Communication from the EC: External Action: Thematic Programme For Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

External Action: Thematic Programme For Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy

1. INTRODUCTION

In an effort to rationalise and simplify the current legislative framework governing external actions of the Community, the European Commission has proposed a set of six new instruments under the Financial Perspectives 2007 to 2013. Three of the instruments (for humanitarian aid, for stability and for macro-financial assistance) are of a horizontal nature and will respond to particular needs and circumstances. The other three (for pre-accession assistance, for supporting the European neighbourhood and partnership policy and for development cooperation and economic cooperation) are designed to implement specific policies and have a defined geographical coverage. In future, these instruments will provide the basic legislative acts for Community expenditure in support of external cooperation programmes, including appropriate thematic programmes, and will replace, inter alia , the existing thematic regulations.

According to these proposals, thematic programmes provide distinctive value added and comprise activities complementing geographical programmes, which continue to be the privileged framework for Community cooperation with third countries.[1]

The Commission has committed itself to entering into discussions with the European Parliament and the Council on the scope, objectives and priorities of each thematic programme, on the basis of formal communications to both Institutions. The result of this process will provide policy guidelines for the subsequent stages of programming, notably the external thematic strategy papers to be drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the above instruments.

A thematic programme for the environment and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy, is proposed to address the environmental dimension of development and other external policies as well as to help promote the European Union’s environmental and energy policies abroad.

Following a consultation process, a number of suggestions from civil society have been incorporated in the thematic programme.

2. CONTEXT

2.1. Supporting the Environment and the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, including Energy, outside the EU’s borders

In the last 50 years the world’s population has almost trebled and humans have changed eco-systems extensively to meet the growing demand for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. There have been substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development but, as a result of human pressures, two thirds of the planet’s key ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably and present an obstacle to achieving the MDGs, as demonstrated by the recent Millennium Ecosystems Assessment[2].

Further population growth of 2 billion is predicted by 2030 and combined with the long-term economic growth rate needed to pull everyone out of extreme poverty, could result in the world economy growing fourfold by 2050[3]. It is essential to ensure that natural resources are used sustainably so that production and consumption patterns do not exceed the earth’s capacity to supply resources or absorb the wastes and emissions generated by such growth. This will be a fundamental challenge for the world community, and especially for the emerging economies and developing countries including in the context of energy where international cooperation is critical given current pressure on existing resources and threats to global energy supply security.

Environmental problems do not respect political frontiers and globalisation is increasing the need to treat environmental issues in an international context. Sustainable development in Europe requires a concern for and active engagement in the sustainable development of the rest of the planet. The EU also supports environmental protection and the sustainable management of natural resources as part of its efforts to strengthen the social dimension of globalisation.

The EU has taken the lead in reaching international agreement on environmental commitments, and has been very conscious of the need to help developing countries fulfil their resulting obligations. Many are embodied in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (see Annex 1).

Indeed, the environment matters particularly to people living in poverty. The poor depend directly on a wide range of natural resources and ecosystem services for their livelihoods, and hence on the sustainable management of resources such as water, energy, soils, forests, wetlands, wildlife and fish stocks, and are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards. Air and water pollution affect the lives of urban populations in particular. Livelihoods can be enhanced by ensuring continued and equitable access to natural resources, including sustainable energy, and by preventing environmental degradation; health can be improved by enhancing air and water quality, safely managing waste water, chemicals and wastes, and combating pollution; while vulnerability can be reduced by mitigating environmental hazards, adapting to climate change, securing sustainable energy supply, conserving the biodiversity on which the poor depend in times of stress and addressing resource-based conflicts. The adverse effects of climate change will increase the vulnerability of the poor and will therefore need to be fully integrated into all aspects of development planning. The key challenges most relevant to the thematic programme are summarised in Annex 2.

2.2. EU and EC policy for the environment and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy

The EU Sustainable Development Strategy, which is currently under review, aims to bring about a high level of economic prosperity, social equity and cohesion, and environmental protection, and sets out key international objectives, namely: poverty eradication, combating social exclusion, promoting health, making globalisation work for sustainable development, achieving sustainable patterns of production and consumption, sustainably managing natural and environmental resources, and strengthening governance for sustainable development.

