Committee of the Regions, 6th of april 2011 INTERACT Point Valencia Mediterranean Lab group Thematic Pole « Natural Risks » Committee of the Regions, 6th of april 2011

Overview Mediterranean Lab Group Specific targeted approach Expected results Overview of the 13 approved projects over 2000-2006 and 2007- 2013 considered in the focus on « forest fire risk » ESPON territorial evidence against INTERREG III & ETC programmes performance Analysed projects addressing forest fires Examples of good practices Dissemination tools Recommendations for the future programming period

1. Mediterranean Lab group: thematic pole « natural risks » Platform for thematic discussion and exchange of ideas Moderated by INTERACT Point Valencia, one of the 4 INTERACT Points throughout the EU Mandate: support cooperation programmes in the South of Europe INTERACT programme: practical support, training and advice to ETC programmes (on management techniques, financial issues, European regulations, communication, strategic orientation and policy development). Added value: unique forum for ETC stakeholders to meet, exchange experiences, learn from each other by supporting institutional and thematic networks (on topics of common interest) INTERACT Point Valencia is the south-based office of the INTERACT networking programme and delivers services to 12 cross-border cooperation and other programmes in the Southern area of the EU. Its core mission is to spread good governance practices in ETC programmes and to improve their effectiveness. The Mediterranean Lab Group, a platform for thematic discussion and exchange of ideas, sprang from IP Valencia's mandate to support the cooperation in Southern Europe. Programmes, research organisations and regions operating in the Mediterranean and involved in social, environmental or political issues share the same difficulties and obstacles and need to refer to the same legal background and cooperation framework. Regular meetings focusing on thematic issues like natural risks, or the possibility to build on previous project results and involve local and regional authorities in the activities, offer a platform for exchange of know-how, experience and foster capitalisation.

2. Specific, targeted approach Need for specific priorities, objectives and themes Consider EU strategies like EU2020. Identification of the challenges in the Med area + analysis of the existing cooperation programmes and their priorities Follow an experimental approach for project analysis Concrete and specific objectives linked to capitalisation as a transfer of experience into further action Agreed to work per thematic poles: natural risks (linked to climate change), maritime safety and transport Long and short term objectives in order to set and define the work of the lab group, we had to set specific priorities, objectives and themes - the lab group started its task by defining specific thematic objectives and taking into account Eu strategies like EU2020. 2010: identification of the challenges in the Med area and analysis of the existing cooperation programmes and their priorities follow an experimental approach for project analysis step-by-step methodology- concrete and specific objectives linked to capitalisation as a transfer of experience into further action agreed to work per thematic poles: natural risks (linked to climate change), maritime safety and transport long and short term objectives ….

3. Expected results Exchanges of experience at wider scale – projects clustering in an inter-OPs logic. Improve quality of projects: future projects promoters should take into account the state of the art and the lessons learnt and before developing their application. Better address challenges: capitalisation activities bring to light the need for more coordination at projects level but also at ETC programme level within a same large area. Better coordination and exchange of ETC programmes in Southern Europe/ Mediterranean area improve synergies among programmes, project practitioners and relevant stakeholders Better address common challenges Find relevance within European strategies at Mediterranean level Recommendations for the 2014-2020 programming period

4. Overview of the 13 approved projects over 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 considered in the focus on « forest fire risk » Increased number of projects over the current period because risk prevention was a stronger priority in EU regulations. As main target of ETC programmes, public authorities are strongly involved, especially at NUTS II level, being the relevant competent level in several countries.

5. ESPON territorial evidence against INTERREG III & ETC programmes performance The most active territories are located from Northern Spain to Central Italy, with a strong involvement of France classified under high or very high forest fire hazards. On the contrary, territories with very high forest fire hazard in Southern Italy and large parts of Greece are globally underrepresented in INTERREG-ETC projects, while they are very prone to forest fire. Even if it does not prove completely correct, the pattern of higher ERDF invested in NUTS III territories with higher risks seems rather appropriate for 2007-2013 (however, the comparative basis between both periods is unbalanced). The most active territories are located from North Spain to Central Italy, with a strong involvement of France classified under high or very high forest fire hazards On the contrary, territories with very high forest fire hazard in south Italy and large parts of Greece are globally underrepresented in INTERREG-ETC projects while they are very prone to forest fire. Even if it does not prove completely correct, the pattern of higher ERDF invested in NUTS III territories with higher risks seems rather appropriate for 2007-2013 (however, the comparative basis between both periods is unbalanced)

6. Analysed projects addressing forest fires Most projects focus on prevention and preparedness, but few of them address post crisis management, forest fire evaluation, etc. The majority of activities relate to know-how exchange and elaboration of decision-support tools in case of disasters. On the contrary, staff exchange and study visits are underdeveloped. Significant efforts are made to adapt to forest fire risk via improved hazard knowledge, establishment of connection between the warning and monitoring systems.

7. Examples of good practices Most projects intend to improve the interface between the existing systems in each territory/country, via the coordination of alerting processes, the adaptation or creation of a joint protocol, the development of common platforms, etc. Examples of potentially valuable tools: High contrast satellite monitoring system (GRINFOMED), Shared forest fire danger warning system based on weather conditions (ALPF FIRS). Lessons from the articulation of projects co-financed under strands A, B and C within a couple of specific territories in the Mediterranean area should serve as a clear demarcation line for future OPs.

8. Dissemination Tools Capitalisation actions: exchanges of experiences + creation of synergies. Thematic seminars (natural risks: Marseille; maritime safety: Genoa). Technical documents (for administrative levels and recommendations for future programming period). Fact sheets, brochures, video.

8. Dissemination Tools INTERACT website http://www.interact-eu.net/ RegioNetwork 2020 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/r egionetwork2020/

9. Recommendations for the future programming period Which actions should transfer the achieved results to political levels? Short summary of key lessons drawn from projects clustering sent to relevant decision-makers (in several languages - EN, FR, ES, IT) => essential to make sure of their appropriation. => Technical notes on more global recommendations on the sub-theme, towards national and regional stakeholders as well as the EU level for both preparation of future OPs over 2014-2020 => in order to adopt a more selective list of potential actions which can be co-financed and more in line with territorial features.

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