Benefits of compliance with the acquis in the potential candidate countries

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Benefits of compliance with the acquis in the
potential candidate countries Summary Results
from benefits study On former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia Albania, Serbia, incl. Kosovo,
Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro
(Arcadis-Ecolas, IEEP, Metroeconomica and
Enviro-L) Patrick ten Brink (IEEP), Ljupco
Avramovski (Enviro-L), Stijn Vermoote (Arcadis
Ecolas), Samuela Bassi (IEEP), Karen Callebaut
(Arcadis Ecolas), Arnoud Lust (Arcadis Ecolas),
Alistair Hunt (Metroeconomica)
Patrick ten Brink Senior Fellow and Head of
Brussels Office Institute for European
Environmental Policy (IEEP) www.ieep.eu
Priority Environmental Investment Programme
(PEIP) CARDS Regional Regional Meeting for
Senior Officials from SEE and Donors
Community 26th November Brussels, Belgium
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Aim of SEE Benefits Study

• Explore and estimate the environmental,
  economic, and social benefits likely to arise
  from the full implementation of the EU env.
  legislation in the SEE countries - the former
  Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Albania, Serbia,
  incl. Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina and
  Montenegro.

• Get a full and better understanding of the real
  effects of their accession to the EU covering
  benefits and not only costs.
• And ensure that environmental concerns are given
  the attention, priority and funding that they
  deserve.

Aim of this presentation give an overview as to
the results
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The Implementation Challenge

• Each country that wishes to join the EU needs
  to implement the body of EU environmental law,
  known as the Acquis Communautaire,
• This comprises around 300 Environmental
  Directives and Regulations, including daughter
  Directives and amendments environmental aspects
  of legislation in other sectors
• Transposition Legislative compliance
• Getting administrative capacity in place
• Implementing legislation identifying
  (best/appropriate new) projects covering
  investment costs finding funding/finance,
• Operation/maintenance (possible upgrade) of
  environmental infrastructure
• Monitoring and enforcing legislation

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SEE Benefits Studies What can be said in what
terms and what was explored?
How much would the reduced emissions and damages
avoided by implementing EU directives be worth?
Non-Specified Benefits
Valuation and Quantification and
Description of Benefits
Quantitative Level of emissions reduced E.g.
how many cases of respiratory diseases are
avoided?
No
No
Elements
Monetary Value
yes
yes
Yes
Quantitative Review of Effects
Type of benefits eg health impacts, cleaner
water
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Qualitative Review
Chemicals Nuclear
Waste
Nature
Air
Water
Full Range of Effects

• Need to be realistic about what can be said in
  what terms and to what audience.

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Benefits of Action types
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Air Pollution related benfitsQuantitative
Assessment Results(fewer cases of chronic
bronchitis early mortality)
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Monetary Assessment - Results

• Remarks
• The gaseous pollutants (NMVOC, SO2, NOX, NH3)
  comprise almost 73 of the benefits
• PM10 comprise almost 27 of the total benefits
• Avoided early mortality is generally the largest
  source of benefit (ca. 64)
• Morbidity reduced benefits account generally for
  ca. 32 whilst reduced damage to materials and to
  crops account for 4 and 0,0001 respectively
• total monetary benefits (linked to premature
  death) for the SEE countries (except Croatia)
  resulting from the summation of domestic efforts
  to comply with the EU acquis in the field of air.

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Benefits - Water
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Water Monetary assessment
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Waste Qualitative Assessment

• In general the region faces large problems with
• wild waste dumps and non-compliant landfills,
• the lack of a well organised waste collection
  system and lack of separate collection of waste
  streams
• lack of regional sanitary landfills and
• lack of decent hazardous waste management
• The need for the establishment of a well
  functioning waste stream data system and
  investments in public awareness raising events is
  a priority for all of the countries under
  investigation.

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Waste Qualitative Assessment
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Waste Quantitative Assessment
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Benefits from Nature Directives in SEE

• Environmental benefits
• Increased protected areas coverage from 6 to 13
  on average
• Increase in the level of protection eg of relict
  lakes ecosystems in Albania, FYROM and Kosovo
• Increased connectivity between protected areas
  eg reduced fragmentation in FYROM due to
  infrastructures, overuse of resources etc
• Reduced threats/risks to species and habitats eg
  wetlands destruction, intensive agriculture etc
  threatening birds in Kosovo
• Eco-system benefits eg reduced soil erosion from
  deforestation in Albania
• Improved environmental data especially in
  Kosovo and B-H

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Approach Nature benefits
Quality
1000
Further potential possible
1900
Pollution starts to have major effect on quality
Transformation of Europe to Agricultural economy
With EU Acquis
Reduced threats, improved mgt
Now
Designation of new areas as Natura 2000

• Qualitative benefits environmental social -
  economic
• Quantitative benefits expected increase in
  protected areas size
• Monetary benefits n/a

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Quantification size of protected areas

• Current level of protected areas from 0.5 (B-H)
  to 9 (Albania)
• Planned coverage from 10 (Kosovo/Serbia) to 16
  (B-H)
• Planned growth of 1.3 million ha new forests in
  Serbia
• Potential further increase of protected areas
  eg towards EU average 15-30

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Overall conclusions of the study

• Approximately 6050 equivalent cases of chronic
  bronchitis / 4475 fewer cases of premature death
  arising from lung cancer could be avoided per
  year
• Air benefits annual benefit 631 to 1.115
  million EUR,
• 55 to 94 of population benefiting from quality
  improvements of drinking water / 6.3 million
  households
• Drinking water quality benefits around 654
  million EUR/year
• Benefits of an improved surface water quality
  114 to 389 million EUR/year
• Total Water Benefits 750 - 893 million EUR/year
• Total benefits air and water 1,4 - 2 billion
  EUR/year
• Reduction of methane emissions from landfills 70
  - 191 ktonnes/year
• decrease in landfill disposal levels to around 64
  to 54 of the non-implementation levels.
• Level of nature protected areas increases from
  0.5 - 8 of the territory to about 10 - 16
• Level of management and protection expected to
  improve. The SEE countries will add to the wealth
  of EU biodiversity and ecosystems.

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Overall conclusions of the study

• Implementation of the EU environmental acquis
  leads to very important environmental, economic
  and social benefits for the SEE countries
• When comparing these benefits with the associated
  costs, careful interpretation is needed, taking
  into account qualitative, quantified and
  monetised benefits and the uncertainty margins
• Understanding of Benefits should help confirm
  priority for action.

• Results hopefully useful for
• National ministries of environment
• National ministries of health, labour and
  consumer protection
• Regional authorities
• For municipalities
• For inspectorates/enforcement agencies
• For the European commission - for a basis for
  dialogue
• Good for the environment with economic and
  social benefits
• Supporting move to EU accession

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Benefits of compliance with the acquis in the
potential candidate countries IEEP is an
independent not for profit institute dedicated to
advancing an environmentally sustainable Europe
through policy analysis, development and
dissemination. Thank you
Patrick ten Brink Institute for European
Environmental Policy (IEEP) www.ieep.eu Building
on work by the team Arcadis-Ecolas, IEEP,
Metroeconomica Enviro-L Priority
Environmental Investment Programme (PEIP) CARDS
Regional Regional Meeting for Senior Officials
from SEE and Donors Community 26th
November Brussels, Belgium