Work is in progress to approximate to EU Water Framework Directive. Water Affairs Directorate General has been set up in 2011 with the mission of carrying out this legislative process in Turkey by the ministry. Later in 2012, the Regulation regarding Protection of Water Basins and Preparation of Management Plans has been enacted as well.

"The preparation of management plans for 4 river basins out of 25 has been completed. Turkey adopts legislation aimed at transposing the acquis in the field of water quality, notably its Framework Water Protection Law; establishes River Basin Protection Action Plans; and makes further significant progress in legislative alignment in this sector by adopting implementing legislation. In the context of effective management of water resources master plans for 25 basins were completed; and work is underway for river basin management plans. These action plans are currently being transformed into River Basin Management Plans to ensure the full provision of basin management in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. All the studies and works have been complete for 6 basins and 5 basins are in preparation stage. With the River Basin Management Plans, which will be completed and put into practice by 2023, the integrated water resources management is planned with protection and use principle. The Central Board of Basin Management was formed to formulate strategies and plans, take measures to ensure coordination and cooperation among sectors, adopt an integrated basin management approach, achieve national objectives and fulfill international commitments. "

Implementation Gaps: There is the need to convert the currently available River Basin Action Plans to EU compatible River Basin Management Plans for 25 river basins in Turkey. (This number is too high compared to other candidate countries which means large amount of financial and human resources is needed for such an adoption). There are critical differences between two structures such River Basin Councils. According to the EU legislation each river basin must have a river basin council. In Turkey the river basin councils have very recently set up in every 25 basins however requires capacity to run properly and the ministry is conducting training of trainers to build a certain level of capacity for those basin councils. 4 TEMA representatives have become members of those councils. Besides, a technical upgrade of operation is needed for the river basin management as well. Identification of problems of the river basins and the water quality is outdated and require an EU competency in terms of conservation approach, measurement techniques and reference values.

Turkey adopted the Monitoring Ground and Surface Water Regulation in 2014. It is a positive step for ensuring the adoptation on EU Water Framawork Directive. Nevertheless, the implementation of the regulation still needs for improvement.

Turkey adopted the Regulation for Protecting the Ground Water Sources Against Polution and Deterioration in 2012.

The law on Protection of Drinking Water Basins was amended in March 2020. Drinking water quality is regulated by Regulation Concerning Water Intended for Human Consumption by Ministry of Health in Turkey. As in the process of becoming a member state of EU, Turkish regulation is compatible with EU Drinking Water Directive.

Turkey adopted the Regulation on Water Allotment in 2019 to regulate the water usage priorities. In accordance with the regulation; unless the quantity and quality of the water, specific conditions of the basin requires different solutions, water usage rights shall be determined in accordance with the below order; 1- drinking water and domestic use, 2- environmental needs, 3- Irrigation for agriculture and production of aquaculture products, 4- energy production and industry, 5- Commercial, tourism, mining, transportation etc... Under the cases that there is enough water in the area, the source can be used by different order in accordance with the basin management plans. Nevertheless, there is still serious implementation problems exist in Turkey in terms of the determining the water usage priorities.

Turkey adopten Flood and Sedimentation Regulation in 2019.

The Ministry of Environmental and Urbanization(MoEU) carried out a major project in 2016 to determine the status of wastewater treatment in Turkey including the efficiency and operational problems of domestic wastewater treatment plants in the whole country. Within the scope of the ‘Determination of the Current Status of Domestic/Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants and Determining the Need for Revision (TURAAT)’ project, it has been determined that Turkey has 1,015 domestic wastewater treatmen plants either in operation or under construction and 10.5 million m3 wastewater is treated daily. According to the TURAAT project, the proportion of treated wastewater is found to be 82.9% generated by municipalities. In 2018, this rate had increased to 85%. Turkey’s final target rate of municipality wastewater treatment is 100% in the year 2023. In 2017, the MoEU initiated the second important project, ‘Reuse of Treated Wastewater in Turkey’. Within the scope of this project, it is aimed to investigate national and international practices and standards for the reuse of wastewater for urban and industrial wastewaters and to propose technical and administrative criteria for establishing the legal framework for the reuse of treated wastewater specific to Turkey. With this project, all WWTPs were investigated to determine wastewater reclamation and reuse purposes for the first time. According to the results obtained from this project, although there are 26 WWTPs with different capacities of reuse facility, only 15 of them realized reuse in 2017. The remaining 11 WWTPs do not operate their wastewater reclamation facilities due to design, mechanical and operational problems of the tertiary treatment processes. The amount of water reclaimed and reused from domestic/ urban WWTPs was determined to be 29.6 million m3. According to the results obtained, the reuse rate of domestic wastewater in Turkey was calculated as 0.78%. The MoEU, engaged in planning WWTPs with the approach that WWTPs are a source of raw materials, energy and water recovery, has set the target for 2023 of 5% reuse by different purposes such as agricultural irrigation, groundwater supply, irrigation for urban purposes, irrigation for wetlands and rivers, environmental/ecological use as well as for prevention of salt water incursion into fresh groundwater due to excessive groundwater use at the seaside in Turkey.

