Ministry unveils 'Green Turn through Digitalization' — five modules to monitor polluters and map illegal dumps

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning presented a new programme called "Green Turn through Digitalization", a package of five digital modules intended to increase transparency, speed up administrative services and improve environmental data management, Minister Muhamet Hodza said at a press briefing.

As Hodza put it, "Digitalization for us is not just software. It is a political tool for justice and raw transparency. Where there is a digital system, there is no room for hiding and that is where the system's inefficiency ends."

Five modules, concrete steps

The initiative is divided into five modules, each targeting a specific area. The first module, called "Foundations", will provide public access to ministry projects — including value, location, funding sources and timelines — so citizens, media and NGOs can scrutinize them.

The "Core" module concerns digitizing the ministry archive for electronic case tracking and is being developed with the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Hodza said the spatial information system for protected-area geospatial data has already been digitized.

Under the "Time" module the ministry plans administrative reform to shorten procedures; the first phase covers 15 of the planned 30 steps and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The "Land" module foresees digital mapping of illegal dumps in municipalities to better plan resources for cleanup and to prepare for regional waste centres. Hodza added that the platform's functionality will be consulted with civil society, the Association of Units of Local Self-Government (ZELS) and experts, and that implementation is foreseen in the 2027 budget. Parallel pilot projects for video surveillance of illegal dumps are running in several municipalities.

The final module, "Air", will establish a digital register in which 140 holders of A-integrated environmental permits must publish their emissions, in line with the Law on Control of Emissions that enters into force in September 2027.

Answering a question about the upcoming heating season, Hodza said the Government at yesterday's session adopted a short-term plan with concrete measures for institutions. The plan includes stepped-up inspections of industrial capacities holding A- and B-integrated permits and close cooperation with local government. For longer-term measures, the ministry is implementing a project to replace non-ecological heating systems in public institutions: more than 70 institutions are planned to change heating systems, 20 are already completed and the rest are in preparatory documentation.

Hodza announced that each of the five modules will be presented in detail to the public in the coming period.

Photo: press material from the event