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Four priorities for the ENPI Regional Indicative Programme South
Some €288 million has been allocated by the European Commission under the Euro-med Partnership 2011-2013 to regional integration, investment and regulatory convergence, sustainable development and cultural dialogue.
The four priority areas defined in the ENPI Regional Indicative Programme (2011-2013) to benefit are:
- Common regional institutions, confidence building measures and media development (16%), including: Supporting the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat, Civil Protection, Partnership for peace, Information and Training Seminars for Euro-Mediterranean Diplomats, and Regional Media, Information and Communication Programme II.
- Regional integration, investment, regulatory convergence (including approximately 30% of the total regional allocation for the FEMIP) (43%), including: Enhancing investment promotion, business development and industrial cooperation, Transport Infrastructure, Supporting the information society, Supporting the FEMIP, Statistics.
- Sustainable development (15%), including: Environment and Water, Energy.
- Social inclusion and cultural dialogue (14%), including: Gender equality, Dialogue between cultures and cooperation on culture, Civil Society including youth.
12% of the total amount has been assigned as Global Allocation, constituting the necessary funds to cover expenditure associated with the preparation, follow-up, monitoring, and evaluation activities directly necessary for the implementation of the Regional and National Indicative Programmes and for the achievement of its objectives.
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Water resources are both limited and unequally distributed. Over half of the Mediterranean population is considered “water-poor” (having less than 1000m3 per capita per annum). Water demand has doubled over the past 50 years with agriculture being the main consumer (64%). To meet this growing demand countries are increasingly overusing non-renewable resources. The traditional response of increasing supply has now reached its limits in the region and demand based management is emerging as the way forward. A further sign of water stress is the fact that half of the Mediterranean wetlands have disappeared.
Union for the Mediterranean water ministers decided in December 2008 to prepare a Strategy for Water in the Mediterranean that aims at tackling the main challenges in the field of water in the Mediterranean region. This strategy has not yet been adopted.
The consultation process in Euro-Mediterranean regional cooperation is pursued at both official and civil society level. At official level since 2007 more than 18 Ministerial level meetings have been held in a variety of sectors; including 2 Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meetings and one summit (2008). These meetings, as well as the senior officials meetings, constitute the fora of dialogue where cooperation proposals are put forward and priorities established. Areas of cooperation and regional programmes are the result of this continued dialogue with Mediterranean partner countries in fields such as trade, economy, sustainable development, gender, water, environment, energy, tourism, industry, maritime affairs, migration and social affairs. Civil society consultation takes place at sector level and at global level with the Euro-Med civil society platform. The Civil forum that normally is held before the Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting is the main opportunity for discussion and exchange of views with civil society organisations.
In the area of sustainable development, the objective is to strengthen links in two areas of major global importance: water and energy. Both are of strategic significance for the Mediterranean and for the EU to confront the challenges of climate change, carbon emissions and water scarcity and with a strong regional dimension.
Programmes in these two inter-related priorities of water and energy are strategically important for the region and, in the case of energy, will focus on renewable energies and the Mediterranean solar plan.
Priority area 3: A Sustainable Development for the Mediterranean
If economic development is to be sustainable, environmental protection needs to be treated as a priority. In the Mediterranean this protection can only be assured by an element of regional cooperation. This priority area covers programmes on environment, water and energy.
A. Environment and Water
Overarching objective:
Improve the quality of the environment in the Mediterranean partner countries and address the environmental challenges and threats.
Specific objectives:
· Reduce or slow down the increase of pollution levels across the Mediterranean.
· Develop more efficient use of water resources and integrated water resource management.
· Support promotion of the ecosystem approach in the implementation of the Barcelona Convention and its protocols to achieve 'good ecological status' of the Mediterranean Sea (in line with the goal of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive).
· Capacity building on climate proofing to take into account the particular vulnerability of the Mediterranean to the effects of climate change.
· Promote greater awareness amongst all stakeholders of the environmental threats facing the Mediterranean, encourage wider involvement of civil society in facing these threats and use tools available through i.a. Integrated Maritime Policy to address these threats.
