As the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) introduced new requirements and revisions for EU Member States with regard to waste management, such as new recycling and landfill targets for municipal waste and new requirements on waste prevention, the European Environment Agency (EEA) assists the Western Balkan countries' network in further developing their national waste policies. This action also lies within the scope of the European Green Deal, in which the Commission confirms that the ecological transition can only be fully effective when the EU's immediate neighbourhood also takes effective action.
The overall aim of this project is to support the implementation of the EU-funded action under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) strengthening the participation of the Western Balkan countries in the work of the EEA within the period 2020-2021.
The project involves the following objectives, out of which the Wuppertal Institute is particularly responsible for the thematic area of waste prevention:
- Mapping and analysing the status quo of the policies around municipal waste management and waste prevention in the Western Balkan countries,
- conducting a short regional analysis in order to identify the main challenges for municipal waste management in each country,
- mapping waste prevention initiatives and measures to understand the level of alignment,
- concluding on the progress made so far, and
- proposing policy options for further improvement of the current situation.