The second project meeting of the TREASURE project was held on 15 and 16 October in Valencia, Spain, organized by Fundacion Valenciaport.
Representatives of all partners attended and engaged in two days of active discussion on the progress of activities which are under implementation and which are about to start in the upcoming months.
On day one, main focus was given to the Impact Evaluation and Hazard Management matrix that has to be finalized within December: under the coordination of ISPRA, partners exchanged ideas on their programmes for future testing, starting from what lines of evidence will be applied in the analysis and what regulatory framework is in place in each pilot port site.
Another milestone, which was thoroughly discussed during the meeting, deals with governance aspects: the project Lead Partner, ASEV, guides the second Work Package, dedicated to the implementation of mini-labs for an integrated monitoring approach to environmental quality assessment. The project is now at a crucial phase, during which pilot port areas are negotiating with relevant stakeholders and authorities the contents of local protocols/agreements which have to be finalized within the end of the year, and which in some cases represent the first attempt to structured local multi-stakeholders’ collaboration.
Among the activities under implementation another one of main importance and preliminary to future testing of innovative remediation techniques to environmental pollution in port areas is the realization of a catalogue of novel techniques and solutions. Under the supervision of Pôle Mer Méditerranée, a call for expressions of interest for innovators and solution providers was launched in September and will close on 13 December. As recalled during the meeting, eligible solutions will become part of the TREASURE catalogue, gaining benefits in terms of visibility, and potential access to clients: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/TreasureOpenCall
During the second day partners enjoyed a site visit of the Port of Valencia, including their environmental monitoring tools and their plans for development; the meeting concluded with a session dedicated to management and to opportunities for results ‘amplification offered by the Euro-MED Natural Heritage mission, thanks also to the participation of its representative, introducing the Mission’s perspectives and upcoming events.
Activities are progressing on track, and the next meeting is already established for February 2025 in Durres, Albania.
