Slide n°1 LIFE NAT platform Meeting Fi-S-DK The external monitoring team Roles & Responsibilities & News

Slide n°2 The European Commission - DG ENV: LIFE ENV & Eco-innovation Unit : ENV/INF/ LIFE NAT Unit: NAT/BIO/INF National Environmental Authorities - NFPs External contractors assisting the EC Beneficiaries Other stakeholders Main Players in LIFE

Slide n°3 Limited human resources at the LIFE Units =>too many projects for the Units alone... Presently more than 1100 projects are active LIFE projects cover a broad spectrum of themes The need for technical advises to evaluate project performances and output The need to link technical results and financial issues The need for a national/regional knowledge and physical presence The Monitoring Team: Why ?

Slide n°4 The Monitoring Team An EEIG composed of : - 9 partner companies - 9 regional offices - a Brussels based coordination office - a Torino based administrative office

Slide n°5 Assistance to the LIFE Units Advice to beneficiaries But not to make decisions on the Commission’s behalf (art. 9.2 of CP) and not involved in the management of financial resources Bounded by a confidentiality and independence declaration The Monitoring Team: Role ?

Slide n°6 Report/output evaluations (IncR,PR,MTR,FR,...) technical & financial assessments Monthly reporting to EC on individual projects Visits to projects at least once a year: technical and financial on-site verification CP compliance Ex-post monitoring missions (closed projects) Monitoring and Assessment

Slide n°7 Support to LIFE Beneficiaries Assistance and advice to projects on reporting, Common Provisions appliance and other issues MoT acts as a ‘technical interface’ encourages exchange of experiences and stimulate creation of thematic networks Act as advisors - the Commission is NOT bound by MoT opinions!

Slide n°8 Communication support Assessment of Communication compliance with CP and Proposal duties Assist in liaising with other LIFE projects with similar objectives/themes => thematic networks Liaise with Communication Team for a wider dissemination of project’s information. Provides input for LIFE thematic brochures

Slide n°9 Working with the Monitoring Team Your monitor is always the first person to ask! Always keep the Monitoring Team informed => contact them whenever you feel it is needed Always send one copy of everything that goes to the Commission to the Monitoring Team (see CP !) Send a draft copy of reports to the Monitoring Team But note - the Monitoring Team provides support; their approval does not mean acceptance by the Commission services!

Slide n°10 Some news Kick-off meetings: Helsinki: for Fi, EE, LV, LT Copenhagen: for DK, S, UK, IE, Malta. You have been invited!

Slide n°11 Some more news Land-purchase database The new bio-geographic process

Slide n°12 LPD – Land purchase database The task: to collect the electronic data on the spatial boundaries of land parcels bought in projects financed under the LIFE/LIFE+ Nature programme since 1992 The outcome: end of 2014 – info on all land purchased with the LIFE funding will be published via Natura 2000 public viewer (hosted by European Environmental Agency)

Slide n°13 LPD – Land purchase database CLOSED LIFE projects – task is presently being done by Astrale ONGOING LIFE projects – beneficiaries will have to enter the information in LPD themselves, with assistance from Astrale, if needed. Before their closure, the projects will receive a request from EC for data entering.

Slide n°14 LPD – information from beneficiaries WHAT? Land register number, notarial act (number and date), clause applicable to the land parcels Spatial data on the purchased land plots (GIS data, location, size) WHEN? Before submission of the Final report, when all the land is purchased

Slide n°15 What is this all about? Biogeographic regions and the New Biogeographic Process What did LIFE contribute?

Slide n°16 Aim Optimal management of the Natura 2000 site Achieving a Favourable Conservation Status for habitats and species having priority in a specific biogeographic region New Biogeographic Process

Slide n°17 HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS? Facilitating the discussion between MS, EC and stakeholders on the measures needed Basis Voluntary cooperation Active involvement of MS and stakeholders / NGOs

Slide n°18 LIFE Workshop Why? –Gathering best practrice experiences to be fed in the biogeo preparatory workshop Who? –Organised by EC, Astrale and a host project (Austria), –Attended by LIFE project managers, EC, Astrale What? –Introduction, Presentation of alpine projects to main habitats, Excursion, Working Groups

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Slide n°20 VISIT THE COMMUNICATION PLATFORM:

Slide n°21 Your Monitors See also: Bent Jepsen, LIFE NAT coordinator, Astrale Baltic/Nordic Team Inta Duce Regional Coord inator Bent Jepsen Milka Parviainen Camilla Strandberg-Panelius Inga Racinska