The Norwegian Cooperation programme with RO Individual Project

Developing Emergent Ecological Markets in Romania ECOEMERGE Romania

Project Promoter: Ministry of Environment and Forests Type of Applicant: Public Partner (main): Norwegian Ministry of the Environment Type of partner: Public Other partners:
Romanian:

- Executive Unit for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), former Management Agency for Scientific Research, Technology Transfer and Innovation (AMCSIT); - Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB); Norwegian: - Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif) former Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT); - Norwegian Agency for Public Management and e-Government (Difi). Grant amount disbursed: EUR 362,000 Grant rate: 85% Actual project duration: from 22nd September 2009 to 31st May 2011. Total actual project cost: EUR 1,255031,14 Case no: RAAND-2008/115171 Project web-site: http://www.achizitiiecologice.ro

Short project description: The ECO-EMERGE project aims at improving conditions for eco-innovation in Romania, benefiting from the expertise of Norway, thus facilitating knowledge and experience transfer to Romania. The project it is comprised of two major components, one addressing eco-innovation in the private sector and the use of environmental technologies (ECOTECHONET) and the other focusing eco-innovation in the public sector, through green public procurement (GREEN PROCURA). Nevertheless, the results of these two components will be strongly interlinked and will provide input for future national policies in the fields of sustainable consumption and production.

Template Project results achieved

Results achieved: One market study on environmental technologies suppliers on the Romanian market; One study concerning the eco-innovation potential in Romania; One study setting criteria for environmental technologies; One market study setting criteria for eco-innovative capacity of Romanian organisations; 1 website contacting up-to-date information on green public procurement (GPP criteria, tender documents); 8 regional trainings on Green Public Procurement; 8 regional conferences on environmental technologies 8 technology fields; 16 tender documents including green criteria for 8 categories of goods and services (2 for each), to be used as references by the public bodies willing to green their purchases; 1 website on Green Public Procurement established www.achizitiiecologice.ro; 1 media campaign on sustainable consumption and production broadcast on national TV channels in April 2011; - TV spot

1 study visit in Norway on environmental technologies, with the participation of Romanian top eco-innovators; 1 experience exchange between Romanian and Norwegian civil servants working on public procurement, with a focus on Green Public Procurement, including a technical seminar; Recommendations on GPP monitoring scheme for the Public Policy Unit in the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Forests, to be included in the next National Action Plan for Green Public Procurement.

Lessons learnt: The ECOEMERGE project ha created the premises and the know-how based on which sound policies in the fields of environmental technologies and green public procurement can be designed and implemented. Nevertheless, significant efforts still need to be done to achieve the objectives of the EU policies in the fields of sustainable consumption and production. The partnership with Norwegian institutions and the overall cooperation between the Romanian and Norwegian counterparts has proved extremely rewarding, and it provided a unique insight into the policy system of a highly innovative country. It also laid the basis for future cooperation on various environmental topics, but specifically in the field of eco-innovation, through environmental technologies and green public procurement.

Template Project results achieved