
Protecting the environment

CHF 479 million of the enlargement contribution is used for environmental protection projects. This includes projects for supporting public transport, drinking water supplies, waste water treatment, energy efficient construction, use of renewable energies and biodiversity.
Switzerland has its own interest in protecting the environment as environmental pollution does not stop at borders. Many of the projects contribute to protecting our climate. To ensure sustainability, Switzerland organises educational trips, seminars and forums as part of the projects where knowledge is exchanged that can be used in the future. The majority of the projects are also infrastructure projects that do not only contribute to protecting the environment, but also reduce health risks, improve living conditions and support economic development. Asbestos removal, for instance, is important in terms of health. The development of the public transport system improves living standards. The use of renewable energies and energy efficient construction reduces electricity and heating costs. Environmental projects thus also provide new future prospects in the partner countries.
Results
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Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovenia: energy efficiency and renewable energies reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes. © SECO
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Poland: 44,000 households are now free of asbestos after their rooftops were decontaminated. © Ministerstwo Infrastruktury i Rozwoju
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Bulgaria: 3,500 tonnes of toxic pesticides from the communist era are professionally disposed of. © SECO
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Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Czech Republic: Increased use of public transport contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. © SECO
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Latvia: The remediation of the oil-contaminated port area in Riga has reduced groundwater pollution by 60-70%. © SECO
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Estonia: A new environmental monitoring system provides comprehensive data on water, air, radioactivity and natural hazards. ©Arno Mikkor NCU
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Slovakia: 10,000 inhabitants can now be connected to the newly-built sewerage system. ©SECO
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Hungary: 150 kilometres of drinking-water pipelines have been modernised. This has improved water quality for around 200,000 people and lowered maintenance costs. © SECO
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As a result of measures such as the protection of 4,000 hectares of land rich in fauna and flora, biodiversity in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has been enhanced. © SDC
Documents (13)
Results country programmes in EU-12 countries

Promoting renewable energy, creating employment and strengthening civil society: the final review of Switzerland's enlargement contribution summarises the results of the Swiss-backed projects.
Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU: 2018 Annual Report

Information on the results achieved in the last three remaining country programmes that are still under way, e.g. mine clearance in Croatia, the promotion of SMEs in Romania and decommissioned trams from Basel improving Bulgaria's public transport system. The report also briefly explains the background to the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member countries.
Swiss Enlargement Contribution: Annual Report 2017

The ten countries that joined the EU in 2004 have completed their projects under the enlargement contribu-tion. SECO and the SDC have taken stock of the last decade and published the results in their 2017 annual report. The projects have made a significant contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in Europe. Switzerland was also able to use its expertise to make a meaningful contribution to a number of projects.
Czech republic: Small-scale environmental projects

A Swiss-backed fund supported 33 environmental projects put forward by different municipalities and organisations. For example, the town of Prachatice organised seminars and excursions on the theme of waste separation and composting. Another project breathed new life into the Negrelli Viaduct in Prague, inviting restaurants, shops and exhibitions to open under its arches.
Biodiversity in Poland

Promotion of biodiversity and nature conservation in Poland.
Infrastructure projects in Poland

Thanks to the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme, 44,000 families now live in asbestos-free houses. Switzerland contributed CHF 115 million to support energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in a total of ten projects. In addition, Switzerland funded measures to improve public transport.
Swiss Enlargement Contribution: Annual Report 2016

The report shows the results and the state of progress, e.g. in the dual vocational training programme in Slovakia, the fight against human trafficking in Bulgaria and Romania, the rehabilitation of a port in Latvia, and a venture capital fund in Hungary. In addition, it covers the national programmes which have come to a close in Estonia and Slovenia and presents the new programme in Croatia.
The Swiss Enlargement Contribution

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs present an interim balance sheet on the first five years since the approval of the Enlargement Contribution to the new 10 EU-Member States. The projects are to be implemented within another five year period, i.e., by 2017.
Czech republic: Small-scale environmental projects

