The Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova, today opened the official event for the launch of the twinning project financed by the EU: “Supporting the implementation of the legal framework for waste management and the extended producer responsibility system (EPR)”.
According to her, the project will enable the efficient and effective functioning of a modern and responsible industry for recycling and waste processing in the Republic of North Macedonia, in accordance with the principles of circular economy.
- Within this project, a professional, accountable and efficient system of extended producer responsibility should be developed, which will produce concrete results, while the capacities of competent authorities and other stakeholders for waste management will be strengthened through a modern system for recording and reporting – pointed out Shukova.
She also emphasized that, bearing in mind the strategic priority of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia for integration into the EU, the help we receive from the European Union will allow us professional and impartial legislation, availability of information to the public, participation of interested parties in the process of decision-making and quality risk assessment.
- If the assessment of the socio-economic impacts is added to this, it is clear that these are regulations that will allow maximum avoidance of negative effects on the environment and quality implementation of the environmental policy, in the direction of achieving the goals of sustainable development and circular economy – Minister Shukova said.
At the same time, Shukova added that for the successful realization of the projects and quality implementation of the environment policy, it is necessary to raise the professional capacities, as well as a professional, honest and responsible approach not only among civil servants, but also among the industry.
At today’s event, the Head of Cooperation in the EU Delegation in Skopje, Steffen Hudolin, the ambassador of Hungary, H.E. Andras Klein and the ambassador of Austria, H.E. Georg Voutsas, and important information about the meaning and impact of this project was shared by representatives from several participating institutions and other key stakeholders from the European Union.
The new twinning project, for a period of 24 months, will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia, in partnership with the Foundation for Climate Protection “Blue Planet” as the main partner and the Republic of Austria as a junior partner, and aims to made it possible to strengthen the extended producer responsibility system in our country.
The establishment of an EPR system in North Macedonia will ensure the correct treatment of all separate waste streams (packaging, WEEE, accumulators and batteries, textiles, tires, used vehicles and waste oils) and will result in optimal separate collection of the mentioned waste streams from unsorted municipal solid waste. The project aims to establish an independent institution, the Body for Balanced Responsibility of Producers, which will be expected to support, coordinate and ensure the effective cooperation of the collective actors in the country. The main objective of this body will be to enable equal working conditions for producers, traders, waste collectors and waste treatment plants, helping the proper implementation of legal provisions, thus ensuring a high level of transparency of the process.