Brussels, 10/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 13 March, the first ever environmental “Auction Floor” conference will be opened in Brussels for quality environmental projects to be financed in developing countries. Organised by the EuropeAid office of the European Commission, the event will bring together development operators (civil society organisations, research centres) and potential donors (local authorities, EU member states, private sector foundations) around a hundred or so environmental projects deemed to be viable and of good quality, having successfully passed the assessment test of EuropeAid experts in 2008.
As the EuropeAid budget is limited, these projects, which are presented as a response to a call for proposals, are nonetheless seeking financing for their implementation. Auction Floor will provide an opportunity for these projects to be presented according to theme - biodiversity, climate change, desertification, energy, forests - and geographical zone (French-speaking Africa, English-speaking Africa, North Africa, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, developing small island states) and to provide them with a second chance. Each of these projects needs a budget between €400,000 and €3 million and may be financed by several donors. The latter will have an opportunity to make their initiatives known regarding corporate social responsibility by including their logo and a descriptive text in the conference programme.
With this networking of organisations with good ideas and potential donors, the European Commission inaugurates a new formula in the hope of facilitating the creation of effective and innovative partnerships between the Commission, the private sector and civil society organisations. (A.N./transl.jl)