SMAP meetings
SMAP

 

*   2nd MEETING OF THE SMAP CORRESPONDENTS

The Correspondents of the Euro-Mediterranean Partners for the Short and Medium-Term Priority Environmental Action Programme (SMAP) met for the second time, in Brussels, 13-14 June 2000. Over 50 persons attended the meeting. Members of environmental NGOs ("Steering Committee") as well as representatives of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and other European Commission DGs were also invited as observers, for reasons of coherence of policies and broader participation of interested parties.

The major agenda items were:

1) Progress of implementation of SMAP at national and regional levels (Partners, EC and NGOs presented their reports; information was provided on the status of the 6 regional SMAP projects approved for funding under the 1999 budget and amounting to 6 million euro);

2) Discussion about new procedures for submission of regional projects (a Call for SMAP 2000 regional proposals was expected to be published by end of June);

3) Co-ordination of activities under each priority field of action (effort for coherence of policies and complementarity of the different existing programmes, instruments, Conventions and activities in the region).

All participants reiterated their interest and support in SMAP. They expressed the wish to see MEDA procedures simplified, the implementation of the 1998/99 projects accelerated and unnecessary delays avoided in the future, so that the Programme could be implemented as initially foreseen. There was a general consensus on the need for a sustainable approach within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in general, as well as on the need to ensure environmental integration in all development sectors and to reflect this also in the NIPs, the Association Agreements and the preparation of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA).

The Chairman of the meeting (DG Environment) presented at the end the following conclusions on the follow-up of the joint activities for the Euro-Mediterranean environment:

1) Terms of Reference for SMAP Correspondents, in view of further efficiency of the SMAP Network will be soon finalised and distributed.

2) This year’s experience of written National Reports on the SMAP implementation was positive. National Reports for the next meeting are expected to allow for more comparisons and better evaluation of progress.

3) There was a clear consensus on the need for environmental integration at all levels. Special emphasis was put on the importance of ensuring that the envisaged EMFTA will be sustainable and will have no negative impacts on the environment. To this end, the Commission was invited to launch the sustainability study of EMFTA - as promised in April 1999 in Stuttgart - in a complementary way to relevant studies carried out in some other fora (in particular MCSD, METAP).

4) Correspondents acknowledged the importance of providing for more environmental projects and for environmentally sound projects of other development fields. At the same time, they would appreciate stimulation of environmental integration in NIPs and Association Agreements by the Commission, in an effort to assist the Ministries of Environment of the non-EU Partners to play more efficiently their role.

5) All participants expressed a strong interest in the Call for regional SMAP 2000 proposals, expected to be published by end of June, considering that this process will give new impetus to the Programme, since it will allow funding of environmental activities to implement the policy agreed upon in 1997.

6) On the basis of the projects progress and the National Reports, the Commission will prepare a Regional Report and a first assessment of the Programme’s implementation, to be discussed by the SMAP Correspondents in 2002.

7) The meeting took note of the offer of Greece to host the next Ministerial Conference on the environment in the second half of 2001. The Commission will examine the feasibility, consider appropriate subjects and contact the Correspondents on this issue in due course.

8) NGOs involved in its organisation informed participants about the Civil Forum that will take place in Marseilles, on 10-12 November 2000, just before the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference. An invitation was launched for broader participation, in particular as regards the environment (being one out of the 6 axes of the Forum) given its horizontal dimension.

9) The next (3rd) SMAP Correspondents meeting will take place in the first half of 2001 (place and dates to be confirmed).