To preserve water resources basin basis, pollution prevention action plans were prepared for 8 river basins, along with the treatment sludge management plan for Ergene and Gediz River Basins. Work is underway to scale up these plans across the country.

The Circular on Marine Waste Application dated 8 July 2020 and numbered 2020/20 was published in order to take stricter measures for the protection of the seas by ensuring simultaneous tracking of wastes from ships with online applications. The Ship Waste Tracking System and the Blue Card System were updated with the circular and integrated into a single application, the Maritime Waste Practice, to reduce bureaucracy. The Blue Card System was designed to monitor the waste of small marine vehicles including yachts and boats that are not under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol). Soon, that card will be replaced online under the Maritime Waste Practice. Boats will be able to register themselves into the system free of charge at the nearest shore facility.Sea vehicles that do not have any equipment that produces waste, other than engine oil, are excluded from the scale of the circular. Under the exception, small fishing boats will not be imposed fines.

Turkey is not yet aligned with the Emission Trading Directive. Legislation aligning with the EU’s economy-wide greenhouse gas monitoring mechanism still needs to be adopted. Further efforts need to be made to fully implement the legislation aligned with the Fuel Quality Directive and to initiate alignment on emissions standards for new cars. Turkey also needs to establish an alignment plan for the Carbon Capture and Storage Directive.The Paris Agreement invites countries to submit their ‘mid-century long-term low-GHG emissions development strategies,’ or LTSs, by 2020 . These long-term plans are crucial to inform short-term decisions . However; Turkey has not submitted their Long Term Strategies to the UNFCCC and no information indicates that they are currently working on a strategy for 2020 or beyond .

There was no progress in this area over the previous period. A national strategy consistent with the EU 2030 climate and energy framework has not yet been formulated, and mainstreaming of climate action into other sector policies is still weak. The existing national strategy and action plan only partially addresses climate change mitigation and only for the short-term. Turkey has still not ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change. Regarding its commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Turkey submitted its third biennial report on greenhouse gasses in January 2018. The latest national inventory was submitted in April 2018. Turkey should in particular ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, and start implementing its contribution to the Agreement, and complete its alignment with the EU acquis on climate action.

Turkey is a party of important international agreements on protecting nature and species such as Bern Convention, Ramsar Agreement, CİTES Agreement, Basel Convention. Unfortunatelly, most of the times the government institutions do not consider these agreements but these agreements are still very important for us for legal procedings. International agreements have the same legal power as the national legislation. Turkey is still not a party to the Aarhus Convention.

Law On The Right of Access to Information, (Law No: 4982), came into force on 24/10/2003, regulating the procedure and the basis of the right to information Revision to the Article 74 of the Constitution, granting every citizens the right to request information

There are still complaints about the application of the rule of law in court decisions on environmental issues and about public participation and the right to environmental information.Turkey is still not a party to the Aarhus Convention. (bilgi edinme kanunu)

The deadlines for providing Information are not respected by the institutions, or the quality of the information is low when deadline is met. Institutions do not have enough capacity to respond the requests in time. The enforcement remains weak.

There are still complaints about the application of the rule of law in court decisions on environmental issues and about public participation and the right to environmental information.Turkey is still not a party to the Aarhus Convention.

Since the adoption EIA Regulation in 1993, it has been changed in total 18 times, 6 of which is complete change. Current regulation is dated 25.11.2014 with no 29186. Last change to the regulation has been made on 09.02.2016

Implementation of the Directive on infrastructure for spatial information is still at an early stage. There are concerns on how the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive is implemented. There are still complaints about the application of the rule of law in court decisions on environmental issues and about public participation and the right to environmental information.Turkey is still not a party to the Aarhus Convention.

