iI The Environment Sector In Turkey

iI The Environment Sector In Turkey

2.1 Overview of the Sector

2.1.1 Brief History of the Sector

However, the country’s attitude towards protecting the environment has changed substantially in recent years. Successive governments have been adopting environmental legislation comparable to that of the European Union. The initial impetus to this came with the agreement between the EU and Turkey to launch a Customs Union in 1996. The start of negotiations for full membership of the EU has led Turkey to divide the discussions into 35 ‘chapters’. Chapter 27 covers environmental issues. The EU’s screening of the situation in Turkey was concluded in June 2006 and concluded that considerable efforts were needed. Full negotiation on the chapter has not yet been launched. Environment is not one of the chapters frozen as a result of French and Cypriot objections.

Between 2003 and 2009, the EU provided approximately €50 million for the strengthening of Turkey’s institutional capacity in the environment area. In the same period it allocated €160 million for projects such as waste water treatment. As of 2008, projects worth €58 million infrastructural projects had been started. Within IPA programme there was more than 130 projects needs €2 billion investment however the EU loan for the 2008-2013 period will be only €200 million. 

The first government body responsible for environmental issues was established in 1973, being soon named the “Environmental Coordination Board” and tasked to overcome the lack of institutional and legal coordination between government institutions. In 1978, the Prime Ministry Undersecretariat for Environment (PMUE) was founded. This was given the responsibility to coordinate all national and international activities concerning the environment and to develop policy and legislation. Its most important achivement was the enactment of the Environmental Law in August 1983.

In August 1991, the Ministry of Environment was established, increasing the level of governmental authority for the protection and conservation of the environment. The increasing influences of civil society and the dictates of various international actors such as the European Union, the World Bank, and the OECD all contributed to increasing environmental concern.

The current ministerial structure was established in 2003, with the unification of Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Forestry under the name of Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF). The MoEF is the basic governmental institution responsible for environmental protection and improvement as well as protection and development of forests and forestry industry. The Ministry has eight main operating units:

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  General Directorate of Environmental Management
  
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  General Directorate of Environmental Impact Assessment and Planning
  
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  General Directorate of Forestations and Soil Erosion Control
  
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  General Directorate of Forestry & Village Affairs
  
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  General Directorate of Nature Protection and National Parks
  
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  General Directorate of Research & Planning
  
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  Department of Foreign Relations & the EU
  
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  Department of Education & Publication
  

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  The State Hydraulic Board (DSI)
  
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  Turkish State Meteorological Services
  
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  General Directorate of Forestry
  
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  Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas (EPASA)
  

The process of aligning Turkish environmental practices with those of the EU’s acquis communautaire was initiated by the MoEF following approval of the National Programme for harmonising legislation with the EU of July 24, 2003. The adaptation process is expected to be completed by 2023. The European Commission carried out a screening of Turkey’s environmental practices and submitted its final report on these in 2007. The report asked Turkey to present an extensive strategy to the Commission. The “National Environmental Approximation Strategy (UCES)”³ was adopted by Turkey’s High Planning Council (HPC) on February 7, 2007.

There has been significant progress in adaptation to the EU environmental legislation; however there are still missing areas concerning air, water, and nature protection, while several standards which are not consistent with the EU limits. The current situation is reviewed in the European Commission’s Turkey 2008 Progress Report (Annex 1). This concluded:

Turkey has made progress in the area of air quality and good progress on strengthening the administrative capacity at central level. Some progress can be reported on waste, water and nature protection. However, the overall level of alignment remains low. Turkey has made no progress in the areas of industrial pollution and risk management and genetically modified organisms. Limited progress can be reported on chemicals. Delays in establishment of the EIA are hampering further improvements in implementation and enforcement.

Turkey became a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as of May 24, 2004. It was initially included in both Annex I and Annex II, requiring it to support other countries in their emission decreasing activities. In 2001, Turkey was deleted from Annex II and included only in Annex I. Turkey accepts to limit its emissions, but is subject to less specific conditions on the rate of emission decrease compared to other Annex I countries. In 2009, Turkey finally acceded to the Kyoto Protocol. It has no obligations under this, but has joined the talks on the regime due to succeed this after 2012.

2.1.2 Market size

Public Sector, all 2,344 2,655 3,241 3,743 5,086

Government ⁽¹⁾ 468 484 629 586 637

Municipalities 1,876 2,171 2,612 3,157 4,448

Private Sector ⁽²⁾ 205 210 275 321 438

(2) IBS estimates between 2003 and 2006