STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

ΑBIOMMED success and sustainability will be achieved mainly through the participation and engagement of the stakeholders, primarily the national MSFD competent authorities and the Regional Sea Convention UNEP/MAP). The project’s outcomes will be developed with the collaboration with experts across the Mediterranean and will be promoted at the level of relevant national authorities, which will be involved and consulted throughout the work. Actions have been taken to ensure that the projects results will respond to the CA needs, will be ‘endorsed’ by them and are in a format that can by directly put into use by the competent authorities for the facilitation of the MSFD on national and regional level in the Mediterranean. This way the project will become part of the MSFD cycle and outlive its nominal 2-year duration.

To this end project has undertaken a number of actions to involve and promote dialogue, cooperation and active engagement of the stakeholders. These actions are mainly focused on the organization of workshops and the participation in MSFD and Barcelona Convention Working Groups and meeting as well as the establishment of Stakeholder Bodies.

Workshops 

ABIOMMED will run a series of workshops with the participation of external experts/stakeholders: 

• Meeting with Mediterranean TGSEABED experts, MS representatives, Technical experts, SPA/RAC experts of the OWG on benthic Habitats and GFCM experts (Under Activity 3 and in conjunction with Activity 6)
• High-level policy workshop of Activity 3 with SPA/RAC experts, and national representatives (timeline according to UNEP MAP calendar and activity 6 progresses); back-to-back to international event (in conjunction with Act 6)
• An exchange with stakeholders from Activity 6 is planned to take place at project mid-term, with the aim of collectively identifying sources of information allowing to potentially inform cumulative pressures and their drivers.
• Workshops for the needs of the socioeconomic analysis of Measures (Activity 5) during the SHECAP meetings.

Participation in MSFD and Barcelona Convention Working Groups and meetings

ABIOMMED will participate in a number of meetings

Arrangement:

• Barcelona Convention OWG on Habitats (M22) (Activity 6)
• MSFD WG POM ESA (Activity 5)
• Meetings of relevant UNEP/MAP working groups (Activity 5)
• MSFD TGSEABED