According to statistics, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, in the period between 1993 and 2015, out of 56521 applications, 51200 have been granted with “no EIA is required” decision, 4501 have been granted a positive EIA decision and only 43 applications are granted with a negative decision.

SEA Regulation draft has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanism.

The 2016 law that waived licencing and other restrictions for strategically important investment projects is a major concern. Procedures for transboundary consultations have not yet been aligned with the acquis. The Strategic Environmental Assessments Directive is currently aligned in some sectors. Alignment on environmental liability remains limited.

There is still need to increase administrative capacity. There is a lack of interest from other ministries which may have stakes in investment projects.

There has been no progress in this area.

There has been no progress in this area.

On air quality, national legislation aligning with the VOC Solvents Emissions Directive was adopted in 2018. National legislation still needs to be adopted in line with the current directives on ambient air quality and national emissions ceilings. Severe air pollution in some cities is reported on an annual basis. Local clean air action plans are being prepared for 64 provinces. A national strategy for air quality monitoring is in place and 7 out of 8 planned regional networks are operational. Air quality monitoring data is published online.

There has been no progress in this area.

At present, Turkey’s GHG emissions account for 0.7% of global emissions (excl. LULUCF). Turkey has become an increasingly important emitter due to large energy demand increase (6–7% per year in the past, however a slow-down has been noticed in recent years) mainly due to rapid increases in industrialisation and urbanisation, and a booming population (30% increase since 1990). Overall GHG emissions have more than doubled since 1990. Electricity supply, passenger road and rail transport, and residential buildings sectors ccount for about 50% of Turkey’s national GHG emissions (excluding land use and forestry), which were at 526 MtCO2e in 2017.Transport emissions account for around 16% of Turkey’s GHG emissions (excl. LULUCF), or almost 85Mt CO2e. Turkey has no long-term strategy for a modal shift, but according to its 2011 Climate Change Action Plan it aims to increase the proportion of railroads and seaways in freight and passenger transportation by 2023. It also aims to develop and improve bicycle and pedestrian transport, providing specific targets.

"According to the 2019 National Inventory Report, Agriculture emissions in 2017 accounted for 12% of Turkey’s GHG emissions (excl. LULUCF), 62.5Mt CO2e in total (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, 2019). Turkey has an ambitious target for increasing agricultural productivity by 2023, aiming to be in the top five producers globally. This implies a significant future increase in GHG emissions from this sector. Currently, agricultural activities are the primary contributors of CH4 and N2O, with 55.5% of CH4 emissions and 77.6% of N2O emissions originating from agricultural activities (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, 2018a). Although Turkey considers the Agriculture sector in its National Climate Change Action Plan (2011-2023), it does not have a concrete target in place to reduce GHG emissions. Industrial process emissions accounted for 12% of Turkey’s GHG emissions in 2017, in total 66.5Mt (excl. LULUCF) (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, 2019),(Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, 2018a). Turkey aims to use a mix of targets and support schemes to improve energy efficiency in the industry sector. There are four main approaches envisaged in the National Energy Efficiency Plan. First, the government aims to scale up cogeneration systems for large industrial enterprises with heat needs exceeding 20 MW. Each industry subsector will have to achieve a 10% reduction in energy intensity by 2023. Energy efficiency projects are to be supported by low-interest loans. The government also aims to harmonise the legislation of environment-friendly design and product labelling with EU standards."

Electricity supply, passenger road and rail transport, and residential buildings sectors ccount for about 50% of Turkey’s national GHG emissions (excluding land use and forestry), which were at 526 MtCO2e in 2017. and only transport sector was 84.7 MtCO2e in 2017.

The legal framework on waste management is mostly aligned. Turkey has adopted a strategy promoting a zero waste management approach, efficient use of natural resources, landfilling reduction and increased recycling and reuse. Legislation introducing a ban on the free distribution of lightweight plastic bags came into force in January 2019 and attracted substantial public interest. Work has continued to bring waste treatment facilities up to acquis standards. Alignment and capacity for sorting, recycling and medical waste treatment have increased. Significant efforts are necessary to implement waste management plans at local and regional level. Economic instruments to promote recycling and the prevention of waste generation are improving, but remain limited.

