Division I Environmental Planning and Strategies Administrative Division Z Administration, information and documentation Division IV Safety Chemical and Gene Technology Division II Environment and Health: Water, Soil and Air Hygiene, Ecology President Vice- President President‘s office Press Office Secretariat of the Council of Environmental Advisors Organizational chart of the Federal Environmental Agency
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Cooperation and coordination Federal government has stepped up efforts to address environmental protection as a cross-sectional task Joint Rules of Procedure (GGO) of the Federal Government determine the cooperation between the federal ministries § 19 of GGO, ministries cooperate on areas with overlapping jurisdiction to achieve common position When diverging opinions between ministries, lead ministry requires consent of other ministries Inter-ministerial working groups established Examples of areas where consent sought: 1) Clement and Trittin in CO 2 trading for NAP 2) German Sustainable Development Strategy (long-term targets)
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European Union Development and facts about the European Union Established in 1992 with the Treat of Maastricht, formally comprised of ECSC (with „The Six“ founding members), EEC (“four freedoms”) and Euratom (promoting nuclear energy) which existed since the 1950’s 25 member states with some 454 million people First environmental policy adopted in 1972: precautionary principle, principle of prevention, polluter-pays principle, principle that environmental damage should be rectified at its source First Action Programme in 1973 1986 Single European Act (SEA passed) Over 300 environment-related directives and regulations – Acquis Communautaire
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European Union Recent EU environmental legislation and priorities 6 th EAP - 4 priority areas until 2010: Climate change – 8% emission reduction target, call for structural changes in transport and energy sectors, call for energy-efficiency and energy-saving, established EU-wide emissions trading Nature and bio-diversity – Establishment of Natura 2000 network, focus on protecting landscapes via agricultural and regional policies Environment and health –Launch of Environment and Health Action Plan in June this year, focus on managing risks from chemicals and pesticides, Water Framework Directive Sustainable use of natural resources and waste – Decoupling waste generation from economic growth, heightened focus on recycling improved resource efficiency
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