1. Advancing Dissemination of Environmental Information and Public Participation through Electronic Information Tools
Aarhus MOP-5, Maastricht, July 1, 2014
Ministry of Environment and
Natural Resources Protection
of Georgia

2. Content Ongoing Activities Challenges Needs Next Steps
Progress and Achievements
Ongoing Activities
Challenges
Needs
Next Steps 2

3. Progress and Achievements (1)
MOU (JAN 2014)
Data exchange calendar
Instant update of environmental statistics data on Geostat website
Bilateral working group (case-by-case):
Recommendations&proposals
Future needs and tasks
Geostat staff capacity building in environmental statistics
MoU between MOENRP and GEOSTAT
Preliminary agreed calendar of data exchange
Exchanging statistical information on a regular basis
Opportunity of instantly renewing environmental statistics data on the website of Geostat
Bilateral working group (case-by-case)
Recommendations and proposals about producing statistical information
Determining future needs and tasks
Further strengthening of GEOSTAT with human resources in the environmental statistics is planned 3

4. Progress and Achievements (2)
SEIS regional project ( )
Survey on regular data flow on 8 environmental indicators
(components: air,climate change,water,waste,biodiversity)
Revealed missing indicators for Georgia
(Total Phosphorus and Total Nitrogen concentration in main water bodies)
Elaborated methods of analyses
(Total P - ISO 6878:2004, Total N - ISO :1997)
Measurement of the new parameters started for:
- Total N in 2013
- Total P in 2014 4

5. Synergies between ENPI-SEIS network and other projects (1)
Twinning project: “Strengthening the Capacities of MENRP in Development and Improvement of Waste Management System in Georgia” ( )
Draft law on waste management:
Establishment of legal system of waste data reporting and its format
Development of the control mechanism ensuring reliability, quality and compatibility of waste data
Installation of server for Waste Database
Next steps: 
Data for air and water quality will be placed on the server 5

6. Synergies between ENPI-SEIS network and other projects (2)
USAID project “Integrated Natural Resources Management in Watersheds (INRMW) – Program for Georgia” ( )
Modernized State Water Use Accounting System (1st draft - July, 2014)
User-friendly simplified statistic forms for water users
New software for online reporting and summarization of information
Visualization on GIS system 6

7. Enhanced cooperation of MENRP with EEA in accordance with SEIS principles (1)
Officially endorsed in March 2014
SEIS principles implementation at national level
Improvement of monitoring infrastructure
Strengthen institutional cooperation
Improve collection/sharing of environmental information
Ensure sustainability of data flows
Endorse the implementation of SEIS principles at national level to improve the data exchange and visibility of environmental information in accordance with the EEA/Eionet data policy;
Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL) Environmental Information and Education Centre was established in May, 2013; 7

8. LEPL Environmental Information and Education Centre - EIEC
Enhanced cooperation of MENRP with EEA in accordance with SEIS principles (2)
LEPL Environmental Information and Education Centre - EIEC
Organize and administer SEIS
Collect and share the environmental information
Facilitate access to environmental information
Endorse the implementation of SEIS principles at national level to improve the data exchange and visibility of environmental information in accordance with the EEA/Eionet data policy;
Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL) Environmental Information and Education Centre was established in May, 2013; 8

9. Data Reported Internationally
UNEP Live
Annual Average Air Data
5 cities, 8 comp. (Dust,SO2,NO2,NO,CO,Pb,O3,MnO2)
Water Quality 2013
36 points
Radioactivity Levels uneplive.org/country/index/ge
15 Cities
Publications
GEO-Cities, Tbilisi Report. 2012
Endorse the implementation of SEIS principles at national level to improve the data exchange and visibility of environmental information in accordance with the EEA/Eionet data policy;
Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL) Environmental Information and Education Centre was established in May, 2013; 9

10. Data Preparation for Reporting-WISE SoE methodologies
3 River Basins and 1 lake selected for Pilot Data Sharing in 2013
Conclusions
Insufficient water quality monitoring points and measured parameters
Different national data structure cannot provide all required information
Lack of web-based environmental data management and reporting systems
Lack of relevant qualified staff 10

11. Determinand_Nutrients Limit of Quantification
Data for Rivers
Country Code
NationalStationID
Year
Aggregation Period
Aggregation Months
Aggregation Length
Determinand_Nutrients
Unit Nutrients
CEN_ISO
Number Of Samples
Limit of Quantification
Minimum
Sample Depth GE
91.2
2013
Annual
1-12
Ammonium
mg/l N
EN ISO 12
0.011
0.054
BOD5
mg/l O2
EN ISO :2010
0.050
Orthophosphates
mg/l P
EN ISO :2007
0.069
0.000
Nitrate
0.015
0.235
Nitrite
0.013
0.006
Dissolved oxygen
EN ISO 25814:1992
7.400
Oxygen Saturation % 77
Temperature (water) °C
EN ISO 6468
3.2
94.2
0.061
1.020

12. Main Challenges for Dissemination of EI and PP through EIT
Outdated and weak environmental monitoring network
Lack of self monitoring system by organizations
Environmental data reliability
Outdated data collection methods/databases
Lack of required software 12

13. Next Steps EIEC is developing Web-based: interactive map for EIPs
interactive calendar of public hearings of EIA reports
database of EIA reports and relevant ecological expertise conclusions
electronic service for PHs on different topics
Separate page for PRTRs
Initiation of development of entire electronic system for environmental information
Since September, 2013, MoENRP has started implementation of the state E-governance Process that will improve the availability and transparency of Environmental information. 13

14. Thank you Nino Gokhelashvili Head, International Relations Division
NFP to the Arhus Convention