Regional Sustainable Development through

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Regional Sustainable Development
through Environmental Integration in Community
Programmes A challenge for environmentally
sensitive management Guenter Raad, European
Commission DG Environment Unit D3 email
guenter.raad_at_cec.eu.int
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Presentation objectives

• Initiate reflection and discussion
• Provide outline information
• Invite for follow-up action
• on the possible use in SF management of an
• EMS
• Environment Management System

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Presentation outline

• Why do we need EMS ?
• Regulatory policy context experience
• What is an EMS ?
• Key features - requirements
• What is an EMS for ?
• Expected output Value added
• How to do it ?
• Voluntary principle give good example to
  convince

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Why do we need EMS ? / 1

• Environmental partners (environmental
• authorities, NGO/interested public) can play an
• Important role in SCF programme cycle and in
• continuous management (environmental
• partners)

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• SF 2000 2006
• Arrangements to be made
• for
• Planning/programming
• Implementation
• Monitoring evaluation

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Why do we need EMS ? / 2

• Arrangements shall ensure
• integration of environmental dimension of SD
  into the SCF
• compliance with legal requirements of Community
  legislation
• consistency with Community policies

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• SF 2000 2006
• Arrangements subject to
• Ex-ante evaluation (and reviews)
• Clear and detailed description
• Verification of their relevance/effectiveness

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Why do we need EMS ? / 3

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• SF 2007 2013
• a reformed delivery system
• more simplification decentralisation

• Confirmation of key principles
• programming PARTNERSHIP co-funding -
  evaluation
• Reforms for greater efficiency
• More strategic programming
• Decentralisation of responsibilities to
  partnerships on the ground (MS regions
  municipalities)
• Reinforced, more transparent partnership clear
  and more rigorous monitoring mechanisms
• Simplified management system (more transparency,
  differentiation and proportionality)

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Why do we need EMS ? / 4

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• SF 2007 2013 SEA ! ?
• Application of SEA Directive (art.11.3)
• Requires also arrangements
• Continuous monitoring

• Arrangements to be made for
• Editing of the environmental report of sufficient
  quality (art.5)
• Respect of environmental protection objectives
  (also EC) A I e
• Description of monitoring measures Annex I i
• Preventive, minimisation measures A I g
• Information and consultation (art.6)
• Monitoring (art.10.1) of also positive (!)
  environmental effects of SCF programmes
  implementation
• Use of existing monitoring arrangements if
  effective (art.10.2)

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Why do we need EMS ? / 5

• Cohesion policy in harmony with Renewed Lisbon
  Strategy and environmentally sustainable
  development
• integration of environmental dimension of SD
  into the SCF confirmed
• compliance with legal requirements of Community
  legislation
• consistency with Community policies of continued
  validity

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• Arguments in favour of EMS
• New and particular challenges and
  responsibilities
• Little experience in practice within SCF
  management
• Concentration of resources less bureaucracy
  -standardisation
• Transparency Accountability systems oriented
  monitoring
• Assurance of high quality comparability
  environmental audit trails
• Visibility of EC value added env pillar of SD

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Why do we need EMS ? / 6

• Great variety of role given to environmental
  partners in SCF context
• No real system set-up within SCF management

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• Three basic types of Environmental Managers
• beginners experience/capacity to be further
  developed and partnership practised, rather
  ad-hoc approaches,
• routiniers use of existing administrative
  routines formalised consultations, little
  visibility no SCF specific routines
• networkers defined roles, specific
  institutional set-up, SCF specific
  visibility/transparency relatively high

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Why do we need EMS ? / 7

• Great scope for improvement of quality
  assurance function of environmental issues in
  SCF management

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• Examples
• full respect of legal requirements of key
  Directives (SEA- EIA-Natura 2000-consultation of
  the public)
• information value of annual reports on
  SD/environment
• selection of projects and identification of
  alternatives (professional qualification of
  staff)
• Identification and use of appropriate indicators
  quantification of objectives
• complexity of project design in envrionment
  sectors
• up-date of knowledge of EC policies
• verification of EU value added difficult

