Current transboundary news
Second TransParcNet meeting successful
From 27-30th April 2010 the second TransParcNet meeting was held in certified transboundary parks Neusiedler See - Seewinkel / Fertö-Hanság Nemzeti Park. All seventeen EUROPARC Transboundary parks (eight complexes in total) and two guests exploring potential certification attended.
The meeting was a possibility for professionals from these areas to exchange expertise and to further develop the network. It started with a short meeting of the Transboundary steering and evaluation committee (STEC) who discussed the re-evaluation procedures for certified parks. The following day involved a review of the tasks set at the last TransParcNet meeting in 2009, which were all successfully fulfilled. A vision and goals for network for the coming years was also agreed. The rest of Wednesday was spent in a workshop lead by Sigrun Lange (E.C.O Germany) which enabled participants to share current challenges and identify best case practises in smaller working groups.
Thursday was spent with the hosts Kurt Kirchberger (Director) and Attila Fersch (Deputy Director) in the beautiful national parks Neusiedler See - Seewinkel and Fertö-Hanság Nemzeti. The tour began with bird watching on the Austrian side and was followed by a boat tour to the Hungarian side. The knowledgeable guides explained the challenges in managing these areas during the times of the iron curtain and the big changes that have occurred since then. In addition, they showed participants the beauty of the area, explained the management of the site, pointed out good practices in transboundary cooperation and referred to current challenges.
The meeting was closed on Friday midday after a short summary of the event. A set of priority topics were created, which the TransParcNet and STEC will follow up on to further enable expertise exchange, to develop the transboundary network and to foster transboundary cooperation in Europe and within EUROPARC.
Finally the network members said an emotional farewell to two longstanding individuals in transboundary work: Lassi Karivallo (FI) and Richard Blackman (EUROPARC).
The meeting was very motivating: all the participants are working across borders against all the barriers that higher authorities sometimes put in their way. This is true European integration and international relations!
A big thank you to the wonderful hosts and their sponsors, who made this meeting a memorable event! A full report and workshop output will be available in the members library of the EUROPARC website shortly.
For more information on EUROPARC’s Transboundary Certification scheme please contact Cornelia Ehlers or click on the menu points opposite.The next meeting which will be held in Krknosne (CZ)- Karkonosze National Park (PL) in late May/early June 2011.
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