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November 27, 2007
Call for evidence on the economics of biodiversity loss
The European Commission has launched a six-week-long internet-based call for evidence on the economics of biodiversity loss.
Following commitments made at the G8+5 meeting of Environment Ministers in Potsdam in March 2007, the Commission is supporting Germany with the preparatory work for a Review on the Economics of Biodiversity Loss. The review will be carried out by an independent economist who will be appointed as study leader and will evaluate the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the associated decline in ecosystem services worldwide. The results of the call for evidence will contribute to a preparatory report on the Review to be presented at the Ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, in May 2008. It is intended that the findings will facilitate the development of cost-effective policy responses. Further details at: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/epo/index.cfm
Posted by iroadmin at November 27, 2007 12:51 PM
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November 26, 2007
GDP 'outdated' as indicator of wellbeing
The European Commission is working on a new initiative to measure the progress, wealth and wellbeing of nations, which aims to measure 'true' progress, taking environmental and social indicators into consideration.
A world statistics forum in June 2007 agreed that national statistical offices, academics and public and private bodies would work with civil society on new approaches, going beyond conventional economic indicators such as GDP which is widely used by economists to measure individual countries' economic performance but whose value as an indicator for the standard of living is considered to be limited. The Commission has already started to work on an index that would measure progress on environmental issues. Indicators planned for the environment include air pollution in big cities of Europe, the quality of the air that we breathe and the quality of water. However finding indicators for social issues could be more complicated. According to the Commission, the EU is committed to taking the lead in the move to integrate non-economic factors into policy-making by 2010. The aim of the high-level conference "Beyond GDP" was to highlight that moving towards a low-carbon economy, preserving biodiversity, promoting resource efficiency and achieving social cohesion are today as important as economic growth.
The Commission is to present a communication with a concrete roadmap for action by early 2008 and in 2009 a preliminary version of the EU indicator that would measure environmental progress and also use integrated accounting and other sub-indicators to improve policy-making is due to become operational with a preliminary version of an integrated environmental economic accounting system due to come on stream by 2010. Further details at: http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/
Posted by iroadmin at November 26, 2007 03:39 PM
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November 21, 2007
Ireland-Wales programme: first call
The first call for proposals under the new Ireland-Wales Interreg IVA programme 2007-13 opened on 16 November, with a deadline of 18 January 2008.
Applications are now invited for joint projects which address the two programme priorities: knowledge, innovation and skills for growth; and climate change and sustainable regeneration. Potential beneficiaries include national, regional and local authorities, state agencies, third level institutions, research centres, private enterprises, and voluntary and community organisations. All projects must have at least one Irish and one Welsh partner.
The total programme budget is EUR 52.7 million, with project co-financing of up to 75%. Further details at: www.IrelandWales.ie or contact Antoinette Jordan, Development Officer, Ireland Wales Programme, Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly, tel +353 51 318100, e-mail ajordan@seregassembly.ie
Posted by iroadmin at November 21, 2007 09:49 AM
« New Funding Programmes for Northern Ireland | Main | Ireland-Wales programme: first call »
November 15, 2007
New R&D Information Service for Local and Regional Authorities
CORDIS, the EU's online information service for research and development, has launched a new "Regional Gateway" service for local and regional authorities.
The objectives of the service are to enable regions to promote their local research activities and infrastructure in the broader European context and to provide local actors in the participating regions with a tangible interface to EU research. It provides geographically-tailored access to information as well as information and links to additional EU-supported resources, initiatives and services which assist local actors to benefit from EU research and innovation activities.
CORDIS is encouraging local and regional authorities to send them regional news, information on research activities and R&D infrastructure services to be highlighted and integrated into the Regional Gateway. In order to promote the new service, workshops are being organised in different regions to provide practical advice on the diverse CORDIS services. Further details at: Further details at: http://cordis.europa.eu/regions/home_en.html or e-mail regions@cordis.europa.eu
Posted by iroadmin at November 15, 2007 12:55 PM
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November 07, 2007
New Funding Programmes for Northern Ireland
On November 6, the European Commission adopted three Structural Fund programmes for Northern Ireland for the period 2007-2013.
EU investment of EUR 724 million will be made available through the three programmes: the PEACE III programme; the cross-border co-operation programme with Ireland and Scotland; and the Regional Competitiveness and Employment programme for the province.
The Regional Competitiveness and Employment programme will focus on three key priorities: 1. Sustainable Competitiveness and Innovation, including the creation of six new centres of excellence in R&D; 2. Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, including creating a favourable climate for new and expanding businesses; and 3. Improving Accessibility and Protecting and Enhancing the Environment. The programme has a total budget of EUR 614 million, with EUR 307 million coming from the EU. The PEACE III programme aims to further reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and promote reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region. The programme will carry forward key aspects of the previous peace programmes (PEACE I and II) and will benefit from funding of EUR 333 million, including EUR 225 million from the EU. The Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland cross-border co-operation programme will have a budget of EUR 256 million, including EUR 192 million from the EU. This programme, which builds on the previous cross-border programmes between Ireland and Northern Ireland under the INTERREG Community Initiative, will include, for the first time, parts of Western Scotland, bringing a maritime dimension to the programme. To maximise the impact of the three programmes, and reflecting the EU's commitment to strongly support Northern Ireland in this new stage of its peace and reconciliation process, a special European Commission task force has been established, which involves a coordinated approach by Commission services. Further details at: http://www.seupb.ie
Posted by iroadmin at November 7, 2007 09:50 AM