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Why do we need EMS ? /8

• SCF regulations call for further improvement of
  management and control
• SCF encourages EMAS with SME

• Regulations
• Policy
• Experience

• OP approval and management stages
• Commission to assess monitoring arrangements
  (strategy priority themes)
• New function Certification by independent body
• Action for reinforcing administrative efficiency
  and sound management ( gt convergence objective)

• SCF management to give good example for others to
  apply EMS

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What is an EMS ? - 1

• EMS is
• a voluntarily chosen management tool
• applicable not only in SME but to any
  organisation also in administration and SCF
  management structures
• a set of standard operating procedures and
  control to ensure and promote continuous and
  successful respect of environmental objectives
  within a programme or project and at all levels

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What is an EMS ? - 2

• Key features common to EMS

Voluntary but firm commitment
Initial review of objectives and arrangements
description of situation policy and programme
- plan
Environmental Statement road map for managers
and staff what to do
Transparency and Accountability information of
public Comparability- ex-change with other EMS
best practice - indicators
Corrective action based on audit
review/performance check
Verification (external/internal) audit support
and quality certification
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What is an EMS ? - 3
POLICY DECLARATION

• Commitment
• Review
• EStatement
• Audit Annual report
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Management authorities to
• declare willingness to environmental managment
  and its improvement
• organisational promise
• Identify, determine and improve arrangements
  for integration of environment into SCF (to
  achieve objectives how to achieve)
• Accept follow-up and improvement measures (the
  better is the ennemy of the good)
• Subscribe to effiency and best possible quality

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What is an EMS ? - 4
BASELINE ASSESSMENT

• Commitment
• Review
• EStatement
• Audit -annual report
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Description and analysis of environmental
  competence and performance of SCF Management
• SCF staff capacity building /training needs
• Selection/decision making process/green
  procurement etc.
• Interdisciplinary co-operation
• Role of environmental authorities
• Role of public / NGO /networking
• Information systems (knowledge of EU legislation
  and policies up-date application)
• Control mechanisms quality requirements

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What is an EMS ? - 5
ACTION PLAN

• Commitment
• Review
• EStatement
• Audit -annual report
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Envrionmental Statement key reference document
• Clear and concrete description of action to be
  undertaken (reference SCF Regulations and
  framework documents EU policies)
• Target groups SCF management and staff,
  associated services,
• Understanding It is at the level of MS, its
  regions and communes where implement EU policies
  and laws decided by the MS and EP are implemented
  
• Statement to be made public and performance
  measurable (indicators)

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What is an EMS ? - 6
MONITORING Reporting Self-assessment

• Commitment
• Review
• EStatement
• Audit/ annual report
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Management to follow-up ES implementation
• Continuous monitoring - ES timetable (?)
• Opportunity current annual reports of SCF
  (sections on environment SD )
• Self-assessment ? External assessment ? Culture
  and practice of auto-evaluations/peer reviews
• Allow for use of Technical Assistance funds
  available in SCF programmes
• Assessment of actions, methods and system
  (operational level)
• Validity check of EMS overall policy
• Up-date synergy with MS developments

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What is an EMS ? - 7

• Commitment
• Review
• EStatement
• Audit/ annual report
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Corrective
• and pro-active measures
• for improvement
• Recording of mistakes (e.g.EIA/SEA) rapid
  reaction systems association of SCF
  management/monitoring committees
• Identification of discrepancies and their causes
• Integration of feed-back (tailoring of action
  plan to specific and individual needs)
• Responsiveness to non-conformity (legislation) or
  inconsistency (policy) problems
• Constructive dialogue with Commission

STEERING RESPONSIVENESS
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What is an EMS ? -8
VALIDATION

