INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "WE LISTEN TO NATURE AND FIND SOLUTIONS"

On the 13th and 14th of October Bulgaria hosted an international conference "We listen to nature and give solutions". The event was attended by the Programme Operators (PO) in the field of environment in 9 beneficiary countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Poland and Solovenia), representatives from the Donor States, beneficiaries and journalists.

The Bulgarian PO "Ministry of Environment and Water" shared results and effects from the 38 implemented projects under the two programmes - BG02 "Integrated Marina and Inland Water Management" and BG03 "Biodiversity and ecosystem services". "Bulgaria is one of the first two countries in Europe to have done mapping of the ecosystem services", said in her opening remarks Ms. Ivelina Vasileva - Minister of Environment and Water.

Sharing good practices in the implementation of the programmes in cooperation with the Norwegian Environment Agency was among the main goals of the conference. The guest speakers from the Agency elaborated on the importance of the environment topic and the partnerships under the EEA & Norway Grants. "The Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area has always been an opportunity not only to receive funding, but also to cherish from the experience of the best in all spheres", said Mr. Tomislav Donchev Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policies.

The conference also included a number of project visits and a photo exhibition showing results under the projects implemented in Bulgaria.