Ministry of Environmental Protection
Israel’s Environmental
Policy 2013-2014
EU-Israel sub-committee on Transport, Energy and
Environment
18 June 2014
Main Goals
1. Strengthening the link between Society and
Environment
2. Promoting Green Growth strategy
3. Recycling revolution: Transforming waste from
nuisance to resource
4. Prevention of risks to the population from
exposure to air pollution and hazardous
substances
5. Education for sustainable lifestyles
Strengthening the link between
Society and Environment
Main mission:
 Improvement of environmental infrastructure and waste
management in the geographic and social periphery.
Legislation & Governmental Decisions
•
launching of:
– a social Covenant for environmental Justice between the Government and citizens;
– a voluntary program for Environmental national service;
– budgetary support for enterprises providing social and environmental services and the
creation of a new platform for the provision of information and cooperative projects with
civil society
• Amendment to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law (July 2013)
• Government approved a NIS 100 million plan for preferential investment in
waste treatment in minority communities, i.e. Arab, Druze and Bedouin
communities (March 2014). For the Bedouins: The Government
approved NIS 40 million for a waste treatment plan for the
Bedouins, and another NIS 42 million to fund waste collection and
other environmental necessities in Bedouin communities
• Also planned: a NIS 16 million plan for the rehabilitation of rivers
and streams within close proximity to the Bedouin communities
Promoting Green Growth strategy
Integrated environmental licensing
• An important component of the national plan for green
growth
• In April 2014, Government approved MoEP's plan to
streamline all existing environmental permits into one
integrated permit
• Integrated environmental licensing will significantly reduce
bureaucracy for factories and plants, and will bring Israel's
environmental standards more in line with European Union
ones
Well-being indicators
• December 2012: government approved a resolution to
measure quality of life and well-being in the country
• A three-part process was initiated in 2013:
› A consultation forum was set up to formulate, among
others, recommendations on domains, indicators,
methodologies, and public participation
› Intersectorial teams were appointed to identify subdomains and indicators for each of the nine domains
› A public participation process was initiated which
presents the recommended domains, sub-domains and
indicators to the public for review and feedback
• October 2013 MoEP published a report on “Well-being,
Sustainability and Resilience Indicators”
Recycling revolution: Transforming
waste from nuisance to resource
The recycling revolution gathers pace
•
€200 million incentives for separation at source, recycling centers, waste to energy
etc. in 2008 - 2014
• 42 local authorities (1,000,000 citizens) now separate domestic waste into two
streams: organic and inorganic. The MoEP has allocated €100 Million for these local
authorities
• More than € 29.6 million for building facilities to generate electricity and produce
fertilizer from separated food leftovers
•
€10.4 million were allocated for international tender for PPP (private-public
partnership) waste-to-energy (WtE) facility, the largest plant in the Middle East, and
one of the largest in the world
• Between 2011-2014, 55% of the budget was allocated to local authorities - more than
NIS 760 million. This plus the NIS 100 million that was allocated to treat waste in
minority communities brings the percentage to 60%
• Implementation of the Packaging Law
Recycling revolution: Transforming
waste from nuisance to resource
legislation
• The Electronic Waste & Batteries Law (entered into
force last March)
• Banning Free Plastic Bags at Supermarkets - under
preparation (Israel lags behind many countries in this
area and we intend to change the situtation)
• environmentally damaging practice
• Construction and demolition waste (under
preparation) - Promoting certification for recycled
construction and demolition waste
Prevention of risks to the population from
exposure to air pollution and hazardous
substances
• Achievements
• Government decision to build an ammonia production
plant in southern Israel
• Government Approved National Air Pollution
Prevention Plan
• PRTR- Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
Pollutant Release and Transfer Register was officially launched on
December 1, 2013.
Education for sustainable lifestyles and
changing consumer behavior
2014
• Implementing sustainability in the education system - a
joint program with the Ministry of Education ( €1 million)
• MoEP allocated €2 millions for activities in the formal and
informal education system in municipalities
• Certification of green educational institutions (€0.75
million)
• Special program for environmental education for the
Bedouin community – €1.9 millions for 5 years
• Program for environmental education for the Arab
community (30 municipalities, €6.4 millions)
EU – ISRAEL activities in the field of
environment
Participation in EU Regional
Programs and Projects
• Horizon 2020
• Clima South: Support for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
• SWITCH – MED: Switching to more sustainable consumption and
production
• Sustainable Water Management (SWIM)
• ENPI Share Environment Information System (SEIS)
• SAFEMED III : Maritime Safety and Prevention of Pollution from Ships
• CES –MED: Cleaner Energy Saving Mediterranean Cities
• Integrated maritime policy for the Mediterranean (IMP – MED)
H2020- Capacity Building/Mediterranean
Environment Programme
2013 - 2014 – Regional Trainings
2013
• Innovative wastewater treatment and reuse
• Sustainable food production and clean processing technologies
• Country strategies to move from low levels of recycling to 50 %
2014
• Sustainable olive oil: clean production and waste management
• Faecal Sludge Management
• Supporting the implementation of the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter
Management in the Mediterranean
• Strengthening the Bond Between People and Rivers
2013-2014 - Participation in other Forums
• Ad Hoc H2020 Steering Group Meeting
• 6th H2020 Steering Group Meeting
• 4th H2020 Capacity Building Sub Group Meeting
SWIM - Sustainable Water Integrated Management
2013
• SWIM-SM Third Steering Committee Meeting
• Enforcement of water legislation and study tour in three European Countries
2014
• Cost Assessment of Water Resources Degradation
• Techno-political Dialogue On Desalination In The Mediterranean
Clima South: Support for Climate Change
Mitigation and Adaptation
•
•
•
•
First and Second Steering Committee Meeting of the Clima South Project
National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and MRVs
Increasing capacity on international climate change policy making
Improving access to Climate Change Information
SWITCH – MED: Switching to more sustainable
consumption and production
Two workshops held in Israel:
• National Strategies for Sustainable Consumption
and Production, December 2013
• Policy Tools for Circular Economy June, 2014
EMSA
• The Ministry signed the Conditions of Use for
using the EMSA Satellite Based Oil Spill and Vessel
Detection Service CleanSeaNet
• Participating in the relevant trainings
ENP tools
• TAIEX
• TWINNING
TAIEX
2013
•
National Inventory Reports (together with CBS) - study visit
2014
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•
•
•
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Public procurement of Green Buildings - study visit
Economic aspects of contaminated soils - workshop
Environmental emergency alert system - study visit
The ecological status of streams and rivers - expert mission
Environment and health - expert mission
Low Emission Zones - workshop
(approved by the EU, under preparation)
•
Contaminated soils – workshop
•
National ecosystem assessment - workshop
TWINNING
Ongoing TWINNING
• EU-Israel Twinning Project on IPPC & PRTR
Establishment and Implementation of a System of
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and a
Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)
Towards new TWINNING
• Improving and modernizing environmental regulatory
and management tools for the Israeli industry –
Regulatory tools for SMEs, Resource efficiency, EcoManagement and Audit Scheme
UfM
• UfM ministerial meeting on Environment and
Climate Change, May 2014
• Participation (ministerial level) at the UfmFrench Senate-Forum for Peace meeting for
promoting regional cooperation and peace
(Paris, July 20, 2014)
Thank You