Mepa benefits from EU project

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has sought and obtained EU funds to participate in a project titled GRDP - Greening Regional Development Programmes.

Approved for EU funding during the third round of Interreg 3C West programme, the GRDP brings together over 35 partners from numerous EU regions to harness and share experience.

Led by the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the project has an overall budget of over €1 million, of which Mepa's share is about €75,000.

The project aims to develop a common European methodology to ensure that the environment is duly considered in EU funding programmes - particularly those programmes aimed at regional development.

The project looks at the various ways the environment can be integrated, starting from the point of programming to the point when projects are being implemented.

All partners including Mepa last year carried out an audit which sought to determine to what extent environmental issues were being taken into account on a regional basis.

In Malta, this audit was carried out for the whole country.

A report was subsequently compiled, paving the way for the development of the common European methodology.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/grdp/