On Friday, 16^th September 2016, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) organised a LIFE projects networking event and a press conference “Empowered towards better EU funding of our environment” in the premises of Slovenian Forestry Institute. Twenty-three Slovenian LIFE projects presented themselves at the event and were all welcomed by the Minister Irena Majcen. The event was organized as part of the LIFE Capacity Building Slovenia (LIFE CB SI).

Julijana Lebez Lozej, the LIFE CB SI project leader, followed the minister by summarizing the objectives of the project and its main actions. After the press conference there was time for a “LIFE partnership fair” where Slovenian LIFE projects were presented on the stands and shared their experience in project proposal preparation, acquisition of EU funds and project implementation. Consequently, the visitors were able to obtain first-hand information on LIFE projects, while beneficiaries had an opportunity for networking. Promoting the LIFE programme, facilitating the partners’ networking and encouraging potential applicants to apply for LIFE grants were the aims of the event.

In addition to MESP’s capacity building project, the following traditional Slovenian LIFE projects presented at the event:

• priority area Nature and Biodiversity: LIFE TO GRASSLANDS, LIFE DINALP BEAR, LIFE Kočevsko, LIVEDRAVA, SI Natura 2000 Management, SIMARINE-NATURA, MANSALT, WETMAN, SloWolf, LIFE Kosec and Sečovlje;
• priority area Environment and Resource Efficiency: LIFE PharmDegrade, LIFEGENMON, LIFE ReSoil, LIFE Stop CyanoBloom, LIFE RusaLCA;
• priority area Environmental Governance and Information: LIFE ARTEMIS, LIFE E-WASTE GOVERNANCE, Slovenia WEEE campaign, REBIRTH, SEPARATE COLLECTION;
• priority area Climate Change Adaptation: LIFE ViVaCCAdapt.

Slovenia has been participating in LIFE programme for more than 20 years now, with 42 projects and more than 36 million EUR obtained from LIFE grants. Since 2005, the beginning of “best of the Best” awards, five Slovenian LIFE projects were listed among the finalists of the best LIFE projects: LIFE Kosec, AQUAVIVA, SloWolf, WETMAN and REBIRTH, while Slovenia WEEE campaign was evaluated as one of the best environmental LIFE project and received the “Best of the Best” award for 2014. Taking into account the annual number of proposals submitted and projects financed Slovenia still lags behind the most successful EU member states. That is why MESP made “significant increase in number of successful projects in Slovenia” one of its core capacity building goals. More information on project activities is available on Life Slovenia web page.

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