The National Environmental Investment Strategy (NEIS) is a sectoral national strategy document covering the period of 2009-2013. Its main objective is to address those areas of environment in which the government considers that active investment is needed. It does not address other legislative and policy aspects of environmental protection. The NEIS promotes achieving sustainable economic and social development goals through increased cooperation and the implementation of integrated management in the environmental sector. It notes that the areas in which by far the greatest investments are needed in order to achieve compliance with EU’s environmental legislation are integrated pollution prevention and control as well as water, wastewater and waste management. The other sectors covered by the NEIS are industrial hotspots, air quality management, climate protection and nature protection. The NEIS discusses these areas first introducing the EU legislation that need to be complied with and then developing strategies and investment allocations to the same end. Among these areas, the document touches upon the issue of water management. Specifically, it notes that the National Water Strategy, the Water Master Plan and the respective river basin management plans must be put in place in the forthcoming period as an important prerequisite for the necessary planning and further reform of existing institutions at the national, regional and local level, as well as for the building of new institutions (such as, river basin management bodies). Water supply (rehabilitation in urban areas and the extension of existing systems or the establishment of new systems in rural and remote areas) is the main priority in the period 2009 to 2013. In terms of its implementation, the NEIS proposes to establish an inter-ministerial working group composed of technical experts who will be included in the prioritisation process and the selection of projects.
الشمالية مقدونيا · 2009-03-01