In our country, highly important steps performed by legal arrangements during the European Union (EU) accession process have been taken and priority areas on environment have been identified (Turkey's National Program for the Adoption of the European Union (EU) Acquis, 2003). Accordingly, the studies to be carried out in relation to sludge management are included in priority study areas. For that reason, current regulations have been put into place within the framework of Environment Law number 2872 and its subsidiary Water Pollution Control Regulation, Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, Technical Procedure Communication for Wastewater Treatment Plants, Regulation on Landfill of Waste, Regulation on Soil Pollution Control and Point Source Contaminated Sites, Regulation on the use of Domestic and Urban Sewage Sludge in soil as well as Regulation on Waste Incineration and Waste Management Regulation. Conducted with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and Middle East Technical University, it is aimed to ensure a sustainable and effective treatment sludge management for the processing, recovery and disposal of the treatment sludge formed and expected to occur in domestic, urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants. ""Project Closing Meeting"" was held in Ankara on July 26, 2019. MoEU preparation of Turkey in Sewage Sludge Management and Action Plan in order to share the outcomes of the project.

Considering the waste management hierarchy, it is evident that waste reduction and prevention will enhance the lifetime of sanitary landfills. Thus there are ongoing works to reduce the amount of materials that give waste a hazardous waste character. For example; works on reducing the carbon amount existent in electronic wastes are proceeding. On the other hand, some restrictions are introduced with regulations on use of heavy metals in batteries. Additionally, in a booklet published on domestic hazardous waste, hazardous materials used in households are defined and their non-hazardous substitutes are presented to the general public. Environmental protection awareness which actively developed after 1993, legal sanctions, difficulties in waste disposal and most importantly increased importance of the production related environmental protections measures in international trade have placed use of clean technologies and waste reduction in an important position. Efforts in reuse and recycling of hazardous waste are concentrating on wastes that require simpler technologies for their collection and use. Waste markets established in the country, which are enabling recycling, need to be improved. Especially in chemicals sector in Turkey, there are trainings open to everyone as organized by trade associations and chambers of commerce. These trainings specifically focus on transmitting knowledge and applications of waste management systems, development of waste management plans and waste reduction for small and mediumsized enterprises.

In industrial pollution and risk management, alignment with most EU directives and regulations is at an early stage. There is good alignment with the Seveso II Directive and the ecolabel regulation was adopted in 2018. Alignment with the Seveso III Directive, Industrial Emissions Directive, the eco-management and audit scheme, and the Paints Directive are still pending.

The conditions found in landfills used for inert waste should be adapted by national legislation.

In the European Union, electronic waste management is regulated by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Waste Directive (WEEE Directive (2012/19 / EU)), which deals with collection, recycling and recovery processes.As Turkey is not a EU Member State, there is no transposition of EU legislation in place. However, Turkey implemented the extended producer responsibility for WEEE and passed legislation similar to Directives 2002/96/EC and 2012/19/EU: - Regulation on the control of waste electrical and electronic equipment No. 28300 from May 22, 2012. According to this regulation, main producer obligations are registration with the responsible authority, reporting obligations towards the authority, ensure collection, take-back and recycling of products either individually or through a collective producer compliance scheme, financing obligations, labelling requirements, information obligations for consumers and processing facilities, financial guarantee/ insurance required.

During the accession period, Turkey has adopted all relevant waste directives into its legislation. Almost all requirements in the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) were harmonised in the waste management regulation (02.04.2015, Official Gazette: 29314) except “the end of waste status” defined in the article 6 of the Directive. In Turkey, incineration is only used for medical waste, unlike some countries where domestic waste materials are also incinerated.Turkey adopted a strategy promoting a zero waste management approach, efficient use of natural resources, landfilling reduction and increased recycling and reuse.

Alignment with legislation on noise is well advanced. Preparation of noise mapping and local noise action plans are at an advanced stage.Under the heading of noise, there is a single Directive (2002/49/EC) on the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise. The Directive calls for the preparation of strategic noise maps by Member States showing the situation in all agglomerations with more than 250.000 inhabitants, all major roads which have more than 6 million vehicle passages a year, major railways which have more than 60.000 train passages per year and major airports within their territories. The Directive also requires the Member States to draw up Noise Action Plans.

