MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, URBANIZATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
General Directorate of the European Union and Foreign Relations
IPA ENVIRONMENT and CLIMATE PROGRAMME

What is ESOP

ESOP-Environment and Climate Action Sector Operational Programme (IPA-II)

The European Union’s financial assistance to Türkiye was renewed in April 2016 under the name of the Environment and Climate Action Sector Operational Programme (ESOP). Under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance II (IPA II), funding of €335.4 million is provided through this programme, which covers the period 2014-2020.

ESOP aims to combat climate change more effectively, advance Türkiye’s alignment with EU acquis in relation to EU climate change policy, protect the environment and improve citizens’ quality of life.

The objectives of ESOP are:

  • Ensuring that the population benefits from improved infrastructure for the supply of drinking water, wastewater treatment and solid waste management in line with EU standards
  • Developing capacity for alignment with and implementation of EU acquis in the areas of climate change, air quality, civil protection, marine areas, horizontal legislation and nature conservation
  • Designing, implementing and monitoring policies to mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as increasing resilience in economic sectors and infrastructure sensitive to climate change

To achieve these objectives, ESOP has 3 main actions:

    1. Water Management:
      • Improving water quality in Türkiye, including drinking water, wastewater and wetlands
      • Enhancing institutional capacity in the water sector
      • Developing infrastructure for drinking water and wastewater treatment
    2. Waste Management:
      • Developing integrated solid waste management infrastructure
      • Enhancing institutional capacity in the field of waste management
    3. Environmental Management for Sustainable Development
      • Enhancing institutional capacity for a climate and disaster-resilient green economy
      • Enhancing institutional capacity in the areas of industrial pollution, chemicals, air and noise pollution, horizontal legislation, resource efficiency, nature conservation, climate change and disaster management
      • Raising public awareness on combating climate change and adaptation

The Programme Authority for the implementation of the IPA III is the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The Ministry will continue to be one of the most important programme authorities, with 33 projects in the IPA III period, Window 3 ‘Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity’, in the thematic area of environment and climate change, accounting for 30% of the budget allocation across all 5 windows.