InTER participated at a panel organised as a part of an advocacy platform "Empirica

On Wednesday, 18 May 2016, Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER) and Wake Up Club organized a panel as a part of an advocacy platform "Empirica", financed by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS). A joint initiative was presented at the panel, as a result of research carried out in projects implemented by InTER - "Policy Dialogue for Environmental Protection and Development Action" and funded by the EU Office in Kosovo, and Wake Up Club - "EKOPATROLA Ibar", funded by KFOS.

The initiative called "Eco Euro for Eco City" aims at contributing to the sustainable financing of projects in the field of environmental protection, i.e. better implementation of the Law on Road and Environmental Taxes. The action plan includes initiating a public debate on this subject, send concrete proposals to the Ministry of Finance and advocacy at central and local levels.

The backbone of the initiative consists of the following: Submitting a proposal for practical policy to the Ministry of Finance in order to include specific recommendations for allocation of budget funds to finance green projects and programs.

The panelists included:
1. Ismail Hetemaj, Head of Section for Nature Protection in the Department for Environmental Protection, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning;
2. Naim Arifaj, Administrative Manager of the Regional Environment Centre (REC);
3. Prof. dr Jelena Đokić, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Priština temporarily located in Kosovska Mitrovica and UNDP Advisor to the Mayor of Zvečan;
4. Milica Đorđević, Project Manager, Wake Up Club;
5. Marija Milenković, Project Manager, Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER).

The panelists pointed out the necessity of establishing sustainable financial instruments for projects in the field of environmental protection, given that until now international donors provided the biggest support. Mr. Hetemaj has supported the initiative and offered his Ministry’s assistance in the advocacy for the recommendation to the Ministry of Finance. Given that the development of local environmental action plans (LEAP) in the northern municipalities is ongoing, Mr. Arifaj pointed out the possibility of including the problems in this strategic document. Professor Djokic expressed satisfaction that young people are engaged in the protection of the environment, and evaluated the initiative as a textbook example of advocacy based on empirical evidence. She also called on civil society organizations to exert pressure on local authorities, in order to prioritize the projects in this area.