The recent European Consensus on Development[4] (also referred to as Development Policy Statement or DPS) commits the EU to providing more and better aid. It sets the eradication of poverty in the context of sustainable development, including pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, as the primary and overarching objective of EU development cooperation. Environmental sustainability is MDG 7, and both environmental care and sustainable energy are crucial to many of the other MDGs. Support for the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources, as well as water and energy, are two of the nine key areas for Community development cooperation. It is recognised that developing countries need a long-term integrated approach to energy supply and demand, in which renewable energy and energy efficiency play a key role. The Consensus stressed the need for stronger environmental mainstreaming across EC development efforts and for helping developing countries integrate environment into their development strategies. The role of Community aid in promoting coherence between development policy and other EU policies, including the environment, is highlighted.

The Consensus stresses the EU’s determination to assist developing countries in achieving the objectives agreed at the UN conferences, including the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development and implementing Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs). It draws particular attention to the challenge of climate change in the context of development cooperation. It notes the added value of Community contributions to global initiatives linked to the MDGs and global public goods and agrees to consider these on a case by case basis. The important commitments taken in the Consensus are also reflected in other key recent policy documents, including the Strategy for Accelerating Progress towards Attaining the MDGs.

The EU launched important initiatives at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, including the Water Initiative (EUWI), the Energy Initiative (EUEI) COOPENER[5], the external dimension of the EC programme “Intelligent Energy Europe[6], the Johannesburg renewable energy Coalition and the Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). These have promoted EU coordination, encouraged policy dialogue with developing countries and emerging economies, civil society and the private sector, and contributed to a range of programmes and actions.

Environmental policy at the Community level is set out in the 6th Environmental Action Programme[7]. This identifies four priorities: tackling climate change, protecting nature and biodiversity, contributing to health and the quality of life, and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and management of wastes. It highlights a number of strategic approaches, including the integration of environmental policy in all other Community policies and involving stakeholders in decision-making. This approach has helped the EU to take the lead internationally in strengthening global environmental governance, reaching agreement on MEAs, establishing less formal international processes and pressing for mutual supportiveness between trade, external relations, development and environment policies worldwide.

The European Union’s energy policy has three main objectives aimed at attaining sustainable development. These are: to give consumers competitive energy prices by increasing competition in energy markets, to ensure security of energy supplies, and to reduce the energy system’s environmental impact to acceptable levels. Achieving these objectives requires (1) enhanced dialogue and cooperation with the EU partner countries and regions, on combating climate change and securing energy supplies; (2) the integration of energy considerations in development and poverty reduction efforts; and (3) strengthened policy co-ordination and coherence, as well as support to capacity building for energy decision makers.

The 2004 Enlargement and forthcoming enlargement rounds including the accession of Bulgaria and Romania had and will have important implications for EU environmental policy towards neighbouring states and energy relations with them. Under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) environment and energy cooperation takes on a particular importance given our shared resources and ecosystems. The EU encourages all of the Union’s neighbours to take up their full responsibility for improving the environment and to contribute to meeting international environmental objectives.

To be successful, this thematic programme will rely on a good scientific knowledge base, building of capacity to apply new knowledge and promote innovation, and the involvement of scientists and institutions from partner countries, in particular developing countries. Successive EU Research Framework Programmes have helped to provide this foundation, especially through the International Science and Technology Cooperation Programme (INCO).

2.3. Past experience and lessons learned

2.3.1. Overview of current instruments

The EC currently finances programmes on tropical forests, the environment, international environmental processes, and energy in various ways.

A budget line for tropical forests and the environment in developing countries has provided €249 million in support of sustainable forest management and €93 million for environmental protection over the period 2000-2006. Funds have been focused on innovative and strategic pilot actions.

A recent evaluation of the budget line concluded that lessons learned from projects should contribute to the national policy dialogue, and be used as a basis for the programming of EC country and regional aid and stressed that further efforts were needed to improve take up. The evaluation noted the need to establish long-term policy dialogue with governments, to ensure that the environment and forests are fully integrated into PRSPs and CSPs[8]. The evaluation also highlighted the need for flexibility to finance emerging priorities and EU policy initiatives, such as the EU Action Plan on Climate Change and Development and the EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT).

Additional support of €53 million between 2000 and 2006 is being provided through the LIFE-Third Countries Programme, which aims to establish capacities and administrative structures and support environmental policy and action programmes in third countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.

