Despite the situation of social distancing that COVID-19 pandemic has put us all, the 4th HarmoNIA workshop took place on 28 April 2020 with 40 participants connected via the internet. It was the first of a series of HarmoNIA videoconferences that will follow, aiming to share HarmoNIA outcomes with policy/decision makers and other interested parties. Representatives from the Italian Ministries of Environment and of Economic Development; the Croatian Ministry of Environment and Energy; the Slovenian Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning; the Montenegrin Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, as well as from the Durres Municipality and the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency were there.
Project coordinator Marina Lipizer (OGS) gave an overview of HarmoNIA project objectives, approaches, and final outcomes. Then, the HarmoNIA methodological proposals for harmonized monitoring, analytical protocols and assessment procedures were presented by Giordano Giorgi (ISPRA), a step forward in order to face marine pollution in the ADRION Seas. Eugenia Molina-Jack (OGS) and Damir Ivankovic (IOF) demonstrated the features and operability of the HarmoNIA tools: Data portal and GIS portal; while Donata Canu (OGS) showed the results on modelling for risk assessment of oil spills in three pilot areas of the Adriatic – Ionian Seas. The ideas and opinions of the HarmoNIA stakeholders on marine pollution management gaps and needs were presented by Christina Zeri (HCMR).
The workshop successfully fulfilled its goals to share information at ADRION scale to face marine pollution: from monitoring to risk assessment and to increase knowledge on needs and gaps for a sustainable management of the marine environment.
Here’s what the participants said:
‘…we are using data and we are very glad that this approach is a common one and we have now a common platform’. Vesna Kolar Planinšič, Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenia
‘Thank you for your very good job … I think it’s very useful…we are perfectly in line with what you are doing’. Ilaria Antoncecchi, Italian Ministry of Economic Development
‘Geoportal is very useful for us and we will promote it’. Floreta Kertusha, Durres Municipality, Albania
‘You all deserve a great applause! I hope we will be wise enough to use them (HarmoNIA outcomes) on the national and regional level.’ Sandra Trošelj Stanišić, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Croatia
Workshop presentations can be found in our Library
