Those concerning the protection of the environment are as follows:
• To prepare related legislation on environment, monitoring, implementation and
supervision (Art. 2, 1-a),
• To set up policies and principles, develop standards and criteria, and prepare
programmes for the conservation of the environment, its improvement and the
prevention of environmental pollution. In this context, to achieve education,
research, project design, action plans, and pollution maps, to identify their
application grounds and to monitor them, to conduct the related activities on
climate change (Art. 2, 1-b),
• To conduct activities related to waste management, to assess the environmental
impacts of any plant and activity causing or with the potential to cause pollution,
to monitor them and to govern noise control (Art. 2, 1-c).
• To determine the plans and policies for taking the necessary precautions to cope
with global climate change (Art. 2, 1-l).
• To conduct the preparations made at national level in cooperation with related
institutions for monitoring international works concerning the assigned tasks of
the Ministry and contributing to them (Art. 2, 1-m).
• To achieve the other tasks assigned by the legislation (Art. 2, 1-o).
Under the provisions of Decree No. 644, the Ministry is empowered as the key
actor for protecting and improving the environment, except on matters relating to
forestry and water. However, since forests and water are primary elements of the
natural environment, excluding these from the Ministry of Environment’s remit and
leaving them to another Ministry is also considered problematic (Güneş, 2015:
225).
Decree No. 644 also involves detailed provisions regarding the organization of
the Ministry, which basically consists of central and local organizations (Art. 3).
With the central organization, headed by the Minister (Art. 4), Under Secretary
and Deputies of the Under Secretary (Art. 5), there are eight General Directorates –
such as the General Directorate for Environmental Management (Art. 6(b), Art. 8),
the General Directorate for Environmental Impact Assessment, Permit and
Inspection (Art. 6(c), Art. 9), and the General Directorate for the Protection of
Natural Assets (Art. 6(g), Art. 13A), which are the only ones directly related to the
protection of environment – and also eight Directorates – such as the Strategy
Development Directorate, and the Counselling and Inspection Directorate – which
undertake tasks as the service units of the Ministry (Articles 6-25).
In addition to those, the Ministry also has Provincial Directorates of
Environment and Urbanization, which function at provincial level as its local
organization (Art. 26-28, Decree Law No. 644). The permanent organs, namely the
Higher Board for Environment (see also Articles 4-5, Environmental Act and the
By-Law on the Working Procedures and Principles of the Higher Board for
Environment and Local Environmental Boards), the Local Environmental Boards
and the Environment and Urbanization Council, are also worth mentioning here, as
they are important bodies which provide effective environmental governance.
3 Drawing a General Framework for Turkish Environmental Law
47
• To prepare related legislation on environment, monitoring, implementation and
supervision (Art. 2, 1-a),
• To set up policies and principles, develop standards and criteria, and prepare
programmes for the conservation of the environment, its improvement and the
prevention of environmental pollution. In this context, to achieve education,
research, project design, action plans, and pollution maps, to identify their
application grounds and to monitor them, to conduct the related activities on
climate change (Art. 2, 1-b),
• To conduct activities related to waste management, to assess the environmental
impacts of any plant and activity causing or with the potential to cause pollution,
to monitor them and to govern noise control (Art. 2, 1-c).
• To determine the plans and policies for taking the necessary precautions to cope
with global climate change (Art. 2, 1-l).
• To conduct the preparations made at national level in cooperation with related
institutions for monitoring international works concerning the assigned tasks of
the Ministry and contributing to them (Art. 2, 1-m).
• To achieve the other tasks assigned by the legislation (Art. 2, 1-o).
Under the provisions of Decree No. 644, the Ministry is empowered as the key
actor for protecting and improving the environment, except on matters relating to
forestry and water. However, since forests and water are primary elements of the
natural environment, excluding these from the Ministry of Environment’s remit and
leaving them to another Ministry is also considered problematic (Güneş, 2015:
225).
Decree No. 644 also involves detailed provisions regarding the organization of
the Ministry, which basically consists of central and local organizations (Art. 3).
With the central organization, headed by the Minister (Art. 4), Under Secretary
and Deputies of the Under Secretary (Art. 5), there are eight General Directorates –
such as the General Directorate for Environmental Management (Art. 6(b), Art. 8),
the General Directorate for Environmental Impact Assessment, Permit and
Inspection (Art. 6(c), Art. 9), and the General Directorate for the Protection of
Natural Assets (Art. 6(g), Art. 13A), which are the only ones directly related to the
protection of environment – and also eight Directorates – such as the Strategy
Development Directorate, and the Counselling and Inspection Directorate – which
undertake tasks as the service units of the Ministry (Articles 6-25).
In addition to those, the Ministry also has Provincial Directorates of
Environment and Urbanization, which function at provincial level as its local
organization (Art. 26-28, Decree Law No. 644). The permanent organs, namely the
Higher Board for Environment (see also Articles 4-5, Environmental Act and the
By-Law on the Working Procedures and Principles of the Higher Board for
Environment and Local Environmental Boards), the Local Environmental Boards
and the Environment and Urbanization Council, are also worth mentioning here, as
they are important bodies which provide effective environmental governance.
3 Drawing a General Framework for Turkish Environmental Law
47