Alignment with legislation on noise is well advanced. Preparation of noise mapping and local noise action plans are at an advanced stage.Under the heading of noise, there is a single Directive (2002/49/EC) on the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise. The Directive calls for the preparation of strategic noise maps by Member States showing the situation in all agglomerations with more than 250.000 inhabitants, all major roads which have more than 6 million vehicle passages a year, major railways which have more than 60.000 train passages per year and major airports within their territories. The Directive also requires the Member States to draw up Noise Action Plans.

It was back in 1998 when a "Light Pollution Study Group" was established through the initiatives of the National Observatory of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and a draft directive on exterior electric lightning was prepared in 2001 to prevent light pollution in cities and around observatories in particular. As there were no developments regarding the draft directive presented to the Ministry of Energy, the text was converted to a draft bill against light pollution in 2015. Since then, no action was taken and the Turkish Astronomical Society (TAD) brought the issue before the public once again.There has been no progress in this area.

It was back in 1998 when a "Light Pollution Study Group" was established through the initiatives of the National Observatory of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and a draft directive on exterior electric lightning was prepared in 2001 to prevent light pollution in cities and around observatories in particular. As there were no developments regarding the draft directive presented to the Ministry of Energy, the text was converted to a draft bill against light pollution in 2015. Since then, no action was taken and the Turkish Astronomical Society (TAD) brought the issue before the public once again.There has been no progress in this area.

Turkish REACH regulation, abbreviated as KKDIK which stands for Registration (Kayit), Evaluation (Degerlendirme), Authorisation (Izin) and Restriction (Kisitlama) of Chemicals (Kimyasallar) in Turkish is published as of June, 23, 2017 by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (MoEU) which is the responsible authority for its implementation and enforcement. Although KKDIK is almost a copy-paste of the EU REACH Regulation, there are unavoidably slight differences as a result of the timing of Turkey introducing KKDIK. For instance, Turkish CLP Regulation known as SEA was put into force before KKDIK Regulation, which is differing from the situation in the EU.KKDIK is also foreseeing a pre-registration process and a Substance Information Exchange Forum called MBDF, very similar to SIEF formation. However, the striking difference between EU REACH and KKDIK is that pre-registration tonnage band will not trigger the deadline for registration. Registration period or the deadline for registration will be the same for all substances pre-registered and a 3 years time frame is envisaged for the registration period. One of the important additional requirements of KKDIK when compared with EU REACH is that Chemical Safety Report should be prepared and signed by a local Certified Risk Assessor. Similar requirements are in place under the SDS Regulation of Turkey. SDSs have to be prepared in Turkish and signed by a certified Turkish expert.

The Regulation on Licensing and Placing on the Market of Plant Protection Products was published in the Official Gazette dated 11/9/2017 as no. 30235. The Regulation covers rules and procedures of licensing and placing on the market of plant protection products such as pesticides, plant growth regulators, attractants, repellents, insect growth regulators, nutrition blockers, bio-preparations, bio-activators, and substances treating physiological diseases. Companies seeking a plant protection product license must first get a Plant Protection Product Dealing Certificate. The validity period of this certificate is three years and can be renewed three more years under certain conditions.

There has been no progress in this area.

On chemicals, the overall level of legislative alignment is advanced but implementation and enforcement remains weak. Turkey is only partly aligned with the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The regulatory framework to implement the directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes was adopted in April 2019. In March 2020, Turkey adopted a law aiming to align with the EU acquis on biocidal products.In the area of chemicals, the CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 contains provisions on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. The other important legislation in the field of chemicals is the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances) Regulation. In the field of chemicals there are also legislation on exports and import of chemicals, reduction of persistent organic pollutants, biocidal products and test animals. Import control system under the Regime on Technical Regulations and Standardization for Foreign Trade in Turkey has been subject to modifications since 2004 with the aim of harmonization of the European Union (EU) technical legislation. In this regard, the ""Decree of Council of Ministers on the Regime on Technical Regulations and Standardization For Foreign Trade” and the legislation published based on the mentioned Decree was reviewed in order to enable the relevant EU legislation to be implemented in Turkey at the import stage.

Turkey has enacted legislation on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which means it is now aligned with European Union rules.The Regulation on POPs – KOK in Turkish – was published in the Official Gazette on 14 November 2018 and became immediately effective, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (MoEU) announced.The EU incorporated the UN's Stockholm Convention on POPs into its legislation in 2004. This bans the intentional production, marketing and use of listed substances listed in the convention.It is part of Turkey's efforts to align all its chemical legislation with the EU, with which it is in a customs union. Turkey's REACH-like law – KKDIK – came into effect at the end of 2017.

