The EU-funded Clima East policy project organised a closing conference in Brussels on 25 April. Representatives of the ministries of environment, ecology and nature protection of the project’s six partner countries participated in the conference, as well as European Commission representatives. High-level delegates from both government and civil society learned about the concrete achievements of the project, especially in supporting partner countries in their preparation for the Paris Agreement.
The Clima East policy project’s aim has been to use targeted inputs to support the Eastern Partner countries, so that they are better equipped for greenhouse gas reductions and better prepared to deal with climate change impacts.
Experts discussed how the project had improved various aspects relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including dialogue between partner countries and the European Union, national climate policies and engagement with international processes, modelling and vulnerability assessment for climate policy, and measuring, reporting and verification.
Speaking at the conference, Niels Schuster, Policy officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action, said: “195 countries came together to negotiate and agree the first legally binding agreement on climate change in Paris in 2015. I’m glad that the six partner countries signed the agreement and that four have already ratified with the other two well advanced. The Clima East policy project has been involved in this historical process, including work on measuring, reporting and verification (MRV), the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as well as supporting countries in the preparing their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) and assistance on long-term adaptation processes.”
