Legal Specialist (Waste Management) - retainer position

Job categories Legal
Vacancy code VA/2020/B5109/20960
Department/office ECR, RSMCO, Serbia
Duty station Skopje, North Macedonia
Contract type Local ICA Specialist
Contract level LICA Specialist-10
Duration Up to 110 working days, in period of seven months
Application period 23-Dec-2020 to 02-Feb-2021


Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.

This vacancy is closed.
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Nordic Support for Progress of North Macedonia project background

A)

The Government of Norway has decided to fund a sub-regional programme “Nordic Support for Progress in North Macedonia” to be implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The project consists of a socio-economic development support to the more undeveloped parts of the country and also envisages support to the Macedonian authorities responsible for leading the renewed efforts on the EU accession process. 

The Government of Norway has allocated funding for the implementation of the Project in Macedonia during 24 months.

The Overall Objective is to contribute to a more balanced socio-economic development and contribute to the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and EU accession negotiations priorities. 

Specifically, the programme has objectives at the local and national levels i.e. locally, to increase employment opportunities, support social cohesion as well as to enhance local infrastructure in the less developed areas with a focus given to the inclusion of youth, women and vulnerable groups in the labour market. Nationally, the programme aims at supporting the government to improve its capacity for EU integration and government reform agenda in the accession process

All Project activities will be undertaken in partnership and cooperation with national and local institutions, with the aim of allowing them to adopt/adapt the legal requirements and, where relevant, EU accession criteria. This will ensure national ownership and support the development of national capacities.


B)

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency has decided to fund a project “Support to progress in North Macedonia - Government reform agenda in the EU-accession process” to be implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The objective of the project supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is to support the enhancement of the EU integration capacity of the Republic of North Macedonia by providing technical assistance to government institutions during the accession period. 

SIDA has allocated funding for the implementation of the project in Macedonia during 24 months.

The Overall Objective of the SIDA support is to contribute to, and effectively communicate to the public, the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, accession negotiations and government reform priorities in the Republic of North Macedonia. 

Project interventions are aimed towards communicating the benefits of the EU accession process to the general population, as well as to involve the civil society and media throughout the accession phases. All project activities will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Macedonia, in cooperation with the national institutions, with the aim of allowing them to adopt/adapt the legal requirements and, where relevant, EU accession criteria. 

This will ensure national ownership and support the development of national capacities.

Background Information – relevant for the assignment

The purpose of Result 1 “Supporting the government reform agenda in the accession process” is to provide support to relevant national institutions in charge of alignment of national legal acts with the EU acquis and to contribute to further building of capacities of the central coordination structures and relevant national structures for successful carrying out of the screening process (explanatory and bilateral screening). The overall process is coordinated by the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA), as main coordination body in the accession negotiation process.

The National Programme for Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA), as key strategic and planning document in the accession negotiation process is planned, monitored and updated on regular basis. The NPAA is prepared and monitored by established 33 working groups, for each chapter of the acquis.

The NPAA comprises a comprehensive analysis of the EU Acquis, listing the short- and medium-term priorities in the planning reforms, policies and strategies, plan and schedule for harmonization of national legislation with the Acquis, administrative structures for implementation of legislation in terms of capacity building, establishment new/or restructuring the existing, human resource development and training needs, as well as financial resources. The NPAA is revised every year, taking into account the European Commission’s Country Reports and possible updates of the EU acquis. The NPAA is good base for the preparation of the administration for the screening process and preparation of negotiation positions in the negotiation process.

The Ministry on Environment and Physical Planning (MoEPP) is responsible for the national environmental and climate policy and leading the approximation process for the Chapter 27 Environment and climate change. The NPAA, (revision 2019 - 2021), reflected in the Legal Agenda of the Government for 2020, envisages finalization and adoption of several laws in the areas of: waste management; and industrial pollution control and risk management. 

Waste Management Regulation: 

The basic law regulating waste management in the Republic of North Macedonia is the Law on Waste Management (LWM) (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 68/04, 71/04, 107/07, 102/08, 134/08 , 09/11, 123/12, 147/13, 163/13, 51/15, 146/15, 156 / 15,192 / 15, 29/16, 63/16 and Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia No 31/20). The management of special waste streams is regulated by the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, the Law on Management of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Waste on Electrical and Electronic Equipment, the Law on Management of Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators. Additionally, two new laws regarding establishing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme and Law on Additional Waste Streams under EPR responsibility were prepared. All six (6) laws are in the Government procedure for adoption.

In the area of waste management, the current Law on Waste Management established the framework for establishing a waste management infrastructure, which was mainly based on undertaking activities by the local self-government units. Implementation results have shown weaknesses and uncertainties in cases where local self-government capacities are insufficient to allocate funds to build new waste infrastructure and, in the inability, to ensure coordination between all stakeholders. In addition, the experience so far has shown that the development of waste infrastructure requires a large amount of funding to find a clear and precise definition of responsibilities and responsibilities between central and local government. This is also noted in the EC 2020 Country Report “The process of establishing an integrated regional system for waste management continues to face delays due to insufficient administrative and financial resources, and it suffers from lack of ownership”.

The adoption of a new law on waste management will provide legal grounds for establishment of a functional regional waste management system and the construction of regional landfills, while closing all non-standard landfills. At the same time, it will enable regional collection, transport, selection, recycling, as well as treatment and utilization of waste, which will increase the level of human health and environmental protection, as a step towards enabling circular economy for this sector.

The establishment of regional waste management will enable better environmental control of waste management activities through:

  • reduction of landfill, i.e. reduced quantities of disposed waste, and increased processing and recycling of waste;

  • reduction of illegal dumping, which in addition to environmental protection will lead to increase in revenues;

  • increased employment in the waste industry and associated revenue growth that will contribute to an increase in GDP;

  • development of a circular economy that will enable greater utilization of resources, and thus economic development;

  • approximation of national and European legislation in the field of waste management.

In order to establish the recommended option, MoEPP has developed a new Law on Waste Management ( LWM) that is expected to be adopted by the end of 2020.


Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Legal Specialist (Waste...

Education  Advanced University Degree in Law is required; ...

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and ex...

This is a local position, it is therefore open to Nationals of Republic of ...

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time Applications ...

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful imp...

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been active in Serbia...
This vacancy is closed.
Apply

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