Europe & Central Asia

ECA_Network

The Regional Montreal Protocol Network for Europe & Central Asia (ECA network) includes 11 developing countries that spread from Central Asia and the Caucasus to the Balkans: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Türkiye and Turkmenistan. The 7 countries with economies in transition (CEIT countries) usually attend ECA meetings as self-funded participants: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The operational languages of the ECA network are English and Russian.

Albania, Moldova (Republic of), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine are candidate countries. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation in 2015. Neighbouring countries include major trade partners such as China and the European Union as well as Afghanistan, Iran (the Islamic Republic of), Iraq, and the Syrian Arab Republic.

The ECA network has evolved into a multi-stakeholder network involving a wide range of national and international stakeholders. All of them have contributed to meeting the Montreal Protocol targets. We congratulate and thank the high-level Government officials and their national teams, customs, and other enforcement officers, refrigeration and air-conditioning experts, private companies, academia, vocational schools, non-governmental organizations, media, and the general public for their tremendous efforts and contributions.

Our special thanks are extended to the resource persons from the Ozone Secretariat, the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, the implementing agencies and bilateral partners, our technical and policy experts from inside and outside the Montreal Protocol community as well as cooperating organizations. All of them contributed their knowledge and shared their experiences often at their own costs and using their private time. We are also very grateful to UNDP and UNIDO who facilitated the participation of the CEIT countries in ECA meetings.

ECA Meetings

Documentation from ECA meetings can be accessed through the OzonAction meeting portal. Below is a list of meetings that were held from 2021 to June 2023 with specific links to the Meeting portal:

2023

2022

2021

USEFUL RESOURCES

Checklist on Auctioning of Seized Refrigerants - How to Get it Right - Regional Montreal Protocol Network for Europe & Central Asia (2020)
Checklist for successful auctioning of seized refrigerants

Checklist for Environmental Inspectors (Based on Serbia's Checklist November 2019) - Europe & Central Asia (2020)
Inspection of operator facilities to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Serbian Air Protection Law on controlled ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases

Achievements & Highlights: 10th Anniversary of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia (2013)
The 10th-anniversary brochure of the ECA network reflects a decade of network operation and aims to share major achievements, case studies, and highlights to provide inspiration for countries within and outside the region.

Solidarity and Partnerships: 20 Years of the Montreal Protocol - 4 Years of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia (2007)
This booklet eloquently illustrates the collective achievements of the ECA Network of Ozone Officers to comply with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. In spite of challenging economic and political transformations that have affected the region over the last two decades, hard work, mutual support, and partnership have enabled countries to collectively work to address this global environmental challenge.
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REGIONAL CONTACT

Mr Halvart Koeppen
Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for ECA
UN Environment Programme, Law Division, OzonAction
Email: halvart.koppen@un.org