ENPI-SEIS has already conducted country visits to the following five partners in the South: Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Palestinian Authority and Israel. These two-day visits brought together existing country networks, which manage environmental information, to identify country-specific elements and needs related to SEIS components (content, infrastructure, institutional cooperation), to obtain feedback on country specific needs and readiness for SEIS implementation in the priority areas identified, to formulate possible pilot actions if the country expresses interest to do so, as well as to contribute to the further priority development and possible identification of common indicators. After the visits, the National Focal Points in each country will prepare together with 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.
ENPI-SEIS has already conducted country visits to the following five partners in the South: Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Palestinian Authority and Israel. These two-day visits brought together existing country networks, which manage environmental information, to identify country-specific elements and needs related to SEIS components (content, infrastructure, institutional cooperation), to obtain feedback on country specific needs and readiness for SEIS implementation in the priority areas identified, to formulate possible pilot actions if the country expresses interest to do so, as well as to contribute to the further priority development and possible identification of common indicators. After the visits, the National Focal Points in each country will prepare together with 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 including inputs from GEO/GMES 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 and
- 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. Initially, workshops will be organised back-to-back with the Steering Committee meeting in November 2011 in Copenhagen.
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
