Good Practices Action Plans Lessons learnt Data & Indicators

This report details the outcomes of the ENHANCE project (2017-2020), an Interreg Europe initiative designed to improve regional policy instruments that support the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) to increase resource efficiency and promote the circular economy. The project involved six partners across Europe who identified 24 good practices and implemented 31 actions, primarily focusing on regulatory reliefs and promotional incentives for EMAS-registered organizations.

• The ENHANCE project identified 24 good practices for supporting EMAS, 11 of which were validated and included in the Policy Learning Platform database. These practices include reduced reporting requirements, green public procurement guides, and financial incentives such as tax breaks and reduced administrative fees.
• The project implemented 31 actions across its partners, with 23 finalized, 6 in progress, and 2 delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. These actions focused on 12 types of regulatory reliefs and promotional incentives, including fast-track permits, reduced inspection frequencies, and Green Public Procurement (GPP).
• In Catalonia, Spain, the project led to the publication of Law 5/2020 on April 29th, which introduced a 75% reduction in taxes for environmental authorization procedures and a 75% reduction in fees for on-site inspections for EMAS organizations. Additionally, a 50% reduction was applied to greenhouse gas emission authorization applications under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
• In Estonia, the project resulted in a significant increase in EMAS adoption, with the number of implementing companies increasing fivefold. This was driven by an amendment to the Waste Act (§ 983) that exempted EMAS-registered companies from financial guarantees related to waste depositing.
• In Andalusia, Spain, the project introduced non-financial grants and public recognition for EMAS organizations. Specifically, 75 EMAS-registered organizations received higher scores in the 24th Edition of Environmental Awards, and EMAS was included as an award criterion for grants for the Sustainable Development of Marine Aquaculture.
• In the Czech Republic, the project achieved an agreement to update the Internal Risk Assessment Framework used by the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (CEI), extending the frequency of inspections by one year for EMAS-registered companies without high-risk potential.
• In Austria, the project influenced the Action Plan for Green Public Procurement, establishing that EMAS organizations receive 100% of available points in the awarding process for the construction and maintenance sector, compared to 80% for ISO organizations.
• The project engaged 375 representatives from 248 organizations as stakeholders. The stakeholder composition was 49% enterprises and other organizations, 20% public administrations and regulatory bodies, 10% consultants/experts, 9% other organizations, 7% accredited verifiers, and 5% enterprise associations.
• A key lesson learned was that improving policy instruments is nearly impossible without stakeholder engagement, as regulatory reliefs must be attractive to stakeholders, legally viable, and consistent with other policy instruments.
• The project identified a systemic barrier where the lack of EMAS inclusion in European-level policy instruments makes it more difficult to implement such measures at state or regional levels.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Good Practices Action Plans Lessons learnt Data & Indicators. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/final-report-of-enhance-project.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Good Practices Action Plans Lessons learnt Data & Indicators. 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/final-report-of-enhance-project.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Good Practices Action Plans Lessons learnt Data & Indicators |date=2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/final-report-of-enhance-project.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021good, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Good Practices Action Plans Lessons learnt Data \& Indicators}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/final-report-of-enhance-project.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }