PROGRAM OF GOVERNMENT 2017-2020 Healthy Environment Republic of Macedonia with its natural features and resources, offers innumerable opportunities for high quality of life of its citizens. It contains rich geo-morphological and biological diversity, sufficient drinking water, beautiful lakes and river basins. This is a significant potential for present and future generations. Unfortunately, the desire for quick profits, breaches of legislation, lack of adequate institutional and human capacities led to enormous air, soil and water pollution and disturbance of natural habitats. It is devastating that in the 21st century the Republic of Macedonia is challenged by environmental problems peculiar to the third world. The Government will provide better quality of environmental media and protection of natural resources through non-corrupt effective institutions; strengthened, equipped and professional inspection services; private sector support, so it can meet the environmental protection standards; customs relief for import of new technological equipment or installation of systems for treatment of exhaust fumes or wastewater; provide funds through the budget, IPA EU aid and “soft” EBRD, EIB and World Bank loans to stimulate public-private partnerships as well as full transparency and broad consultation in the area. Air quality monitoring and monitoring of air, water and soil emissions will be permanent and available to the public, science community and civil society. We will establish dedicated environmental health indicators for assessing risks to children’s health from air pollution. The Government will review its decision on the import of used vehicles in order to provide low-level air traffic emissions. Concerning traffic, we will promote the use of gaseous fuels like natural gas and propane-butane and stimulate public and organized transport in urban areas and in major companies. The Government will establish the Environment Fund to ensure that funds received from environment fees will be allocated for projects set to improve the quality of environmental media, and will not be used for the comfort of the administration (business trips, pay phones or equipment of cabinets of ministers). The Government will support the construction of regional centers for waste management that are most appropriate to deal with municipal, industrial, medical and animal waste. To ensure adequate and economically efficient operation of future regional waste management centers, the Government will provide legal basis for public-private partnerships in waste management, recovery of usable fractions and production of secondary products, fuels and energy. This means solving the problem of irregular and illegal landfills, which are one of the largest sources of pollution. The Government will finance the preparation of the priority list for solving historical industrial pollution and rehabilitation of degraded areas. Priority will be given to the construction of treatment plants for wastewater treatment in all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants. The Government will support programs to increase green areas in cities, but with our, native species, grown in our nurseries – instead of importing foreign plant species that are expensive and cannot adapt to our climatic conditions. Macedonia is rich in renewable energy sources, but their use is still very limited. 49