June 1, 2012. Source: EU info centre

The Support to Reform and Environmental Governance (StREG) programme, funded by the European Union with an €8 million grant, was launched on 31 May in Lebanon. This programme aims at improving environmental governance, and more specifically at creating an effective capacity at the Ministry of Environment in order to plan and implement environmental policies, including enforcement and mainstreaming through coordination with other key line-ministries.

Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst, the Head of the EU Delegation in Lebanon, indicated that “with an €8 million support from the European Union, the goal of this StREG programme is to give further impetus to improving environmental governance in  Lebanon. Why? Because we believe that a strong environmental legal framework is a prerequisite for sustainable development.
The main expected results of the programme are:
– the strengthening of environmental inspection and enforcement;
– the improvement of the Ministry of Environment’s administrative capacity;
– the development of fiscal instruments;
– the enhancement of environmental policy in Lebanon.

The national supervisor of the programme will be the Ministry of Environment, which will deal with technical preparation and coordination of implementation. The contracting authority will be the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.