The four-year (2003-2006) Intelligent Energy – Europe programme has an external component, “COOPENER”, established as part of the EU Energy Initiative, which has been used to create an enabling regulatory policy, planning and institutional environment for the provision of energy in support of the MDGs. An ex ante evaluation[9] of the programme highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and multi-disciplinary project teams that will be stimulated through the COOPENER funded projects, as well as the fact that the critical role of energy in development and poverty eradication has been largely overlooked in the recent past.

2.3.2. Lessons from the wider international context: the need for leadership, greater coherence, coordinated EU action and the implementation of commitments

Support for MEAs and other international environmental processes is provided, inter alia, from the €8 million p.a. International Environment budget line. Together with much larger support from the MS, the EC’s assistance has financed over 50% over the core costs and even more of the additional work of the Conventions. Thus, EU funding has been crucial in putting the international environmental architecture in place. That task is now largely done, although continuing support will be needed for governance structures and global environment assessment.

The focus has moved to implementation, which requires resources of a completely different magnitude. The EU will continue to play a key role in the multilateral context.

Although less affluent countries may be strongly committed to internationally agreed objectives, structural barriers, market failures and resource and capacity constraints frequently stand in the way of national implementation. Even when environmental objectives are integrated into national strategies for achieving the MDGs, they do not feature prominently enough to ensure that modest investments are made in insuring against expensive environmental degradation. Moreover, the benefits of environmental protection tend to be long-term and it is difficult to reconcile them with the short planning horizons dictated by poverty.

If the Union wants to extend its international leadership to promoting implementation, it will need to fit greater support for environmental protection and sustainable resource management including energy into Europe’s expanding aid budgets. Support could be provided entirely by the Member States but experience suggests that the EC provides a very appropriate channel. The EU has long proved to be effective in negotiating ambitious environmental and sustainable resource management objectives in international processes. However, there has been less coordination to promote implementation in partner countries. The expertise of MS and the Commission has not been pooled and there has been no visible critical mass of effective EU support. Greater EU coordination is certainly required and greater EC financial involvement would facilitate this.

This does not mean that the EC is the only joint channel. The Global Environmental Facility was established precisely as a joint initiative to help developing countries meet the incremental costs of providing global benefits. However, the latest replenishment negotiations have shown that EU MS want to do more than certain other donors. Moreover, the GEF has a precise mandate and does not cover all important issues.

Innovative and flexible funding mechanisms are urgently required in particular to promote the transfer of environmentally sound technologies. For example, there is interest in using public resources and ODA as levers to attract more resources from the private sector, development banks and financial institutions through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Recent experience from the EUEI, COOPENER and JREC shows that the EU can provide valuable assistance in developing countries and regions as well as in emerging economies, by establishing flexible financial support instruments which complement the approaches that have been put in place in recent years by other donors. This has proved to be effective in enhancing the integration of energy into development polices and strategies and improving coherence.

2.4. Rationale for a thematic approach

Country and regional programmes are the prime instruments for cooperation with third countries, and most support for the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources, including energy, should be channelled through them. This applies especially for issues that are local or regional in nature.

However, a thematic approach is an essential tool for a more coordinated, coherent and effective EU approach and offers great scope to complement and add value to the geographical instruments through:

- A specific focus on issues that are clearly identified as global priorities and the possibility of promoting global public goods and combating global public bads which are difficult to tackle through geographical programmes. This includes political visibility in support of high-profile activities.

- Provision of an effective coordinated means of promoting the EU’s own policy priorities by allowing the EU to play a fuller role in international organisations, environmental and energy initiatives, processes and partnerships and provide operational support to Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other organisations.

- Coverage of all partner countries, except the pre-accession and potential candidate countries, thus making it possible to fund transboundary, regional, interregional, subregional and global initiatives, and to support policy dialogue at regional, inter-regional and global level.

- A flexible programming cycle, offering the ability to adapt and adopt approaches that differ from those commonly used in the geographical instruments. It includes flexibility in the choice of implementing partners, allowing partnerships with community-based organisations, research organisations, civil society, the private sector and international bodies and organisations.

- The possibility to enhance the integration of the environment and energy into development policies/strategies and planning. This includes support for the potential for pursuing and scaling-up of innovative actions as solutions to complex challenges, as a first step towards integrating such activities in geographical aid instruments.

Finally, a thematic approach is also needed where objectives cannot be achieved through country and regional programmes, for example in post-conflict situations.

