The Horizon 2020 Steering Group will meet in Brussels on 19 and 20 November 2013

• the progress of the different components of the Horizon 2020 Initiative (depollution investments, capacity building, monitoring progress and research)
• the first outcomes of the various regional assessments and reports that feed into the overall Mid-term Review of the Horizon2020 Initiative.

The significance of the meeting is accentuated by the inclusion of discussions on how the Horizon 2020 Mid-term Review will feed into the UfM Ministerial on Environment and Climate Change, planned for 2014 and the Road Map for the 2014-2020 phase of the Initiative.

The 4th Meeting of the Horizon 2020 Capacity Building Sub-Group will take place just before the Steering Group meets.

News from the UfM Secretariat

The ‘Integrated Programme for Protection of the Lake Bizerte against Pollution’ was labelled at the UfM Senior Officials Meeting in Vilnius on the 3rd of October. It is the first investment project labelled under the Euro- Mediterranean Horizon 2020 Initiative. (Read more here)

News from the H2020 Investment Component and the MeHSIP-PPIF

The four H2020 priority investment projects advance further

Following the completion of the feasibility studies of all four projects, the focus of MeHSIP-PPIF is now on facilitating the funding options for these projects. For two of them (Lake Bizerte in Tunisia and Kafr El Sheikh in Egypt) the EIB has undertaken joint missions with the EBRD, accompanied by the MeHSIP-PPIF team. Furthermore, the initial approval of their respective applications to the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) has been secured. (Read more on the projects here)

Progress of the Validation Mechanism for Horizon 2020 projects with secured financing

By the end of June this year, MeHSIP-PPIF concluded the first in-country missions to Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia in order to obtain information on the progress achieved on projects addressing Mediterranean Hot Spots that have already secured funding. MeHSIP-PPIF is undertaking this exercise in close coordination with the consultant team appointed by the UfMS to update the priority investment projects for protecting the Mediterranean Sea from pollution and UNEP/MAP. In an attempt to further evaluate the operational aspects of financed projects, MeHSIP-PPIF is also working together with the Technical Assistance team implementing the “Sustainable Water Integrated Management – Support Mechanism” (SWIM-SM / EU-funded) to draw on their expertise and resources to carry out verification missions to projects that have reached operating phase. The initial survey of the ‘financing secured’ project (currently 50) and accompanied snapshot of these projects will be completed by MeHSIP-PPIF before the end of 2013. (Read more on the validation mechanism here)

Updating of the Horizon 2020 Pipeline

MeHSIP-PPIF has commenced project development activities on a number of new priority investment projects under the three thematic areas of Horizon 2020. The main aim is to ensure a swift start for MeHSIP-PPIF 2, which is expected to be launched in 2014, through developing these priority projects further. Expected outputs include establishing project scope and possible interventions together with the development of technical project fact sheets, a brief pre-feasibility study and the development of TORs for the full feasibility studies. The expected outputs will be completed by end of 2013 when the current MeHSIP-PPIF mandate comes to an end, and assuming that a MeHSIP-PPIF 2 will be launched soon after, a new ‘wave’ of MeHSIP-PPIF projects will have progressed towards the next step of project development before the end of 2014.

News from the H2020 Capacity Building Component and the CB/MEP

Brussels is hosting the 4th Meeting of the Horizon 2020 Capacity Building Sub-Group

The Capacity Building Sub-Group will meet on the 19th of November 2013 in Brussels in order to take stock of the implementation of the Capacity Building work plan of Horizon 2020 and the results of the Mid-term Evaluation of the ENPI funded Capacity Building/Mediterranean Environment Programme (CB/MEP). The review of the 2014 work plan (till the project ends in October 2014) and discussion on the way ahead for the 2015-2020 phase are also included in the agenda. The outcomes of the sub-group meeting will feed into the 6th H2020 Steering Group Meeting that will take place directly after.

Horizon 2020 has trained 2520 Mediterranean environment stakeholders to date

Since May 2013 three regional, one sub-regional, three national trainings and one study visit have taken place covering all of the Horizon 2020 thematic areas (urban wastewater, municipal solid waste, industrial pollution and environmental mainstreaming). For more details, follow the links:

• Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism in the Mediterranean in the wider context of Blue Growth: Challenges & Opportunities, 20-22 May 2013, Valetta, Malta.
• Improving capacity to prepare PRTR for the monitoring of industrial emissions, 22-24 May 2013, Trieste, Italy.
• European Environmental regulation on industrial effluent and wastewater discharges, 29-30 May 2013, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Green Growth & Green Economy in Egypt, 4-5 June 2013, Cairo, Egypt.
• Strengthening Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) policies in the Mediterranean, 17-18 June 2013, Zagreb, Croatia.
• Training on Life Cycle Assessment: Data Collection & Databases, 18-19 June 2013, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Study visit of Moroccan trainees to Marseille, France on Sustainable Management and eco-innovation of industrial sites, 17-19 September 2013.
• Innovative wastewater treatment and reuse, 17-20 September 2013, Poreč, Croatia.

Upcoming and previous Horizon 2020 trainings can be viewed on the H2020 calendar of events.

The first two Horizon 2020 distance learning modules are on-line!

The first two Horizon 2020 distance learning modules are now on-line. They are designed so as to allow the learner to actively participate in the learning experience. Audio presentations on the topics are accompanied by animated and interactive slides shown in parallel. The courses are set up in a similar format with an introduction, thematic chapters, exercises, self tests, a glossary, references. The target group of the H2020 distant learning modules is any environmental professional, i.e. civil servants, staff of local authorities and NGOs, private sector professionals, university students, etc. Follow the link (http://www.envirolearning.net/h2020/) to the modules and give us your feedback!

The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)

Integrated Sustainable Waste and Resource Management (ISWRM)

News from the H2020 Review, Monitoring and Research Sub-group and the ENPI–SEIS

The Horizon 2020 Review, Monitoring and Research Sub-group meets for the 4th time

The 4th meeting of the Horizon 2020 RMR Sub-group gathered a number of experts from the Southern Mediterranean and West Balkan partner countries, as well as key partners from international organisations and other projects in Copenhagen on 11-12 June. (Read more here)

Real progress on the Horizon 2020 indicators

In order to make real progress on the development and ‘population’ of the Horizon 2020 indicators from national sources, a series of workshops was organised between March and June 2013 in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. (Read more here)

The first assessment of progress in the depollution of the Mediterranean Sea is underway

A regional report is currently under preparation jointly by the EEA and UNEP/MAP under the Horizon 2020 Initiative, which will assess progress in the depollution of the Mediterranean Sea with a focus on the three Horizon 2020 priority areas (i.e. municipal solid waste; urban waste water; industrial emissions). The 4th meeting of the RMR Sub Group (June 2013) adjusted the report outline to reflect progress in the reporting process. (Read more here)

Data collection and sharing for industrial point sources in the Mediterranean through applying PRTR

In the framework of the SEIS project, support is given to Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia and soon Morocco to introduce Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) as an effective tool in their national reporting systems. The six pilot exercises are under implementation with the support of UNEP/MAP-MEDPOL and at the regional level also with the support of the Capacity Building component of Horizon 2020. (Read more here)