The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, participates in Rome in the Conference on Cross-Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean of the European ENPI programme

12 December 2014.- The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment participates in the NEXT MED Conference held in Rome together with all the entities that implement projects funded by the ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) programme, a financing tool linked to the cross-border cooperation initiatives of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
 
The conference shared the experiences of each of the projects and addressed the priorities for the next edition of this programme, which by then will be called ENI (European Neighbourhood Instrument).
 
The Biodiversity Foundation is the entity that coordinates the ENPI Ecosafit project. An initiative in which, in addition to Spain, Tunisia and Italy are also participating.
 
The purpose of this project is to contribute to an integrated policy in the Mediterranean by promoting responsible fishing practices on benthic communities. In parallel, this project also promotes the exchange of information on good practices among stakeholders in order to achieve habitat conservation.
 
Previously, on 9 and 10 December, the ENPI-Ecosafimed Management Committee met in Genoa to address and evaluate all the issues involved in the development of the project.
 
ONE YEAR SINCE THE START OF THE PROJECT
During this first year of the project, study areas with a low trawl impact have been selected, as well as the artisanal fisheries present. For each of these areas, the study of a particular métier has been defined, the combination of the use of a fishing gear for the capture of a species in a given area.  
 
Subsequently, 3 oceanographic campaigns have been carried out in the countries involved, and a technical seminar has been held for the exchange of scientific knowledge in the exploitation of the information obtained in these campaigns.
 
In terms of dissemination, a website has been developed with all the information related to the project (http://ecosafimed.eu/) and informative materials are being produced that will be distributed among fishermen in the countries involved in the project.
 
Up to 76 territories in the Mediterranean area are represented in the ENPI programme, encompassing 110 million people. The participating countries are Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, the Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Syria, Tunisia and Spain.
 
Its objectives include the promotion of the socio-economic development of the territories encompassed, environmental sustainability and the promotion of cultural dialogue between the different regions.
 
The beneficiaries of this programme include a wide range of institutions and organisations, from local public authorities to NGOs, associations, development cooperation agencies, universities and research institutes.