2.1.6. Greening implementation

2.1.6. Greening implementation

Background

It is during implementation that all the previous efforts to ensure a good integration of environment and climate change need to be put into practice. It is an obligation of the implementing partners to ensure strict compliance with the country’s environment and climate legislation at all stages of implementation. The measures proposed below seek to go beyond this obligation.

Entry points for implementation

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➡️ Complete environmental and climate impact/risk assessments

If an SEA, EIA and/or CRA were required, these should be completed in time to inform formulation; this is especially the case for SEA, which should inform the eligibility assessment for budget support and the design of budget support programmes.

In some cases, these assessments are prepared only during the action’s implementation. This can be the case for EIAs and CRAs concerning specific interventions that will be developed during implementation and which, if required under national legislation, must be submitted to the competent authority for development consent.

➡️ Ensure the contract/agreement for implementation fully reflects the environment and climate ambition of the action

The environment and climate ambition spelled out in the action document must be reflected in the contractual documents and agreements, in particular the detailed project description and logframe, including a description of what is expected from the implementing partners on these aspects. Safeguards and provisions necessary to ensure compliance with the national legislation and the DNH principle need to be put in place.

➡️ Encourage green procurement and the integration of environment and climate change in calls for proposals and technological choices

Opting for green and low carbon technologies and approaches in the implementation of the action provides further opportunities to maximise positive impacts. Implementing partners should be systematically encouraged to use green procurement and include environmental sustainability and climate change criteria in the contract’s implementation. Refer to Annex 11 on Greening Procurement.

Implementing partners should be systematically encouraged to include environmental sustainability criteria in calls for proposals (CfP). Refer to Annex 10 on Greening Calls for Proposals.

➡️ Ensure environment and climate change are integrated in project monitoring

The monitoring should include a focus on the achievement of environmental and climate-related outputs and outcomes and possible unintended negative impacts. Monitoring not only offers an opportunity to realign the project/programme in case the information collected shows unsatisfactory performance, but it also allows to identify new opportunities to enhance environmental and climate performance by ensuring that the action:

• delivers its expected contributions to environmental sustainability, climate resilience and low-carbon development in an effective and efficient manner;
• does not create unexpected environmental impacts that could have been avoided;
• minimises residual impacts, restores the damaged environment and implements any agreed offsets and nature-positive actions;
• does not support maladaptation or unsustainable practices, create, or increase climate vulnerability;
• is not jeopardised by climate change or environmental degradation;
• monitors risks related to the above and undertakes appropriate remedial action as necessary;
• is not infringing domestic environmental laws and regulations.

Environmental and climate indicators in the action’s monitoring system should be related to environmental status, pressure factors, environmental effects and response measures (see DPSIR framework in Annex 9). Response measures potentially include those implemented by the action, interpreted in light of EU pre-identified indicators (GERF indicators). EIAs, CRAs and EMPs can also be used as tools to identify relevant environmental and climate indicators for the action.

• Selecting an indicator implies that sources of environmental and climate information should be available, at least at project level (notably, when the indicator is not part of a national data system).
• It may be useful to determine threshold criteria which trigger the consideration of remedial action^[18]. Remedial action can be undertaken at the planning and/or implementation level.

The monitoring system should also be designed to foresee dialogue on potential contributions of the action to environmental and climate impacts. The availability of quality data can substantially improve learning regarding the relationship between the intervention, the environment and climate change.

Annex 9 presents additional guidance on indicators.

Environment and climate change can be reflected in the result-oriented monitoring (ROM) reviews. For example, they can be used to tackle potential design weaknesses (e.g. to strengthen climate or environmental integration in the intervention monitoring system); give external advice on specific shortcomings and needs (e.g. related to the improvement of climate resilience or disaster risk management, the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, or addressing equal access to natural resources); support lessons learnt and the design of future actions.

ROM review questions under the eight monitoring criteria with a focus on environment, climate change and disaster risk reduction are found mainly under the sustainability criteria and cross-cutting issues^[19]. Yet the ROM handbook also relates the effectiveness criteria to environmental and climate issues^[20]. Notably, the review should consider the influence of the intervention on the partner’s environmental policies. It should also consider the intervention’s unintended positive or negative environmental and climate impacts.

➡️ Implement the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Climate Risk Management Plan (CRMP)

If an EIA and/or a CRA were completed for the project/action, it must be ensured that the corresponding Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and/or Climate Risk Management Plan (CRMP) are reflected in the relevant contractual documents, as well as in the project/programme monitoring system. The EMP and CRMP specify measures to avoid, mitigate or compensate adverse impacts on the environment and climate, and to manage climate risks. They specify how these will be monitored to verify their implementation and effectiveness.

National partners and implementing organisations are responsible for monitoring compliance with the EMP and CRMP. During the support period, EU Delegations receive monitoring reports, and thus have an opportunity to provide additional support to strengthen national monitoring systems. Once support operations have stopped, the EU Delegation is (in principle) no longer party to the compliance monitoring of environmental and climate-related conditions. Consequently, it is crucial that the national partner’s capacity to monitor is built during the implementation period.

➡️ When implementing a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

If an SEA was completed for the sector strategy that will be supported and/or for the corresponding EU support programme, the SEA recommendations can be taken up in the delegation’s policy dialogue with the partner government.

If the action will support the development or updating of a sector strategy in an environmentally sensitive sector (see Annex 4), an SEA should be foreseen as one of the activities, in which case the SEA will be prepared during implementation.

➡️ Score markers at contract level

A DAC form must be completed at the level of contracts. This includes the aid to environment and DRR policy markers as well as the four Rio markers. Unless there are specific reasons to score the markers otherwise, the marker scores at contract level should be aligned to those of the decision.

Guidance on policy and Rio markers is available in Annex 2.

References

^[18] e.g. in the context of a water delivery project, minimal level of water quality.

^[19] Notably, Question 7.3 on environmental constraints and opportunities, thereby also dealing with environmental sustainability; Question 7.4 on the contribution to EU climate change commitments; Question 7.5 on the application of the Do No Harm principle, inequality and governance, (including on the management of natural resources).

^[20] See ROM Handbook.