Lithuanian and Austrian institutions jointly submitted the proposal that won the EU Twinning Program project in Palestine. The objective of this project is to strengthen and improve the integration of Palestinian environmental and climate change aspects into the national development strategy and other policy areas.
"The mitigation of climate change impacts is of utmost importance in our policy agenda today. We are delighted to collaborate with Palestinian experts and share our extensive experience in shaping and effectively implementing national climate change management strategies, selecting efficient directions, and executing actions for various sectors," stated Dainius Kazlauskas, the project leader.
Valued at 1.5 million euros, the project will be implemented by the Environmental Projects Management Agency (EPMA) under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, in collaboration with the Central Project Management Agency and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation, and Technology. Additionally, the project will involve the Environmental Agency, the Climate and Health Competence Centre, and the National Public Health Institute.
The two-year project is scheduled to commence this autumn. During its implementation, the current integration of environmental and climate change aspects into other policy areas will be assessed, and guidelines for their integration will be prepared. European experts will support in transferring aspects of environmental and climate change management policies into selected national strategies, making necessary adjustments when required.
"We anticipate several challenges as this marks the first EU Twinning project coordinated in the field of environmental protection in the Middle East. Nevertheless, a harmoniously balanced consortium of European environmental leaders will ensure the successful progress of the project and contribute to solving any inevitable problems that may arise," said D. Kazlauskas.
The EU Twinning Program facilitates the cooperation between related institutions from different countries, strengthens the administrative capacity of beneficiary countries, and helps them implement necessary reforms. The winning project in Palestine is the 136th Twinning Program project that will be implemented by Lithuanian institutions.
