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OVERVIEW

What is it?

A Country Environmental Profile (CEP) provides an analysis of the country environment and climate change context covering:

  • key environmental and climate related challenges and opportunities;
  • the way these are addressed in national policies and strategies;
  • an overview of how the EU and other international actors have been addressing these issues; and
  • the implications for future EU support and policy dialogue.

The primary objective of a CEP is to inform the programming, policy dialogue and programme implementation process from an environmental and climate change perspective. In addition, a CEP is a valuable reference document that provides a broad insight into the environmental and climate-related challenges of the country that can be used to inform the policy dialogue and the context analysis during identification and formulation of interventions, as well as the development of investment pipelines.

In the case of a Regional Environmental Profile (REP), the purpose is to inform the preparation of regional programming documents, and the focus is on environmental and climate-related challenges and opportunities that are best addressed at a regional level.


What can it be used for?

The primary objective of a CEP is to inform the programming process from an environmental and climate change perspective. In addition, a CEP is a valuable reference document that provides a broad insight into the environmental and climate-related challenges of the country that can be used to inform the context analysis during identification and formulation of interventions.


When can it be used?

As part of the programming cycle, preferably before the programming starts, the EU Delegation prepares an analysis of the country environmental and climate change context and of past and present EU support in relation with environment and climate change.

The analysis, which can take the form of a Country Environment Profile (CEP), covers the key environmental and climate-related challenges and opportunities, the way they are addressed in the national plans and policies, and the implications for future EU support and policy dialogue. The assessment informs the evaluation of the national policy documents on which the programming will be based, the policy dialogue, the preparation of the EU response (the Multiannual Indicative Programme), its implementation and its mid-term review.


Who can use it?

  • All EU staff involved in programming - Wherever feasible, the CEP should be prepared jointly with EU member states, in a Team Europe approach..


What are its strengths?

  • It provides concrete recommendations on opportunities for programming to address environmental and climate-related challenges and opportunities in the country and, insofar as they are available, in the selected sectors of cooperation.


What are its limitations?

  • Full-fledged CEPs and REPs require time and resources to be prepared, which can be a constraint in some delegations. Lighter versions of these documents can be prepared instead, when resources and/or time are a serious limitation.


PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Key elements

Preparation of a CEP or a REP implies comprehensive desk-top literature reviews and stakeholder consultations, ideally complemented by field visits to verify in situ key challenges and opportunities, as well as engage with local level stakeholders.


Requirements

The assignment will deliver the following results:

  • an assessment of the state of the environment and key environmental factors and trends, including those related to climate change, influencing the country’s sustainable development and stability;
  • an assessment of the main links between the state of the environment, climate change and human development in its multiple dimensions (e.g. income, consumption, health, education, security, vulnerability);
  • an assessment of national environmental, climate change and green transition policies and legislation/regulations, institutions and capacities, and the involvement of civil society in environmental and climate change matters (including areas relevant to the EU Green Deal and the transition to a green economy);
  • an assessment of available analyses on the potential impacts of increasing climate variability and climate change on different key sectors and the strategies and processes in place or under development to respond to them;
  • an assessment of the integration of environmental and climate change concerns in sustainable development policy and sectors (including an overview of existing institutional arrangements for mainstreaming at sector level);
  • an overview of past and ongoing international (including EU) relevant support in environment and climate change as an area for environmental and climate change action and integration at sector level;
  • recommendations and, as far as possible, guidelines or criteria for mainstreaming environmental and climate change (adaptation and mitigation) concerns in EU support focus areas. These recommendations should support the country programming and include guidance or criteria to be used for environmental and climate change integration and action in subsequent phases of the cycle of operations.


Time. The time can vary considerably depending on the size and complexity of the country, as well as on the need to organise field visits and their proximity. We could estimate that an average CEP could take some six weeks to complete.

Skills. A two-person team is normally considered. Knowledge of EU development cooperation procedures and of programming is fundamental for the Team Leader. A second expert would normally complement the skills of the Team Leader with regards to knowledge of relevant sectors and/or of the country/region.

Facilities and materials. N/A

Financial costs and resources. If external expertise is required, an estimated input of 45-55 person days can be foreseen for two experts (e.g. 25-30 for the Team Leader and 20-25 for a second expert). These inputs need to be adapted to the scope of the CEP/REP. Funds may come through EC instruments such as Framework contract or a Technical Cooperation Facility.

Tips and tricks

CEPs and REPs can provide more meaningful insight when the EU delegation has an idea about the sectors for their development cooperation, and thus the analysis can be more focused.


RESOURCES

Where to find it

Country Environmental Profile and Regional Environmental Profiles

Annex 3, Terms of reference for a Country Environmental Profile.

Annex 5 provides links to useful sources of data on environment, climate change and natural disasters risks, notably country/regional environmental and climate profiles/analyses and statistics.


Complementary guides, methodologies, tools and contact

C4D public group: Environment, Climate Change and Green Economy

Models of Terms of Reference for Country or Regional Environmental Profile,  Strategic Environmental Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment, Climate Risk screening

The Greening EU International Cooperation Toolbox (EC, 2024),

Support to greening EU cooperation: INTPA-GREENING-FACILITY@ec.europa.eu or NEAR-GREENING-FACILITY@ec.europa.eu

Last Update: December 2024