Participation of the Greek LIFE Task Force in the LIFE15 Integrated Projects PLATFORM meeting in Finland
Integrated projects LIFE (LIFE IP) refer to projects implementing on a large territorial scale (regional, multi-regional, national or trans-national scale) environmental/climate action plans, strategies or roadmaps required by specific Union environmental/climate legislation, developed pursuant to other Union acts or developed by Member States’ authorities. These type of projects need to involve all relevant stakeholders and promote the coordination with and mobilization of at least one other relevant Union, national or private funding source.
In February 2017, more specifically 8th and 9th of February, the first meeting of the LIFE IP platform took place in the Kisakallio Training and Educational Centre of Finland. The total number of participants was 97, referring to representatives of all 15 ongoing IP projects, as well as from a number of capacity building projects. Frome Greece, the thematic officers of the Greek LIFE Task Force, D. Chomatidis, K. Koutsovoulou and S. Ntemiri participated in the meeting.
Apart from the short description of the approved projects, the issues discussed during the first day of the meeting referred to the financial matters and the dissemination practices of the on-going IP projects. The identification and coordination of complementary actions was also discussed, while the lecture of the senior researcher L. Peltonen regarding solving potential conflicts drew a lot of attention among the participants.
During the second day a special visit to the sites of the Finnish FRESHABBIT IP has been organized. The participants had the opportunity to get informed about the concrete restoration actions of the lake Vanjarvi, the improved use of Karjaanjoki river for recreation and environmental tourism and the creation of local fish passages in Vihtijoki river.