GM crops are regulated by the: Biosafety Law; Regulation on GMOs and GM Products; Regulation on Working Principles of the Biosafety Board and Committee; The Biosafety Board, which was established in 2011, was abolished by Decree Law No 703 of 9 July 2018. The powers of the Biosafety Board have been transferred to the MAF. Turkey ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety through the Cabinet of Ministers decision of 17 July 2003 2003/5937, under Law No 4898 of 17 June 2003. The Biosafety Law requires approval for use of products derived from agricultural biotechnology, excluding pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Veterinary and medicinal products for human use and cosmetic products licensed by the Ministry of Health are not within the scope of the Biosafety Law. The issue of GMOs is not well understood in Turkey. There are anti-GMO campaigns run by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with support of the media. Arguments put forward by different sides of the debate are unsatisfactory, which heightens concerns about GMOs.

Turkey has continued to implement training, inspection and monitoring programmes for the placing on the market of food, feed and animal by-products on the market, and administrative capacity for official controls has been improved. No progress has been made on developing the national plan for upgrading agri-food establishments. Significant work is still needed to apply the new rules on registering and approving food establishments. Substantial work on animal by-products is still required. Provisions for funding inspections have still not been aligned with the EU system. Alignment of food safety rules with the acquis has advanced on issues such as labelling, additives and purity criteria, flavourings, food supplements and enzymes. Relevant regulations have been adopted, among others for labelling and specifications for food additives.

With EU harmonization process, Turkey has put Seveso II Directive into force “By-Law on Prevention and Mitigation of Major Industrial Accidents” in December 2013. This regulation is known as “Legislation on Reducing Major Industrial Accident Risks”, with BEKRA acronym. BEKRA legislation has brought different responsibilities to operators, public institutions and local administrations. According to data of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, total 825 BEKRA establishments, 369 upper tier ones and 456 lower tier ones are available in Turkey on December 2014. In industrial pollution and risk management, alignment with the EU acquis is at an early stage. The by-law harmonising the EU Directive on SEVESO III was adopted in March 2019. Alignment with the Industrial Emissions Directive, the eco-management and audit scheme, and the Paints Directive were still pending.

PM10 limit values are determined in the Annexes of the Air Quality Assessment and Management Regulation published in the Official Gazette dated 06.06.2008 and numbered 26898. The limit values for coarse particulate matter (PM10) have been gradually reduced to the European Union limit values as of January 1, 2019. Although legislation in Turkey, the limit value is determined on the basis of European Union regulations; Ensuring the right to clean air, Turkey also accepted by the World Health Organization makes the necessary efforts to legally withdraw their standard. Unfortunately, there is no limit value yet set for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Research shows that heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, nickel, radioactive materials, harmful substances from houses, mining waste, oil and gas extraction waste, cement kiln dust, municipal kiln ashes and waste from many small workplaces and factories, solid Nylon, plastic bottles, etc., which can remain for a long time without breaking down the harmful chemicals in the wastes. The life of vulnerable animals is threatened as a result of packaging materials, pesticides being mixed with water to make it into solution and sprayed with the method of spraying (spraying) or artificial fertilizers directly sprinkling and dissolving with water.

In the area of Civil Protection, the activities at the EU level are conducted by the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The Mechanism operates under the Directorate General of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) of the European Commission. The overall objective of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is to strengthen cooperation between the EU and the Member States in the field of civil protection, with a view to improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters. The Mechanism supports the efforts of Participating States to protect primarily people, but also the environment and property, including cultural heritage, against all kinds of natural and man-made disasters, including the consequences of environmental disasters, marine pollution and health emergencies, occurring inside and outside the Union. All EU Member States participate, as well as 6 Participating States (Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey). The agreement on Turkey's participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was signed on 6 May 2015. Decree on the ratification of the agreement between the Republic of Turkey and the European Union on the participation of Turkey in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism was published in the Official Gazette No. 29661 of 22 March 2016. The national coordination of the UCPM activities in Turkey is executed by the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

The circular economy is still a new topic, which is mostly discussed in the context of plastic pollution and zero waste in Turkey. However, there are new developments, which prove that the business sector is interested in the topic. There are some initiatives where waste is central to the action while there are some others where the transformation of the production patterns are considered. The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization has recently started the development of “Regional Activity Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP / RAC) and Roadmap” to serve the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to ensure the inclusion of resource efficiency practices in the industry, to encourage the development of environmentally friendly business models that support the Circular Economy, and to create policy instruments that support these actions.