A Swiss-backed fund supported 33 environmental projects put forward by different municipalities and organisations. For example, the town of Prachatice organised seminars and excursions on the theme of waste separation and composting. Another project breathed new life into the Negrelli Viaduct in Prague, inviting restaurants, shops and exhibitions to open under its arches.
Biodiversity in Poland

Promotion of biodiversity and nature conservation in Poland
Infrastructure projects in Poland

Thanks to the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme, 44,000 families now live in asbestos-free houses. Switzerland contributed CHF 115 million to support energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in a total of ten projects. In addition, Switzerland funded measures to improve public transport.
2013 Annual Report 2013

News (41)
Krusevac wins European Mobility Week Award for 2019

18.05.2020 Local news
The city of Krusevac was declared the winner of the European Mobility Week 2019 award in the category of larger municipalities. The Municipal Energy Efficiency and Management Project in Serbia (MEEMP) implemented the European Energy Award (EEA) certification process in Krusevac. One of the six areas which the EEA certification process analyses and takes into account is urban mobility. The program is supported by the Government of Switzerland.
Green investments in Romania

16.08.2019 Article
The Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca has launched a programme to improve its energy efficiency. In support of the programme, Switzerland has funded the energy-efficient renovation of school buildings, the installation of several thousand LED lights on the city's streets and the purchase of electric buses – making a significant contribution to climate change mitigation and improving the quality of life of the city's population.
Healthy and affordable floors with a new cement-free technology
19.07.2019 Local news
At the “Swiss Youth and Future prize 2019” competition, an innovative project won the first prize: “Oxara”, a spin-off from former students of the ETH Zürich developed a solution to produce a poured earth concrete by using the landfill waste that is locally available. The idea is simple and competitive. The Oxara earth concrete has all the advantages of concrete, is 2.5 times cheaper and 20 times more ecofriendly.
Step by step towards greater sustainability

15.02.2019 Article
2019 is a big year for Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU in Romania: all projects must be completed by December. As the deadline approaches, the achievements of cooperation are becoming ever more tangible. The Romanian city of Suceava, for example, is creating a more sustainable energy supply.
Switzerland to contribute € 2 million to Environmental Remediation Account
12.11.2018 Local news
On 8 November 2018, a donor conference was held in London at the Headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) related to the international environmental remediation program for Central Asia led by the European Union. During the meeting the direct affected countries Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan stressed the need of urgent actions inter alia to halt the spread of pollution into the bread basket in Central Asia where 14 million people are living. They asked for financial support from the international community.
One billion well invested

05.06.2018 Article
The ten countries that joined the EU in 2004 have completed their projects under the enlargement contribution. SECO and the SDC have taken stock of the last decade and published the results in their 2017 annual report. The projects have made a significant contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in Europe. Switzerland was also able to use its expertise to make a meaningful contribution to a number of projects.
Linking regional development and nature protection

20.02.2018 Article
Creating jobs and prospects through environmental protection: Switzerland supported this innovative approach in Bulgaria. The project entitled ‘Linking Nature, Protection and Sustainable Rural Development’ promoted, among other things, organic farming methods, regional products and ecotourism in the poorest region of the EU.
10 years of contribution to the enlarged EU: efforts pay off

19.06.2017 Press release
The 10-year implementation period for Switzerland’s enlargement contribution to the 10 central and eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004 came to an end on 14 June 2017. Under the contribution, Parliament approved a total of CHF 1 billion to implement 210 projects which have helped reduce economic and social disparities among broad sections of the population living in the EU.
State secretary attends final conference in Czechia

14.06.2017 Article
State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch was in Czechia from 2 to 4 May 2017. During her visit she opened the final conference of the Swiss-Czech cooperation programme, which comes to an end in mid-June. She also visited four projects which were supported through Switzerland’s contribution to the enlarged EU.
Cooperation with Croatia takes shape

31.05.2017 Article
Two and a half years after the Swiss Parliament approved an EU enlargement contribution of CHF 45 million for Croatia, the commitment period is due to expire at the end of May 2017. The two countries have agreed on 12 projects during this time. The cooperation will focus on improving the drinking water supply and waste water treatment, education and research, and demining efforts.
Switzerland shares best practice in the field of energy

