A new e-Participation project: U@MARENOSTRUM project

A new e-Participation project called U@MARENOSTRUM has been started this year. The project is co-funded by the European Commission within the e-Participation Call for Proposals 2008 and aims to involve citizens and local actors (community groups, associations etc.) from the Mediterranean costal zones in decision-making processes with the help of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and GIS (Geographic Information System). These processes have to do with the adoption and implementation of water and marine environmental protection policies and legislations in the Mediterranean region in accordance with the European Union (EU) environmental legislation. The project will be developed between 1^st of January 2009-31^st of December 2009.

The entities that are contributing at the U@MARENOSTRUM are:

• GFI - Benelux
• Government to you (Gov2u) - Greece
• Hellenic Centre for Marine Research - Greece
• Foundation Comunidad Valenciana - Región  Europea -Spain
• The Community of French Riviera - France
• Directorate General for Modernization of Valencia - Spain
• The Region of Ionian Islands - Greece

The U@MARENOSTRUM project will establish an internet platform that will represent a Participatory GIS, which will capture all the information and the local knowledge on a geographical map. The idea of Participatory GIS revolves around the concept of public participation in the use of spatial data leads to broaden public involvement in policy-planning and decision-making and raise the citizens' awareness on environmental issues. A typical example of use of the platform would be public consultations on draft river basin management plan including program of measures, marine strategies, environment legislation that is essential for sustainable water protection.

The overall objectives of the U@MARENOSTRUM project are:

• Reconnect citizens with politics and policy making by strengthening and broadening citizens' participation in decision making process;
• Address the key issue of the environment at EU, national and regional levels;
• Complement and advance the eParticipation activities already undertaken by the

European Union in order to identify what the future orientation of eParticipation;

• Provide both decision-makers and the public with clear and understandable information on the decision-making process for the environmental policy field;
• Familiarize citizens with the decision making process, making easy to citizens to visualize and identify the stages of decision making process;
• Enable people with the same interests to form groups which transverse geographic barriers, and help these groups to participate in decision-making on environmental issues in the Mediterranean region;
• Address with the use of ICT multilingual and multicultural problems of people wanted to be involved in the decision making process.

Trial applications during a period of 14 months will be conducted in 3 end-user locations around the Mediterranean region; namely the Region on Ionian Islands (Greece), the French Riviera (France) and the Region of Valencia (Spain). Three internet platforms will be hosted at the end of August 2009 in the participating regions and will be given a regional ‘look and feel' (including language) to ensure users' participation. The platforms will be specifically designed to serve the citizens from the participating regions, but citizens from other regions of these countries will be welcome to use the platforms, as well.

For further information about the U@Marenostrum project you are welcome to visit the project's website: www.uatmarenostrum.eu