The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization has recently started the development of “Regional Activity Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP / RAC) and Roadmap” to serve the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to ensure the inclusion of resource efficiency practices in the industry, to encourage the development of environmentally friendly business models that support the Circular Economy, and to create policy instruments that support these actions. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) approach is essential for a circular economy and already aligned with the new Circular Economy Action Plan of the European Union adopted in March 2020. SCP is also directly related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations to which Turkey attach special importance.

Between 2017 and 2018, employment in the renewable industry decreased because of uncertainties in the policy framework. A clear direction from the government towards renewables can provide investment security and lead to long-term sustainable employment. Turkey is a resource-rich country in terms of renewable energy resources.Most recent targets from the 11th Development Plan aim to reach a renewable energy share of 38.8% in 2023; however, there is no plan for renewables for the years beyond 2023 (SHURA, 2019). This is not enough to reach the required levels of 60% to 80% by 2030 as defined in our 1.5°C-compatible scenarios, and will underutilise Turkey’s renewable energy potential. The realistic deployment potential of renewables is estimated at more than 1000 TWh per year, about double the demand forecast for 2030. The Turkish government foresees that the country’s energy demand will increase between 3.7% and 5.1% in the coming years, with the growth rate slowing down to between 2.7% to 3.8% in 2030 . In spite of the projected growth, overcapacity in the power sector has caused restrictions for new power plants in recent years SCALING UP CLIMATE ACTION TURKEY 5. Turkey can cover up to 50% of electricity demand in 2026 through renewables, making investments in other technologies redundant. Turkey aims to increase its installed coal-fired power capacity to 30 GW by 2023 from a current capacity of around 20 GW . In May 2019, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced the sale of 500 coal mines to potential investors in public tenders . Turkey aims to increase the share of renewables to 38% of total installed capacity by 2023, but has no long-term strategy for renewable energy . The production of renewable energy is mostly promoted through a feed-in tariff, pre-license tenders, and capacity auctions .

The framework legislation on nature protection, the national biodiversity strategy and an action plan have yet to be adopted. Regulations allowing planning and construction in wetlands, forests and natural sites are still not in line with the acquis. The lists of habitats and species detected in Turkey under the Habitats and Birds Directives have been prepared. The institutional framework for managing future Natura 2000 sites needs to be streamlined and adequately resourced. Investments, particularly in hydropower and mining, need to comply with nature protection obligations, especially for potential Natura 2000 areas.

Alignment with the EU Marine Strategy is still pending.An EU-funded project has provide to protect Turkey's marine and coastal ecosystems.The project has helped Turkey to prepare for the implementation of the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which aims to protect more effectively the marine environment across Europe.

Having regard to Turkey’s plant genetic diversity, the In-situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Diversity National Plan was adopted in 1998. The plan establishes legal, institutional and financial requirements for the in-situ conservation of the species that are important for agriculture, food, economy and culture (www.bcs.gov.tr). However, an effective system has not been developed for the in-situ conservation of agricultural genetic diversity due to gaps in the legislation and to insufficient infrastructure. There is a need for strengthening the infrastructure for ex-situ conservation. Turkey needs a framework law on the conservation of nature, habitats and biodiversity. This need is frequently expressed by the non-governmental organisations, the relevant ministries and academics. The first study on this subject started in 2003 during the World Bank-funded GEF-supported Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management Project. The draft law, originally known as the Nature Conservation and Biodiversity Law, has not entered into force and fails to meet the concerns of environmentalists.Some international conventions to which Turkey is a party contain relevant requirements, such as the: 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention). Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Determination, Registration and Approval of Protected Areas was published in the Official Gazette numbered 31070 on March 16, 2020.The purpose of the Regulation on Procedures and Principles Regarding the Determination, Registration and Approval of Protected Areas is the registration, approval and announcement of national parks, nature parks, natural monuments, nature conservation areas and wetlands, and determination and registration of natural assets, natural sites and special environmental protection zones, The distinctive features and definitions of "Qualified Natural Protected Areas" and "Sustainable Conservation and Usage Areas" and Monumental Trees, which are among the categories of natural sites, have been changed with the amendment.

There has been no progress in this area.