The thematic programme should lead to actions in partner countries and regions which are additional to and coherent with actions funded under the geographical instruments. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance that the existence of a thematic programme is not taken as justification to leave aside the environment, natural resources and energy when programming country and regional strategies . Particular attention should be given to the need to integrate both the mitigation of and the adaptation to climate change, as well as sustainable energy options in geographical programmes to promote long-term economic viability and environmental sustainability of EU support.

3. THEMATIC PROGRAMME

3.1. Scope of the programme

While the bulk of the resources available under the Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation Instrument will have a development focus, the proposed new external policy instruments will also be used to promote the EU’s other policies abroad. The DCECI and the ENPI will both be used to fund this thematic programme.

The programme will support measures that address the environmental dimension of external policy, especially development policy, and promote the EU’s environmental and sustainable energy policy abroad. The programme will cover all geographical regions except the pre-accession and potential candidate countries. The main focus will be on global actions and measures in developing countries, complemented by actions in emerging economies, and, to a very limited extent, industrialised countries through policy dialogue and coalition-building.

The thematic programme will also support central policy dialogue, coordination, analysis, and consultation functions of existing and new EU policy initiatives, including the EUWI, EUEI, JREC and FLEGT.

Consideration will be given to the scope for involving the thematic programme in global initiatives, and funds related to global public goods.

Regular contributions to the core costs of MEAs to which EC is a Party will not be financed under the thematic programme but will continue to be paid through a separate budget line under the External Heading.

3.2. Programming principles

Measures under the thematic programme will be based on the following guiding principles:

- Subsidiarity and complementarity , with geographical programmes as explained in the rationale for a thematic programme above. Coordination and joint work with MS and other donors will be very important.

- Coherence at internal and external level, in line with the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness.

- Partnership , by working with a wide range of inter-governmental, state and non-state actors at global, regional, national or local level.

- Consultation , including involving civil society and the private sector in the process of multi-annual programming, and through dialogue on new developments and trends.

- Innovation and dissemination , with support for innovative policies, strategies and approaches and appropriate ways for their dissemination and replication.

- Cross-cutting issues will be taken into account. Women, children and indigenous people are particularly affected by environmental degradation, unsustainable natural resource use and lack of access to sustainable and affordable energy services. Democracy and respect for human rights and equal opportunities between men and women help effective environmental advocacy while good governance is a prerequisite for balancing the pillars of sustainable development.

- Conflict prevention and resolution. Natural resources (including energy resources) are a growing source of regional conflicts which threatens social and environmental stability. These conflicts can have a global effect (amongst other effects) as they may impact our energy supplies. In dealing with natural resources one has to take into account if income derived from these resources does not cause or fuel conflict, but rather fosters sustainable development. Specific support for transparency initiatives of extractive industries will contribute to monitor social and environmental consequences. Conscious disaster preparedness can also successfully contribute to the conservation of the environment and avoid negative impacts on the security of energy supplies.

The programme will be implemented in accordance with the 2000 Reform of the Management of External Assistance which foresees inter alia, deconcentration of management responsibilities to the delegations where appropriate.

Four-year (2007-2010) and, subsequently, three-year (2011-2013) Thematic Strategy Papers (programming documents) will be decided by the Commission following the Comitology procedures.

On the basis of this multi-annual programming, the Commission will produce annual work plans which establish priority actions to be supported, specific objectives, anticipated results as well as indicative amounts.

As for the mid-term review, an external evaluation of the operations during the first three-year period (2007-2009) will be carried out to provide input to the preparations for the second Thematic Strategy Paper (2011-2013). The reports will be transmitted to and discussed with Member States and the European Parliament.

3.3. Objectives

The objectives of the programme are to:

- assist developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and notably to make progress towards MDG7 on environmental sustainability by providing tools and examples of good practice and innovative approaches;

- promote environmental integration and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy across all EC external assistance;

- promote coherence in EU policies that affect the global environment and the global security of energy supplies or those of partner countries;

- enable the European Community and assist the EU to meet their international obligations and commitments under MEAs and other processes, especially with regard to assisting developing countries;

- promote international environmental governance and EU environmental and energy policies abroad;

- support sustainable energy options in partner countries and regions.

4. PRIORITIES

The thematic programme will provide support under the following broad headings:

4.1. Working upstream on MDG7: promoting environmental sustainability

Issues to be addressed include:

- Capacity building for environmental integration in developing countries , including capacity to integrate the environment in regional and national development strategies and improve environmental policy analysis; capacity to start implementing obligations and commitments under global or regional environmental conventions, initiatives and processes; and capacity to strengthen natural resources research and management, including energy.

