PHARE TWINNING RO2006/IB/EN/10 – Support to the National Environmental Guard (NEG) to strengthening its capacity on inspection and control

Location: Romania, National Environmental Guard: national, regional and county Commissariats

Duration: December 2008 – December 2009

Budget Project: € 600.000,00

The National Environmental Guard (NEG)  is a specialized body, under the subordination of the Ministry of Environment and Water Management, for inspection and control, with a specific statute and responsibilities for the implementation of the Government environmental policy. NEG through inspection and control activities ensures the compliance with legal legislation provisions in the field of environmental protection (forestry, fisheries, game, waters, soil, air, biodiversity and industrial pollution control and risk management).

Overall Objective:

Strengthening the institutional capacities and capabilities (administrative, technical and juridical) of the National Environmental Guard in enforcement of the environmental acquis.

Twinning purpose:

The proposed project aimed to support the National Environmental Guard (NEG) and its national, regional and local level structures, with their day-to-day responsibilities and functions related to the enforcement of the environmental acquis in the following fields: IPPC, SEVESO II, VOCs, Chemicals, LCP, WEEE management, water management, nature protection and GMOs.

Results

• Strengthened NEG’s institutional capacities and technical performances at national, regional and local (subordinated) levels, good institutional management and technical performances of staff  through covering the gaps in methodology, knowledge, and skills of trained commissars;

• NEG staff from regional and local level involved in inspection and control activities trained on issues related to: IPPC, SEVESO II, VOCs, Chemicals, LCP, WEEE management, nature protection, water management and GMOs.

Main Activities

Institutional Capacity

• To make recommendations to optimise the institutional capacity; up-date training needs assessment (gap filling);
• To elaborate HR strategy on present and future personnel development;

Operational duties/Inspection and control:

• To develop methods and techniques to be used during inspection and control activities;
• Complete additional guidelines in the process of inspection and control;

Reporting and international representation

• Complete methods and rules for ensuring, as empowered by the central public authority for environmental protection, close links with European Environmental Agency, with EU Member States national environmental agencies, and with other specialized bodies from our country or from abroad and for elaborating synthesis reports in order to answer to national and international duties, within the competencies given by the central public authority for environmental protection;

Training

• Complete training programme plans for the personnel belonging to national, regional and local Commissariats based on the annual programme approved by the central public authority for environmental protection.
  • Site visits: inspections and thematic controls developed on-the-spot in order to verify different kind of installations; support to staff in developing a practical trial, for the most representative ‘case-study’ in the region; NEG’s inspectors can practice their enforcement skills and the systematic approach in accompaniment with experienced  enforcement experts.
  • Train-the-trainer sessions: working with role plays, working with cases, working by plan; the trainer is able to train other NEG-staff-member in the skills in theory and practice.
  • Study visits: aim to give to commissars a picture of technical problems, solutions or used techniques and the way of working of the MS inspectors.