An environmental program worth € 34 million Euros for the protection of the coastal region of Algiers was approved by the European Commission, the European Union (EU) said in a statement.

• “This program is done in partnership with the Algerian authorities, is dedicated to the protection of the seaboard of Algiers from the effects of urbanization and economic activities, which is at the heart of the development policies underway in the country,” the statement indicated.
• The Commission notes that the EU and Algeria have increased their cooperation in environmental protection, this new program illustrating the “new momentum” of this cooperation.
• It points out in this regard that the Algerian authorities, in collaboration with the EU have implemented a development program in the coastal region of Algiers, which provides for a “coherent and integrated” land use and planning management.

  According to the same source, European aid in this program will be € 34 million Euros and will contribute to the implementation of the new strategy.

• This support will, for example, help to implement a system of ecological monitoring of the coast, the management plans of protected areas and studies on the costs of public investment.
• The private sector and civil society should be closely involved in the implementation of the program, the statement said. For the EU, the key environmental challenges facing Algeria are air quality, management and quality of water resources, waste management, protection of nature, coastal and marine pollution and desertification.

• The European Commission said that Algeria has already developed a national strategy and action plan for the environment and sustainable development, and there are specific sectoral programs especially related to desertification, waste management and protection of coastal and marine areas have been adopted..