Donor: Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of RSM
Implementation time: 04/2020-11/2020
Budget: 250,000 MKD
Overall objective: Improved transparency of local inspection.
Specific objective 1: Survey of public opinion on the severity of pollution and the available ways for citizens to report pollution.
Specific objective 2: Standardization of the ways in which citizens can report pollution through the preparation of an appropriate legal act.
Specific objective 3: Facilitate the implementation of changes in environmental laws arising from the new Law on Inspection and Law on Misdemeanors by authorized environmental inspectors.
Specific objective 4: Informing the general public on ways to improve the transparency of inspections at the local level.
Short description: In order to improve inspections of pollutants, in 2019 the Law on Inspection and the Law on Misdemeanors were adopted. The conditions with the air quality and the pollution in general are of concern to the citizens, but they are not sufficiently informed how they can report pollution to the local inspectors. Therefore, this project analyzes the information of the citizens and their readiness to be included in the application in the City of Skopje and the municipalities of Bitola, Veles and Kumanovo. Then a rulebook for standardized reporting of citizens is prepared. On the other hand, the authorized inspectors in the municipalities are not familiar with all the legal changes related to their work, so there is a need to prepare a manual on the competencies of the authorized environmental inspectors. The project envisages a joint debate of local environmental inspectors, activists, citizens and the media, in order to inform each other and agree on improved cooperation in the future. The best example is the City Inspectorate in the City of Skopje, which has a Facebook page and other e-tools for reporting and monitoring pollution and dealing with it.
Results:
- Improved informing of citizens about pollution reports;
- Standardized procedures for acting of local environmental inspectors, upon citizens' reports;
- Implementation of new laws to improve inspection.
Products:
- Citizen Survey Questionnaire regarding pollution reporting;
- Development of a rulebook for standardized reporting of pollution by citizens;
- Preparation of a manual for the competencies of the authorized environmental inspectors, in accordance with the changes in the laws in the field of environment.