Dr. Bruyninckx said Kosovo is a valued partner for the EEA in the work it carries out to provide the best possible data and knowledge to policymakers across Europe. Kosovo takes part in the EEA’s unique European Environmental Information and Observation Network, which includes 39 member and partner countries. During his two-day visit, the Executive Director held talks with Mr. Enver Hoxhaj, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister as well as with officials from the Environment Ministry and the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA). Dr. Bruyninckx welcomed efforts to build stronger ties with the EEA and said better monitoring, data sharing and reporting will help Kosovo improve its ability to address many of the same environmental problems also faced by European countries.

“Stronger cooperation is more important than ever. Building understanding and knowledge are crucial if we are to meet the environmental challenges we face. The impacts of climate change, air and water pollution and the continued degradation of our biodiversity know no borders, so it only makes sense to work together to find solutions and build a sustainable future,” said Dr. Bruyninckx.

“Kosovo is a valued partner and you are engaging with us - exchanging data and information in areas like water quality, but more can be done to improve monitoring, data sharing and reporting. The EEA stands ready to help you with this. We both benefit from sharing high quality information. Cooperation is crucial to finding solutions to the issues we have to address,” Dr. Bruyninckx added.

About the EEA

The European Environment Agency is an EU agency based in Copenhagen. Its task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. The EEA aims to support sustainable development by helping to achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment, through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policymakers and the public.