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SMAP meetings

SMAP

* 5th 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 fifth time, in Brussels, on 1-2 April 2003. 50 people attended the meeting. Representatives of 19 Partners including Israel and the Palestine Authority participated actively in spite of the difficult political circumstances (war in Iraq). Members of the environmental NGOs "Steering Committee", representatives of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) attended as observers. The participants had smooth and fruitful discussions of the technical issues foreseen in the agenda.

The main objectives and results of this annual meeting of SMAP Correspondents were:

A productive exchange of information on national / regional SMAP (and related) activities

A contribution to increasing efficiency/effectiveness by focusing on mainstreaming actions for environmental integration at regional and national levels (emphasis on strengthening the national component)

The consolidation of the SMAP Correspondents Network including (a) facilitation of interlinkages, interactions and contacts with Focal Points of other Programmes in the region, as well as (b) an AIDCO initiative to establish a Regional Monitoring and Support Unit (RMSU) that would contribute also to strengthening the capacity of Correspondents (see below)

The facilitation of better preparation of regional projects next year (by informing SMAP Correspondents on procedures and seeking their views on orientations of the future Call for proposals)

An update on the Terms of Reference of the Sustainability Impact assessment (SIA) of the Euro-Mediterranean Free-Trade Area (EMFTA) in order to encourage co-operation with the consultants in particular during the analysis phase

An exchange of views on ways to better promote synergies among international Programmes/Conventions in concrete terms

A discussion of the WSSD decisions and topics of interest for the Mediterranean. In particular consideration was given to the EU Initiatives on Water and Energy.

The meeting was chaired successively by Mr C. Bail, Acting Director of DG ENV.E, Ms S. Blanco, Head of Unit ENV.E.1, and Ms J. Hanna, Deputy Head of Unit ENV.E.3.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Commission informed the participants of the administrative changes due to recent reorganisation of DG ENVIRONMENT. Responsibility for Mediterranean Co-operation in the environment field has now passed from Unit E.3 to Unit E.1 dealing with Enlargement and Neighbouring Countries. The participants were also informed that at the end of June 2003 the current SMAP Correspondent of the EC, Dr A. Mourmouris, will leave after 6 years of work and she will be replaced - as far as SMAP is concerned - by Mr G. Strongylis.

SMAP Correspondents and observer organisations presented their annual activity reports using the agreed formats.

At the end of the discussion, the Chairperson drew the following conclusions:

All members of the SMAP Correspondents Network (including the NGO Steering Committee) would continue presenting their Annual Reports following the agreed formats (outlines);

Correspondents who have not yet done so would send their Report in electronic form to the Commission by the end of April, so that a compendium of the national information could be put on the SMAP web site;

Correspondents would also send updates of their respective Country Profiles whenever needed;

All members of the SMAP Correspondents Network (including the NGO Steering Committee) would continue systematic efforts to enhance visibility of the SMAP activities;

Correspondents would send to the Commission by the end of April suggestions for better focusing the next Call for regional SMAP proposals, which is currently expected to be published in October-November 2003. The Commission would try to focus on more strategic actions contributing to the strengthening of institutional capacities in the region. The new Call would be based on evaluation of the SMAP regional projects carried out so far and the suggestions received from the Partners;

Commission services and Correspondents would try to make the best possible use of the recently established Regional Management and Support Unit (RMSU) (pdf ~240K), made up of the Italian Agency for Environment Protection (APAT) and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The Terms of Reference of the RMSU foresee support by this consortium to the Commission for co-ordination, monitoring, reporting etc, but also assistance to the tasks of Correspondents related to dissemination of information to potential applicants, training, technical advice for project implementation etc. Correspondents stressed the need for co-operation and interactions between the RMSU and the SMAP Correspondents Network;

Correspondents and Commission services would seek to strengthen the environmental considerations in the forthcoming programming exercise to start and prepare Regional and National Indicative Programmes for the next 3 years. To this end, Correspondents would need to contact their respective competent authorities on time and with concrete proposals;

In the light of the process of creating thematic Sub-Committees within the Association Agreements with seven Mediterranean Partners, Correspondents were invited to bring forward issues related to environmental integration in concrete terms when the appropriate Sub-Committees were set up. Integration might well be considered in other Sub-Committees too and should not be confined exclusively to the Sub-Committee foreseen for each Association Agreement on Environment, Energy and Transport;

Participants were informed of the Commission's actions towards strengthening environmental integration in the development sectors of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP), in particular in the fields of Euro-Mediterranean Statistics (MEDSTAT-ENV II) and Energy. Correspondents would contact their respective competent authorities in order to better promote environmental integration in the context of the forthcoming Ministerial Conference on Energy (Athens, 20-21 May 2003) as a follow-up to the Athens Ministerial Declaration (10 July 2002);

Furthermore, the Commission informed participants on the state of the selection procedure for a consortium that would carry out the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) of the Euro-Mediterranean Free-Trade Area (EMFTA). The selection procedure is expected to be completed in 2-3 months time and the study will last two years. A broad consultation procedure is also foreseen in the Terms of Reference of this SIA as well as complementarity with related studies within MAP/MCSD and METAP;

Correspondents exchanged views on possible forms of synergies among SMAP/EMP, the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP/UNEP) and the Mediterranean Environment Technical Assistance Programme (METAP) on the basis of a discussion paper (pdf ~160K) prepared by DG ENVIRONMENT. Correspondents and observers wishing to do so would send to the Commission (DG ENV) their comments and suggestions on this paper by the end of April 2003;

Participants took note of the update made by Greece and Sweden on a meeting held on the Mediterranean/Baltic co-operation (Athens, 20 February 2003) in line with the Athens Declaration of July 2002;

Participants took also note of information provided by the Commission on two Initiatives launched at the Johannesburg Summit and which are of special relevance to the Mediterranean too. The first is related to Water (with a special theme for the Mediterranean) and the other to a "Coalition of the Willing" to promote Renewable Energy;

The next Correspondents Meeting would take place most likely in March or April 2004 to better prepare for the next programming exercise and ensure more effective involvement in the process of the next Call for regional SMAP proposals.