2nd Annual Meeting Climate Component
Date: 15.01.2015
Place: Brussels, Belgium
Organizer: ECRAN Secretariat with EC TAIEX Unit
There is a need to start developing concrete climate policies fully aligned with EU Climate acquis and setting GHG
emission reduction targets in the context of EU 2020 Climate and Energy Package, the expected EU 2030 climate and
energy framework and the need to feed into the 2015 international climate agreement. At present the absence of
concrete targets and implementation roadmaps hamper the development of robust climate policies in the region.
ECRAN could provide a regional platform to start working on this topic.
So far we have received positive feedbacks from the ECRAN beneficiaries on the achievements under the ECRAN
Climate Component. This has been particularly true for the Working Group on EU’s Monitoring Mechanism
Regulation for greenhouse gases (MMR), where beneficiaries feel that ECRAN significantly contributes to capacity
building on the inventory processes. Capacity building on the EU ETS and other EU climate legislation was provided
through targeted workshops focusing on practical implementation of the so called Monitoring and Reporting
Regulation (MRR) and the Accreditation and Verification Regulation (AVR). ECRAN has also started the process of
adaptation planning in line with the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy and the National ECRAN Adapt Teams are now
working with us on developing appropriate steps towards the national adaptation planning. We have started a
process of policy and technical workshops on supporting the countries improved understanding and alignment with
the EU positions towards an international climate agreement in 2015. National teams are now working on building
their capacities to carry out practical modelling of emission scenarios, but also improving understanding on the
relevance of modelling, its implications, limitations and allowing for a better interpretation of the results. In some
countries ECRAN support has triggered drafting of legislative acts in line with climate acquis and a development of
follow up actions to be supported though the TAIEX instrument and/or though IPA. In 2014 we have jointly
implemented 14 capacity building actions such as technical training workshops, policy seminars, missions and study
visits on various topics as regards the EU climate policies and acquis.
The results of the meeting will be used as input for climate activities under the ECRAN Climate Component for which
the framework was already agreed during the first Annual Climate Meeting. We are proposing that the following
issues are addressed in this meeting:
- Appropriateness of planned actions under the ECRAN Climate Component and need for
improvements and/or adjustments;
- Maximising benefits and opportunities to be generated though the ECRAN Climate
Component: follow up actions and coordination with other initiatives;
- Agreement on proposed actions in the ECRAN Climate 2015 Workplan;
- Potential post 2015 ECRAN Climate activities.
Wider objective
The overall objective is to strengthen regional cooperation between the EU candidate countries and potential
candidates in the fields of environment and climate action and to assist them on their way towards the transposition
and implementation of the EU environmental and climate policies, political targets and instruments which is a key
precondition for EU accession.
Specific Objectives
This Working Group’s objective is to promote and establish an enabling environment for further development of
national climate policies converging with EU climate acquis.
The following results are expected for this Working Group:
- Enhanced capacity within the Environment Ministries and other relevant institutions to
implement specific policies and measures to converge with the EU climate change policy and
selected EU legislation
- Group of trained professionals on convergence with the EU climate change policy and legislation
- Climate change policies feature more prominently on the political agendas in the beneficiaries
- Strengthened regional network of experts