Expected results:
· Implementation of the Strategy for Water in the Mediterranean (SWM) with integrated water resource management developed across the region and extension of the key principles of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive to the Mediterranean.
· Improved Implementation of the Barcelona Convention in a manner coherent with EU policy.
· Completion of measures in the Horizon 2020 road map for the de-pollution of the Mediterranean, adopted in Cairo on 20 November 2006. Investment finance mobilized for projects addressing regional environmental threats.
· Improved protection of biodiversity and terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
· European Environmental Agency in collaboration with UNEP MAP and other actors develop regular monitoring with mutually coherent data monitoring and indicators.
· Regional NGOs better equipped to participate in and influence environmental decision making and policy development.
· Increased awareness about the importance of an integrated maritime policy for the Mediterranean and increased deployment of relevant tools.
· Climate change adaptation measures are promoted.
· Environmental protection measures that contribute to an integrated approach to maritime policy.
Indicators:
· IFI financing of a number of priority projects identified through instruments such as the Mediterranean Hot-Spot Identification Programme (MeHSIP) and MWS.
· Horizon 2020 road-map measures completed.
Environmental data availability across the region in formats compatible with EU standards.
· Progress in the implementation of the successive steps of the Ecosystem approach (environmental assessment, setting of ecological and operational objectives and targets, conception and execution of corresponding monitoring programmes) in a manner coherent with EU policy.
· Number of environmental indicators that are monitored on a regular basis. Measured improvements in at least some of these environmental indicators.
· Reduction in the growth of the number of threatened species and habitats.
Brief description of the programme:
The Horizon 2020 progress report (SEC(2009) 1118) notes that whilst there has been progress with Horizon 2020 during the period of the previous RIP, there is a need for continuity in this second period. Actions will be primarily focussed on a continuation of the de-pollution efforts undertaken under Horizon 2020 coupled with implementation of the SWM once it is adopted and to strengthening collaboration with the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). Particular emphasis should be given to supporting measures that will lead to the implementation of environmental infrastructure projects of regional importance and to the ENPI's contribution to achieving EU environmental policy goals, including implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The infrastructure projects of regional importance can be identified through the development of strategic approaches with clear selection criteria such as the SWM or the Mediterranean Hot-Spot Identification Programme (MeHSIP) undertaken through Horizon 2020. Actions could include project preparation measures, complimentary capacity building etc. These measures can encourage countries to pursue national projects of regional benefit that would not necessarily be picked up through national programmes. Once the SWM is adopted then supporting measures should be formulated according to its final structure.
Steps to monitor the state of the environment through development of a Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) begun with the EEA under the previous RIP will need to be pursued in collaboration with other key organisations such as the institutions of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). Measures to support implementation of the Barcelona Convention and its protocols, including the ecosystem approach, will help to arrive at 'good ecological status' of the Mediterranean Sea. Activities will be developed to ensure that civil society can play a relevant role in the implementation of sustainable development related activities linked to this programme and other relevant actions.
With the Mediterranean being particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change capacity building on adaptation measures will need to be envisaged. This would be achieved through the implementation of actions of clear added regional value. With biodiversity being particularly under threat from climate change and other pressures this should be a priority field of regional action.
These objectives should be complemented by the further promotion of an integrated approach to policy-making for all sectors and activities having an impact on the sea, and support for related capacity-building actions having a clear added-value at regional level. Improvement of coastal and marine observation capacities building on existing institutions could be a first step in this direction.
| Contact information | n/a |
|---|---|
| News type | Inbrief |
| File link |
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/regional-cooperation/enpi-south/documents/regional_indicative_programme_2011-2013_en.pdf |
| File link local |
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| Source of information | ENPI Info Centre |
| Keyword(s) | ENPI, H2020, UfM, UNEP-MAP, Union for the Mediterranean, MeHSIP, SWM |
| Subject(s) | AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HEALTH - HYGIENE - PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISM , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , TOOL TERMS , TOURISM - SPORT - HOBBIES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY |
| Relation | http://www.emwis.org/overview/fol101997/enpi |
| Geographical coverage | n/a |
| News date | 26/01/2011 |
| Working language(s) | ENGLISH |
