Through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment’s Biodiversity Foundation, the ENPI-ECOSAFIMED project played an active role in the seminar and technical session held in Barcelona, which examined the situation and development of the project’s initiative to study the impact of traditional fishing methods on the sea bed and propose measures for reducing and mitigating that impact.
 
The seminar studied how remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) film sea beds in Italy, Tunisia and Spain, and looked at the techniques used to process, edit and analyse these image produceds.
 
A day was also spent on the current situation of the ENPI-ECOSAFIMED project and how it is developing. The issues discussed included the project’s financial situation, problems encountered during the technical activities carried out and the possible solutions, as well as the next steps to be taken and the timeframe involved.
 
The ENPI-ECOSAFIMED project was launched this year, with the participation of Italy and Tunisia. The purpose of the initiative is to help develop an integrated maritime policy in the Mediterranean by promoting sustainable fishing practices on benthic communities. It is hoped the results obtained from the studies will promote the exchange of information on good practices between the parties involved, with the aim of ensuring habitat conservation.
 
THE ENPI CBC MED PROGRAMME
 
 
The ENPI Mediterranean Sea Programme is a cross-border co-operation initiative that forms part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). The programme’s aim is to promote co-operation between regions on both shores of the Mediterranean, in order to tackle common challenges and assess endogenous potentials.
 
A total of 14 countries, representing 76 regions and close to 110 million inhabitants, have benefited from the programme: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, the Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
 
The programme has a budget of €200 million, funded by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, and the contribution to each project amounts to a maximum of 90 per cent of the total cost.
 
The projects funded deal with a range of issues relating to promoting socioeconomic and territorial development: supporting innovation and research; sustainable development and energy efficiency throughout the Mediterranean Sea Basin; improving conditions and the various forms of movement of persons, goods and capital; and promoting dialogue between cultures and forms of governance.
 
Information on the ECOSAFIMED project and the ENPI CBC MED Programme is available on the ENPI CBC MED  and the EuropeAid Office of Development and Cooperation websites.
 
This publication was produced with financial support from the European Union, in the framework of the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Biodiversity Foundation and do not under any circumstance reflect the position of the European Union or the Programme’s management structures.
 
Friday, 21 November 2014