The document summarizes EU-Central Asia cooperation on environmental governance and climate change. It discusses (1) the EURECA program's 4 components for environmental cooperation, (2) the EU-Central Asia Platform on Environment and Water, and (3) the Working Group on Environmental Governance and Climate Change, which provides guidance and recommendations to strengthen cooperation. The WECOOP project supported this working group and platform through activities like engaging civil society, sharing environmental data, and developing recommendations on issues like climate change and green economies. Upcoming events include the working group's 4th meeting in Tashkent and a 5th EU-Central Asia high-level meeting on environment and water in Milan.

1. EU-Central Asia cooperation:
The WG on Environmental Governance
and Climate Change as a mechanism
for its implementation
Massimo Cozzone
Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea
Green Bridge Forum:
Riga, 15-18 April 2015

2. Structure of the presentation
• The EURECA Programme – 4 components
• The Platform on Environment and Water
• The operational mechanisms
• The WECOOP project
• The recommendations of the WG on EGCC
• Next steps

3. 3
Identifies seven thematic areas of cooperation
between the EU and Central Asia with three of
these identified as ‘pillars’ of intensified
policy dialogue and enhanced cooperation
The EU-Central Asia ‘Strategy for a New
Partnership’

4. Environment is one of the priority of the EU Strategy
for CA and of EU-CA cooperation
Implemented through a set of initiatives laid out in
the EU Regional Environmental Programme for
Central Asia (EURECA), a EU funded programme
which consists of 4 components
Italy is leading country for the coordination of the
environment and water pillar
4
Environment pillar

5. 5
The four EURECA components
Component 1: WECOOP: Regional Coordination and Support
for enhanced EU-CA regional cooperation on
Environment and Water.
Component 2: FLERMONECA: Forestry and Biodiversity
Governance, including Environmental
Monitoring.
Component 3: WMBOCA: Water Management and Basin
Organisation in Central Asia.
Component 4: AWARE: Targeted Awareness Raising for
Enhanced EU-CA Partnership

6. The Platform on Environment and Water
• Adopted at the 3rd High Level Meeting between EU
and Central Asia: Rome, 5-6 November 2009
• Main priorities identified:
– environmental governance
– climate change
– water
• Operational mechanisms set up

7. The operational mechanisms
• Water: make use of the EU Water Initiative
EECCA Working Group, chaired by Romania
• Environmental Governance and Climate
Change: new Working Group (WG on EGCC)
Three meetings:
– Brussels: 26 October 2010
– Almaty: 13-14 September 2012
– Almaty: 11-12 June 2014

8. 8
From the ToR approved at the first meeting:
‘to strengthen policy dialogue and cooperation at regional level
and to provide guidance on cooperation activities between the
European Union and Central Asia countries …’
To work in synergy with other donors, international financial
institutions, international organizations, regional bodies and
representatives of civil society
Working Group on Environmental Governance
and Climate Change

9. Development Objective: to promote and support enhanced
regional cooperation on environment and water both
between EU and Central Asia and within Central Asia.
Ended in July 2014
EURECA Component 1: the WECOOP project
Regional Coordination and Support for EU-Central
Asia Enhanced Regional Cooperation on Environment
and Water

10. ‘To support the development, effectiveness and
visibility of the Environment and Water
Cooperation Platform aiming at facilitating
enhanced regional cooperation both between the
EU and Central Asia and within Central Asia’.
One of the main priorities of the project is to ensure
continuity and coordination of actions, and to provide
further advancement in the areas that have already
been initiated in beneficiary countries, earlier
projects and other initiatives
10
Project Purpose

11. 11
WECOOP project elements
• The EU-CA Platform for Cooperation on Environment and
Water: technical and logistical support to the EU-Central
Asia Working Group on Environmental Governance and
Climate Change and the EU-CA High-Level Conferences
• Strengthening of institutional and development capacities
of the regional institutions
• Communication/mapping/networking

12. 12
WEBSITE: WWW.WECOOP-PROJECT.ORG

13. 13
• Environmental mainstreaming
• Building green economies
• Engaging with civil society
• Pilot projects
• Environmental information and data sharing
(SEIS)
• Climate change
• Improving tools and processes (governance)
The recommendations of the WG on EGCC

14. Next steps
• 4th meeting of the Working Group
on EGCC: Tashkent, 8-9 July, 2015
• 5th High Level Meeting EU-CA on
Environment and Water (Milan,
EXPO, October 2015)

15. 15
• The current policy context: Environment Governance , Water
and Climate Change
• Thematic segment: green economy: pilot projects, climate
change
• Cooperation and synergies with international partners and
NGOs
• Shaping up the EURECA Phase II Programme
4th meeting of the WG on EGCC
Tashkent, 8-10 June, 2015

16. Thank you for the attention
cozzone.massimo@minambiente.it