European Environment Agency project assists Med partners in developing environmental information networks

The EU-funded project ENPI-Shared Environment Information System (ENPI-SEIS) has conducted visits to Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel in order to evaluate the situation in terms of Environment Information Systems and identify their needs.

A press release said these two-day visits brought together existing national networks, which manage environmental information, to identify country-specific elements and needs related to SEIS components (content, infrastructure, institutional cooperation). The aim was to obtain feedback on country specific needs and readiness for SEIS implementation in priority areas, in order to formulate possible pilot actions if requested, as well as to contribute to further priority development and possible identification of common indicators.

After the visits, the National Focal Points in each country will prepare together with the European Environment Agency (EEA) a country report, including concrete lists of actions to be implemented. This report is a key element for the development of SEIS in the neighbourhood countries since it is designed to engage the country in reflecting on the current state-of-play and future development needs of the three SEIS components.

The lines of actions identified so far concern:

· the implementation of a national information system as a SEIS pilot in Algeria;

· the exchange of knowledge and experiences on implementing a Spatial Data Infrastructure for planning and environmental management in Jordan;

· a pilot review of indicators to tackle the balance between data availability and policy needs in the Palestinian Authority;

· a pilot on marine pollution in Israel.

Discharges at sea, emissions and waste inventories, as well as water accounts, spatial data and water monitoring/indicator assessments have been identified for further activities. Training sessions will possibly be organised around the priorities agreed during the country visits. Country visits to the rest of the ENP partners will continue in September.

The EU also fundsa Euro-Mediterranean initiative, Horizon 2020, which aims to improve the quality of life of more than 420 million citizens living in the 25 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is an umbrella programme drawing together all the policies, strategies and action plans for enhancing environmental protection.

Country visits to the rest of the ENP partners will continue in September. More information available here: http://enpi-seis.ew.eea.europa.eu/project-activities/country-visits

Contact information	n/a
News type	Inbrief
File link	http://www.h2020.net/en/news-and-events/news/56-enpi-seis-scouting-for-pilots.html
Source of information	ENPI Info Centre
Keyword(s)	H2020, SEIS
Subject(s)	INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM
Relation	http://enpi-seis.ew.eea.europa.eu/
Geographical coverage	Algeria, Jordan, Egypt,Palestine,Israel,
News date	20/09/2011
Working language(s)	ENGLISH

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