The European Union for Environment (EU4Environment) is a €20 million program funded by the European Union and implemented in part by the World Bank. It aims to help Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, also known as the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, to better preserve their natural resources, enhance environmental well-being, and promote sustainable growth. Other implementing organizations are: OECD, UNIDO, UNECE, and UNEP (2019–2024).
With an allocation of €6 million, the World Bank leads on conserving biodiversity and forests, improving livelihoods, and creating rural jobs. This work builds on important achievements of past programs, such as the Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) program and the Emerald Network, which were completed between 2017 and 2018.
The World Bank’s activities under EU4Environment are centered around four key areas:
- A shared network of protected areas (the Emerald Network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest): The program supports the development and management of new and existing Emerald Network sites. It aims to enhance the capacity of partner countries for effective management of these sites; promote awareness and regional cooperation and facilitate knowledge exchange with EU member states.
- Community action on ecosystem services: The program aims to assess barriers and identify opportunities for sustainable forest and natural resource management across more than 20 communities within EaP countries. This includes developing guidelines and tools to enhance local community engagement in natural resource management, while promoting knowledge exchange.
- Preventing illegal logging and promoting legal wood trade: The program aims to assess the impact of EU deforestation regulation on partner countries, strengthen systems for monitoring timber and wood trade, and advance the use of innovative technologies to support timber exports.
- Effective strategies for funding natural capital conservation: The program facilitates natural capital conservation by identifying investment and financing opportunities, developing guidelines for ecosystem service valuation, sharing regional and international experiences on financing schemes and policies related to forest and natural resource management sectors, and promoting collaboration on these issues at regional and international levels.
By promoting regional knowledge sharing and collaboration, the World Bank under EU4Environment supports the EaP governments in strengthening their regulatory framework to expand and manage protected sites as part of the Emerald Network and promote sustainable forestry. The ongoing activities facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies and the creation of green jobs, particularly in areas such as eco-tourism and natural resource management. Such green jobs provide sustainable livelihoods for local communities while contributing to the long-term preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
EU4Environment works at both regional and national levels. While its primary focus is on government authorities in the EaP countries, it also collaborates closely with civil society, academia, and the private sector and engages with diverse stakeholders. This helps build broader support for its activities and ensures sustainable and replicable results.
The World Bank is leveraging the expertise under the EU4Environment program in the EaP region to enhance sustainable development, strengthen resilience, and attract additional funding and investment from donors and the private sector. EU4Environment’s expertise has been critical in developing environmental restoration investment projects, such as the Armenia Resilient Landscapes Project (RESILAND) and the Moldova Restoring Ecosystems for Marine Pollution Prevention Project (RE-MAP), highlighting its role in sustaining donor-funded initiatives.
To learn more, please visit the EU4Environment website.