EU to Help Kaliningrad Region Deal with Waste

A two-year project designed to improve methods of waste disposal and bring them up to EU standards will be undertaken in the Kaliningrad Region. This was announced on Tuesday, January 28, at the most recent presentation of the project to the regional administration by First Secretary of the EU Commission in Russia Magnus Ovilius.

The EU representative said that EUR 2 million would be allocated to this project. The project will include the construction of three large waste disposal and recycling units in the region. The project was designed by the regional administration together with the Northern Investment Bank and the EBRD.

There are currently more than 140 rubbish dumps in the region which do not meet ecological standards as they are located near to cities and sources of drinking water. As Deputy Governor Sergei Laptev announced at the presentation, in order to carry out the project the regional administration intends to attract not only foreign grants but also budget funds so that 'the most westerly region of Russia does not look like the dirty spot of Europe.'