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Environment

TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool

The “TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER” tool facilitates learning between environmental authorities. It provides tailored support to national authorities implementing environmental policy and legislation.

Overview

The Environmental Implementation Review (EIR) has mapped the main challenges in the implementation of European environmental policy and legislation for each EU Member State as well as existing good practices and points of excellence. Member States can learn from each other. There is huge potential for Member States' environmental authorities at all levels to improve their environmental performance by sharing knowledge and best practices. 

Therefore the European Commission established a new, practical tool that facilitates peer-to-peer learning between environmental authorities. The TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER programme provides tailored support to Member States' authorities implementing environmental policy and legislation. Skills and expertise in Member States administrations are necessary to ensure sound implementation of environmental law and efficient and effective environmental governance. Programmes financed by this Commission programme allow experts involved in environmental implementation from Member States to benefit directly from the experience of peers in other Member States.   

Across Europe, there are thousands of public experts working in environmental authorities who possess a wealth of knowledge and invaluable know-how. TAIEX-EIRPEER 2 PEER helps to share good practice in environmental implementation and governance between Member States. It uses the well-established TAIEX instrument that the Commission has been successfully applying for more than 20 years in enlargement and neighbourhood policy and, more recently, with assistance on cohesion policy through the TAIEX REGIO PEER 2 PEER programme.  

Find out more about the EIR Peer to Peer Tool in this leaflet (in English and French).

Other instruments

Several other instruments contribute to a better implementation of environmental law

  • Commission Action Plan on environmental compliance and governance 

  • TAIEX REGIO PEER 2 PEER -  to share expertise between bodies that manage funding under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund. Projects also covered environmental policy areas. 

  • The peer-to-peer support process between competent authorities concerning the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive. 

  • The Technical Support Instrument (TSI) - an EU programme that provides tailor-made support to all EU countries for their institutional, administrative and growth-enhancing reforms. The TSI support covers the entire reform process, from preparing and designing to implementing the reforms. 

Cooperation with networks

Networks of environmental authorities and experts provide indispensable contributions to the exchange of knowledge and good practices in implementing environmental policy and legislation. TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER can complement activities of these networks. 

European practitioner networks 

European environmental inspectors, police officers, prosecutors, judges, auditors and heads of environmental protection agencies have formed separate networks to help them with their work. The networks enable knowledge, expertise and best practices to be shared. 

The European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) is an international non-profit association of the environmental authorities of EU Member States, and acceding and candidate countries of the EU, EEA and EFTA countries. The IMPEL Review Initiative Tool is a voluntary peer review where environmental authorities of IMPEL member countries help each other to improve the implementation of EU environmental law. 

Associations of national, regional and local authorities promoting exchange of experience and good practice in environmental implementation are amongst other- 

Events

Past and upcoming events are published in the TAIEX library under the keyword EIR.

To see all TAIEX events please click here.

Contact

You can send any comments, questions or relevant information (such as reports, projects, etc.) to ENV-EIRatec [dot] europa [dot] eu .