- Supporting civil society actors and consultative platforms, which play an important role in policy advocacy, and action to promote environmental protection and sustainable resource use, including energy.

- Environmental monitoring and assessment to improve the quality of data and indicators and thereby raise awareness and allow informed policy-making.

- Developing innovative approaches , such as payment for environmental services, environmental fiscal reform, public-private partnerships, innovative market-based policy instruments, science-supported policy approaches and the promotion of environmentally beneficial technologies and mechanisms for transfer of technologies (know how) to developing countries.

- Drawing on EU experience . Twinning and other structures established to disseminate EU approaches could be used to share our experience and establish strong ties with key countries.

4.2. Promoting implementation of EU initiatives and internationally agreed commitments

The EU favours country-owned and country-driven external assistance. Yet there are structural reasons why the environmental dimension of sustainable development tends to be given lower priority by our partners and this affects the long-term viability of development choices. Support given through the thematic programme should seek to encourage and enhance the efficiency of mainstreaming environmental considerations in national priority setting. In the case of environmental global public goods, the choices made on pursuing the environmental dimension of sustainable development and the degree of implementation of internationally agreed commitments have impacts on all countries. Candidates for thematic support include:

- EU initiatives for sustainable development. The thematic programme will complement geographical support and underpin existing EU initiatives, in particular through facilitating policy dialogue, coordination, analysis and consultation processes. Current initiatives, notably EUWI, EUEI, JREC and FLEGT, together with possible actions on emerging policy priorities provide frameworks for cooperation between the EU and partner countries, including governments, private sector and civil society. They also provide an opportunity to leverage private sector equity support by means of innovative approaches.

- Climate change. Implementation of the EU Action Plan on Climate Change in the Context of Development Cooperation[10], especially mainstreaming actions related to the four strategic objectives of the Action Plan. In addition, implementation of the Strategy for Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change[11], particularly through capacity building, analysing and raising awareness of mitigation and adaptation possibilities and needs in key economic sectors, support to developing countries’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and leverage investment in clean technologies and the preparation of adaptation plans.

- Biodiversity. Support for the 2010 target on significantly reducing biodiversity loss, especially in areas of high biodiversity. Measures will be based around the EU Biodiversity Action Plan for Economic and Development Cooperation, including strengthening the capacity of the relevant agencies involved in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, including agricultural biodiversity. Attention will also be given to capacity building on bio-safety.

- Desertification. Priority actions identified under the UNCCD, such as the provision of tools to assist in the mainstreaming of the Convention objectives in development strategies.

- Forests. The programme will support interventions that enhance the contribution of forests to sustainable development, such as community-based management of forest resources and conservation areas, and sector-wide processes of policy reform including national forest programme processes. Innovative approaches linking forests to climate change, conflict prevention and health will be encouraged.

- Illegal logging and forest governance. Poor governance, corruption and illegal logging are key constraints to the sustainable and equitable management of forests, and thus to the benefits flowing to society and future generations from forest goods and services. The EC has undertaken to improve forest sector governance and tackling illegal logging through FLEGT.

- Fisheries and marine resources. The programme will focus on strengthening fisheries and marine management and governance, particularly transboundary issues and environmental measures that enhance the sustainability use of fisheries and marine resources, as well as protection of coral reefs and coastal zone management.

- Compliance with environmental standards (for products and production processes). Producers in developing countries have to meet increasingly stringent standards, including sustainability parameters, for export markets in developed countries. Eco labels and private certification schemes, meeting internationally agreed standards, are playing an increasing role in developed country export markets. Assistance could be provided to help producers in developing countries to comply with these new requirements.

- Sound chemicals and wastes management. This area is particularly neglected in development cooperation and new initiatives are underway to increase the priority given to them. These include the Strategic Plan for the Basel Convention on hazardous wastes, the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on chemicals and the forthcoming Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.

- Air pollution. In particular in large cities in developing countries this is a major health hazard. The EU can offer expertise to help improve an understanding of the issue and the regulation of trans-boundary air pollution.

- Sustainable production and consumption. Emerging economies in particular are keen to benefit from EU experience on policy approaches and the use of different instruments such as legislation and economic measures to ensure that rapid growth does not lead to unacceptable environmental and energy security impacts.

