European Commission Environmental cooperation in the Mediterranean

1. European CommissionEnvironmental cooperation in the Mediterranean June 2009

2. Current Political Landscape • All Commission cooperation (including environment) beyond EU borders must support EU external policy. • European Neighbourhood Policy • Increasingly structured approach • ENP action plans, progress reports • Enhanced dialogue • Financial assistance is policy driven i.e. to support ENP • Emphasis on bilateral relations • Reinforces the Euro-Med Process/Union for the Mediterranean (regional emphasis)

3. Financial Framework • European Neighbourhood and Policy Instrument (ENPI) replaced MEDA and TACIS from 2007 onwards • Almost €12 billion until 2013, 32% increase in real terms over previous MEDA and TACIS (for the entire ENPI region) • Majority of funds for bilateral assistance • Rest of the funds for regional and cross border programmes as well as governance facility • Neighbourhood Investment Facility to catalyse infrastructure investments. Environment is a priority • Limited funding possible from Thematic Programme on Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP). • Focus on biodiversity, climate change and energy for ENP countries • No figure for environmental assistance fixed in advance by the Commission as bilateral assistance depends on nationally expressed priorities.

4. Establishing an environment strategy in the MediterraneanCommission Communication COM(2006) 475 • Focus on Mediterranean ENP countries • Current and potential EU MS in the Mediterranean have a different agreed pre-accession strategy • Outlines the aims and tools at our disposal • Outlined Horizon 2020 initiative and proposed draft of timetable that was adopted in Cairo November 2006 • Outlines how broader cooperation can contribute to protecting the Med –the tools at our disposal!

5. European Commission – what means do we have? • Strengthening dialogue and ownership • Use formal dialogue to talk beyond environment ministries • Involve other key ministries • Promote environmental integration into other sectors • Openness and transparency • Transfer, adopt and apply EU experience • TAIEX is now active in the region for transferring know-how and expertise • Share research results, • Learn from Baltic and Black sea approaches • Financial assistance to compliment finance from other sources (International Financial Institutions, national resources, other donors) • All EC finance to countries of the region now through ENPI as part of the programmed assistance • Better coordination • Target on activities where added value is clear • Improve coordination with international bodies and initiatives • UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan plays a key role • Don’t create new institutions, work better with those that exist already • Improve coordination of research with EU policy

6. Horizon 2020 Mediterranean initiative structured on 4 elements • Pollution Reduction Projects • Identify and prioritise the most significant pollution reduction projects and work to secure funding (European Investment Bank, World Bank, MAP etc.) • Capacity building measures • Development of legislation, institutions and civil society • Research • Strategic focus of research framework programme to support environmental policy • Monitoring, steering and review • Develop ‘scorecard’ and indicators to measure progress • Annual Steering Committee with sub-groups for dealing with particular issues • Has picked up from SMAP network as the regional component of Euro-Mediterranean Process (UfM)

7. H2020 – Ongoing actions • Mediterranean Environment ministers meeting scheduled for October 2009 to report progress with road map • European Investment Bank (EIB) working with other key donors and financial institutions (World Bank, KfW, AFD, GEF) • to identify bankable projects from Barcelona Convention National Action Plans to reduce land based pollution • To promote their implementation and feed into the NIF • H2020 Steering Committee established • different sub-groups working in detail on pollution reduction projects, capacity building, monitoring • Under monitoring the European Environment Agency (EEA) working with partners (MAP) to produce scorecard and indicator process

8. Cooperation beyond H2020 • Strategy recognised that H2020 cannot meet all of the aims of cooperation • ENP and its action plans go beyond the scope of H2020 • Other EU priority issues include • ENP Action Plans and Association Agreements • Global threats (climate change, biodiversity, EU Water Initiative) • Better implementation of Barcelona Convention and its protocols • Integration into other sectors • Emergency preparedness • Emerging issues (drought, water scarcity and flooding)

9. Further information • Horizon 2020 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/med/horizon_2020_en.htm • Communication establishing an environmental strategy for the Mediterranean (also in French and Arabic) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2006/com2006_0475en01.pdf • European Neighbourhood Policy • Includes, actions plans + ENPI Strategies and indicative programmes http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm • Euo-Mediterranean Partnership • Includes ENPI Regional Strategy Paper http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/euromed/index.htm