Events

MINSK, 8 October (BelTA) - The European Union is one of the key partners of Belarus in environmental protection, including in terms of advanced technologies, best methods and experience of their implementation, Belarus’ First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Protection Iya Malkina said at the 7th round of Belarus-the EU environmental consultations, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

The joint efforts are aimed at addressing the environmental challenges in the country and, as a result, creating a favorable environment in the region as a whole. Over the years of cooperation, sophisticated equipment has been purchased and installed in various sectors. A system for waste collection, sorting and disposal and retrieval of secondary material resources has been developed for two districts (Kobrin and Mosty) and is being applied in other districts.

Iya Malkina said that these projects do not get frozen once the EU financing is over. They continue to evolve with replication throughout the country. This proves that the two parties have chosen the right priorities of cooperation, that the European Union funds are used efficiently and that Belarus has the potential to continue the initiatives.

The environmental protection has been named priority of the EU's cooperation with Belarus in 2014-2017.

When discussing prospects of cooperation Iya Malkina noted that Belarus has its focus on the relationship of the environment and human health and attaches particular importance to environment monitoring.

She expressed interest in cooperation in such areas as the use of systems for the assessment of natural capital and ecosystem services; development of economic arguments and tools for stimulating investment in environmental technologies; promotion of environmentally sustainable urban planning using the EU experience; the development of financial mechanisms for attracting business in the green economy, in particular, the development of eco-tourism.