4.3. Better integration by the EU

- Poverty and the environment under new forms of aid delivery. A shift towards budget support and donor harmonisation means that new approaches are needed to integrate consideration of impacts on the environment in policy-making. Specific measures will be required to address poverty and environment linkages, to improve donor coordination, and to undertake broad strategic environmental assessments.

- Strengthening expertise for the EU and promoting coherence. The new DPS calls on the Commission to enhance its analytical capacities on a number of development issues and to act as a resource for the EU, reflecting the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Enhanced capacities could also promote coherence between EU policies that affect the global environment or the environment of partner countries.

- Integration and deconcentration. As part of aid management Delegations are expected to ensure that specialist help is available where needed and this reinforces the case for working in conjunction with the MS. The thematic programme could help to further enhance the required expertise in both the environment and energy sectors.

4.4. Strengthening environmental governance and EU leadership

The EU has a vital interest in strong international environmental governance. Better governance should help all governments to understand and deal with the issues and increase the priority given to sustainability. This requires:

- Working for coherence between the environmental and the other pillars of international governance for sustainable development. The EU gives high priority to a more coherent institutional framework for environment activities in the UN system. Transforming UNEP into a UN Environment Organisation would create the potential to be more effective in promoting policy coherence at global level.

- Assisting regional and international environmental monitoring and assessment. Support is needed for the effective participation of scientists and experts from less affluent countries, and disseminating results to decision-makers. This would include international cooperation on environmental-economic modelling along with capacity building for environmental policy analysis, and capacity building for space-based monitoring and in-situ information technologies systems.

- Providing additional support to the Secretariats of MEAs to enhance international environmental governance and the EU’s leadership role. Support could give the Secretariats access to additional expertise, and hence accelerate their work and improve coherence, and encourage the Secretariats and UNEP to work better between themselves and with UN development agencies and the IFIs. There is a need to support the participation of developing countries in MEA meetings.

- Promoting effective compliance and enforcement measures for MEAs, including by supporting monitoring and advocacy groups. Developing countries understandably want capacity building assistance rather than punitive measures to improve compliance.

- Supporting international environmental and energy organisations and processes, including UNEP and the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, the UN Forum on Forests, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, the International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Resources, OECD, the International Energy Agency, discussions on long-term cooperative action to address climate change, trade and environment processes, and partnership initiatives.

- Supporting civil society and environmental and energy policy think tanks. International and regional civil society groups and environmental policy think tanks have important international advocacy functions and build local capacity in developing, and neighbouring countries through national partners.

- Improving the efficiency of international negotiations. Building negotiating capacity in developing countries and improving the EU’s outreach through dialogue with partners would pay dividends.

4.5. Support for sustainable energy options in partner countries and regions

A coordinated approach is required which builds on the former COOPENER actions the core functions of the EU Energy Initiative, and the EU-sponsored Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition. Key objectives should include institutional support related to improving access to sustainable energy services for poverty alleviation in developing countries and regions, as well as support for actions in emerging economies which aim to improve the security of global energy supplies and protect the global environment. Support given through the thematic programme should primarily address:

- Integration of sustainable energy in development plans and strategies (notably poverty reduction strategies) at regional, national and local levels.

- Developing institutional support and technical assistance , as well as strengthening capacity in policy development, regulation and energy planning, including through support for twining initiatives to share the EU experience and to establish links with key countries, and for well targeted public procurement.

- Creating a favourable legislative and policy framework to attract new business and investors in renewable energy and in efficient energy production and use, as well as to pave the way for technology leapfrogging in these fields.

- Enhancing the role of energy as a means to create income generation for the poor , and to protect/increase income generation for other energy end users by setting up a critical mass of human capital with up-to-date knowledge and expertise in the private sector, in particular in the energy services and targeted end-use sectors.

- Promoting innovative financing approaches , including public and/or private sustainable energy partnerships and mechanisms, to encourage technology transfer and deployment.

- Encouraging regional cooperation between Governments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector in the above areas, and preparing the way for regional interconnection infrastructure that can produce economies of scale, especially in small countries, for example, as proposed in the new EU Strategy for Africa[12]. Close coordination with other donors and lending programmes will be essential for the successful implementation of this priority.

These initiatives should be implemented in close relation with the future EC programme “Intelligent Energy – Europe”[13], which is part of the 2007-2013 Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, since they provide an opportunity to reflect EU policy externally.