The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)  with the support from the ENI SEIS II East project published a report that summarises three assessments carried out in 2018 on the status of production, sharing and use of the UNECE environmental indicators in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus and the establishment of the Shared Environmental Information System across the region.

The self-assessments of progress in establishing SEIS confirm that many countries in Europe and Central Asia have continued to harmonize relevant data flows and improve the quality of the selected environmental indicators and underpinning data flows since 2016. This demonstrates a positive trend since the Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference held in Batumi, Georgia, that year.

The report includes recommendations on the national assessments: Generally, countries across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus need to improve the use of environmental assessments and reports to measure progress against policy targets and objectives and improve policymaking. Capacity-development, both international and national, should focus on supporting the production of modern indicator-based, policy-relevant assessments based on analytical rather than descriptive use of indicators. Country experts should be trained in communication techniques to develop policy- and user-relevant assessment narratives, with more visual explanations. The longer-term aim should be to build sustainable national pipelines for such information products. Other recommendations focus on the indicator development, cooperation, data production, platforms, language, agreements and cooperation.

This report reveals complimentary findings and conclusions and proposes recommendations. Report is available here.

More information including some country fact sheets produced by UNECE is available here