• Commitment
• Review
• ES annual report
• Audit
• Remedial action
• External
• verification

• Transparency commitment and sound evaluation
  practice call for independant external assistance
  and assessment
• External expertise useful to improve practice and
  to seek approaches commensurate with best
  practice standards (e.g. certification)
• Possible use of Technical Assistance funds of SCF
  to alleviate work
• Establish comparability with other EMS within and
  between MS association of stakeholders
• Possibility to objectively control the
  controllers and system performances
  (constructive competition)

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What is an EMS for ? /1

• Advantages, Value added and expected output of
  efficient EMS
• Context
• EMS is not an objective on its own
• Supports decentralisation and reflects
  responsiveness of SCF programmes contribution to
  SD in particular environmental pillar degree
  of commitment to SD
• Not new consolidates piecemeal experiences
  national networks and auxiliary structures
  (rather ad hoc)
• Capacity buliding and experience sharing with new
  MS
• Greater visibility and association of EU citizen

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What is an EMS for ? /2

• Advantages, value added and expected output of
  efficient EMS
• Supports objectives of simplification (improved
  quality less queries and delays for approvals)
• Comprises much of SEA procedural requirements
  (e.g. reporting monitoring etc.) gt spill over
  effects into administrative routines
• Conflict prevention and management through
  greater transparency and involvement of public
• Contact point for partnership with Commission and
  MS-EMS network (receiving and sending messages
  channelling up-dates on policy and legal
  requirements and practice)

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How to do it ? - 1
Management to take own initiative

• Two guiding principles for
• organising EMS
• seek voluntary acceptance no top-down no
  imposing
• why-not-try approach convincing through good
  examples or positive competition

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How to do it ? - 2
NOT GOOD FOR BUSINESS-AS-USUAL FANS

• SCF programmes
• to show community policy
• value-added, not simple extensions of national
  programmes. New programmes with greater
  responsibility no business-as-used-in-the- past
• Explore possibilities taking into account
• country specific needs for differentiation
• National policy and practice context
• Hesitations of SCF management
• Lack of EMS understanding
• Concern about more bureaucracy
• Deeply rooted inflexibility
• Conflicts of competence role of environmental
  authorities and partners

• Principles
• Voluntary
• Acceptance
• Why-not-try

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How to do it ? - 3

• Principles
• Voluntary
• Acceptance
• Why-not-try

EMS innovative !

• Environmental sustainability
• and management are still new concepts.
• Little information and knowledge at hand
  uncertainty.
• Encouragement to use
• External assistance (TA budget)
• Experience gained by others already
• -networks expert groupscommittees
• -national -INTERREG projects e.g.GRDP
• -Agenda 21 models (urban context)

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How to do it ? - 4
Most Tools exist !

• Principles
• Voluntary
• Acceptance
• Why-not-try

• EMS is not a start from scratch it can
  accommodate much of existing tools and methods
  already in use
• Handbooks guidelines model documents
  check-lists use of quality checks and
  certification model
• Networks ( IQ-net, GRDP, SQM etc.)
• Annual flagships of good practice examples ( gt
  constructive competition)
• Start with the (few?) courageous others follow
  !
• National EMS networking
• Connecting with ENEA
• Associate economic and social partners (use their
  experience and support)

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What steps next ?

• Discuss usefulness exchange experience
  identify general and specific needs demonstrate
  advantages -
• Set-up new working group under ENEA ?
• Identify potential and possibilities in given
  contexts (national/regional but also Community
  level gt INTERREG experience GRDP, IQ-net,
  EMAS/ISO bodies, support from ENCORE, etc. )
• Develop joint approach in partnership (SCF
  management- context of programming ex ante
  evaluations)
• Define roles (SCF management environmental
  authorities NGO/stakeholders cooperation with
  expertise centers (research universities
  joint teams ?)

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• Thank you for your interest !
• Let us have a fruitful discussion before