The Ministry of Environment and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed today, Monday, various contracts to implement two projects related to cooperation in the field of environmental protection and biological diversity in the coast and improving the implementation of environmental tax legislation.
The signing ceremony for these contracts took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment, under the supervision of the Minister of Environment, Dalila Boudjemaa, and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Algeria, Elizabeth Wolbers.
On this occasion, Dalila Boudjemaa affirmed that these two projects are “very important” for Algeria and embody the partnership and cooperation between the Ministry of the Environment and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the environmental field.
Regarding the project of protecting the environment and biological diversity, the Minister of Environment highlighted that it would be “a way to reconsider the national strategy for the integrated management of coastal zones in coordination between all sectors regarding sustainable activities and rational use of natural resources and urban preparation.
A plan of action will also be developed – according to Dalila Boudjmaa – in consultation with all sectors of the coastal geographic information system, which will link the fourteen coastal provinces in the country, explaining that this system will enable obtaining “immediate and real-time information that supports the implementation of the integrated coastal zone management system”.
This project also aims at developing and valuing biological resources on land and in the sea, and providing additional income for the residents of the areas, the Minister added, highlighting that this axis “is in line with the orientations of the President of the Republic, who called for providing assistance to shadow areas.”
Regarding the second project relating to the improvement of legislation in the field of environmental taxation, Ms. Boudjemaa indicated that the application of the “polluter pays” principle is planned, specifying that taxes will be imposed on polluting companies.
Through this project, it is planned to review all the bases of the environmental tax system for the establishment of laws and decrees consistent and applicable by responsible bodies, she said.
The project will also work – according to the minister – to simplify the tax base calculation system and train inspectors to use it, in addition to setting up a system for digitizing data and tax data between the General Directorate of Taxes and the Ministry of Environment.
For her part, the German ambassador in Algeria appreciated the Algerian-German partnership in the environmental field, describing it as “fruitful”, stressing that “the German government is ready to continue the cooperation with the Algerian party in various fields.”
For her part, the permanent resident of the German International Cooperation Agency, Ella Schieber said that the signing of the two contracts will support and activate these two projects, make up for the delay in implementation and define the role of the two parties in this domain.