03.04.2017 Article
Poland has been demonstrating a keen interest in renewable energies and raising people's awareness of climate protection. That is why Switzerland has been supporting ten projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in Poland over the last five years. It is also the fifth time that Switzerland has hosted a delegation of representatives from Poland interested in finding out more about our energy policy and expertise in this field. Given that Switzerland’s contribution to the EU’s ten new member states will end in June 2017, the most recent visit of the Polish delegation was even more important in terms of maintaining partnerships between the two countries and Switzerland’s activities in Poland.
Switzerland is investing in the future – in public buildings in Estonia

22.12.2016 Article
In the fight against climate change, the thermo-modernisation of infrastructure plays an important role. With Swiss support, Estonia is renovating public facilities in accordance with internationally recognised energy standards and providing them with alternative energy sources. The projects not only improve the global climate but also the working and learning environment inside the buildings.
Videos (10)
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Publisher | DEZA/SECO |
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The Swiss contribution in brief
Information on Switzerland’s contribution to the enlarged EU: a brief presentation including project examples.
Publisher | Kanal 2 |
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Estonia: Opening of newly renovated public school in Väätsa
Estonia: Opening of newly renovated public school in Väätsa
Publisher | BSC Kranj |
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Slovenia: Energy Efficiency
Publisher | Estonian Ministry of Environment |
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Estland: Environmental monitoring and You
Publisher | BSC Kranj |
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Slovenia: Energy Efficiency
Publisher | DEZA |
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Poland: Renewable Energy
Publisher | DEZA |
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Slovenia: Environnment
Publisher | SDC/SECO |
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Poland: Clean Energy for Hospitals
Publisher | SDC/SECO |
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Hungary: Water Access for Ozd
Publisher | SDC/SECO |
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Poland: Renaturation of Raba River
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Publications (8)
Object 1 8 of 8
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Results country programmes in EU-12 countries

Promoting renewable energy, creating employment and strengthening civil society: the final review of Switzerland's enlargement contribution summarises the results of the Swiss-backed projects.
Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU: 2018 Annual Report

Information on the results achieved in the last three remaining country programmes that are still under way, e.g. mine clearance in Croatia, the promotion of SMEs in Romania and decommissioned trams from Basel improving Bulgaria's public transport system. The report also briefly explains the background to the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member countries.
Swiss Enlargement Contribution: Annual Report 2017

The ten countries that joined the EU in 2004 have completed their projects under the enlargement contribu-tion. SECO and the SDC have taken stock of the last decade and published the results in their 2017 annual report. The projects have made a significant contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in Europe. Switzerland was also able to use its expertise to make a meaningful contribution to a number of projects.
Swiss Enlargement Contribution: Annual Report 2016

The report shows the results and the state of progress, e.g. in the dual vocational training programme in Slovakia, the fight against human trafficking in Bulgaria and Romania, the rehabilitation of a port in Latvia, and a venture capital fund in Hungary. In addition, it covers the national programmes which have come to a close in Estonia and Slovenia and presents the new programme in Croatia.
Biodiversity in Poland

Promotion of biodiversity and nature conservation in Poland.
Czech republic: Small-scale environmental projects

A Swiss-backed fund supported 33 environmental projects put forward by different municipalities and organisations. For example, the town of Prachatice organised seminars and excursions on the theme of waste separation and composting. Another project breathed new life into the Negrelli Viaduct in Prague, inviting restaurants, shops and exhibitions to open under its arches.
Infrastructure projects in Poland

Thanks to the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme, 44,000 families now live in asbestos-free houses. Switzerland contributed CHF 115 million to support energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in a total of ten projects. In addition, Switzerland funded measures to improve public transport.
The Swiss Enlargement Contribution

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs present an interim balance sheet on the first five years since the approval of the Enlargement Contribution to the new 10 EU-Member States. The projects are to be implemented within another five year period, i.e., by 2017.
Object 1 8 of 8
- 1