Europe & Central Asia

Montreal Protocol Network for Europe & Central Asia (ECA network)

The ECA network includes 11 developing countries that spread from Central Asia and the Caucasus to the Balkans: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Türkiye and Turkmenistan. Representatives of the countries of economies in transition (CEITs) might attend the ECA network activities. The operational languages of the ECA network are English and Russian.

Albania, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine are candidate countries for the European Union (EU). Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia in 2015. Neighboring countries include major trade partners such as China and the European Union countries 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 (OS), the Multilateral Fund Secretariat (MLF), 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 regularly attend the ECA regional network meetings.

The purpose of this webpage is to share information on the work of the ECA network. Visitors may also access the OzonAction meeting portal to view meeting documents and presentations. A list of useful resources is also provided.

ECA Meetings

Documentation from ECA meetings can be accessed through the OzonAction meeting portal. Below is a list of selected meetings with specific links to the Meeting portal:

2025

2024

2023

ECA COUNTRIES' WEBSITES

Article-5 Countries		Website
Albania		https://ozoneal.com/fillimi/
Armenia		https://saveozone.am/en
Kyrgyzstan		http://ozonecenter.kg/
North Macedonia		http://www.ozoneunit.mk/home/
Moldova		https://www.ozone.md ; https://onipm.gov.md
Montenegro		https://ozoneunit.me/?lang=en
Serbia		https://www.ekologija.gov.rs/
Turkiye		https://ozonturkiye.csb.gov.tr/
Turkmenistan		https://mineco.gov.tm/

CEITs Countries
Belarus		https://www.minpriroda.gov.by/en/airozone-en/
Kazakhstan		http://www.climate.kz/eng/
Russia		https://www.ozoneprogram.ru/eng/
Uzbekistan		https://www.uznature.uz/en

USEFUL RESOURCES

Joining forces with Customs and Enforcement Officers for Safeguarding the Montreal Protocol, 2024
The ECA network has implemented enforcement–related activities since its inception in 2003 including regional enforcement meetings, border dialogues, and a series of awards for Customs and Enforcement Officers.

How to set up and manage logbooks for refrigeration, air-conditioning, heat pump and other types of equipment (2023)
This technical brief reflects the Polish experience of setting up and managing logbooks for refrigeration, air-conditioning, heat pump (RACHP), and other types of equipment.

Technical Brief: Labelling Refrigerant Cylinders (2021)
Why set up national legislation on labeling refrigerant cylinders

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

ECA Montreal Protocol Award for Customs and Enforcement Officers (5th edition – 2019-2020)

Legislative and Policy Options to Control Hydrofluorocarbons (2018)
This booklet contains a recommended set of legislative and policy options that developing (Article 5) countries may wish to consider for implementation.

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 inspire 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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

REGIONAL CONTACT

Ms Tatiana Terekhova
Interim Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for ECA
UNEP, Law Division, OzonAction