the european environment: state and outlook 2015 (soer … · – the soer 2015 will explicitly aim...

The European Environment:

State and Outlook 2015

(SOER 2015)

- Project Plan -

- FINAL -

V2.0, 30 April 2013

(Note: project calendar in Annex 2 updated on 17 May 2013)

“The task of the Agency shall be […] to publish a report on the state of, trends in and prospects for

the environment every five years, supplemented by indicator reports focusing upon specific issues.” Regulation (EC) No 401/2009, Article 2(h)

About this project plan

This document lays out a plan towards developing and drafting the ‘European Environment: State

and Outlook 2015’ report (SOER 2015), i.e. clarifying the project’s approach and outcomes. More

specifically, this document addresses the following issues:

I. Why? – i.e. the SOER 2015 approach, background and context.

II. What? – i.e. the SOER 2015 product(s), and its flanking activities.

III. Who? – i.e. the SOER 2015 organisational set-up and governance.

IV. When? – i.e. the SOER 2015 timeline, milestones and deadlines.

This project plan will be complemented by a ‘SOER 2015 Implementation Plan’ by mid-2013 to

describe in more detail how SOER 2015 will be developed. This will clarify project governance,

operational objectives, resource requirements, contributor guidelines, and communication planning.

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I. Why? - The SOER 2015 approach

Background and context

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is mandated – in its governing regulation – to publish a

State of the Environment Report (SOER) every five years, to address the state of, trends in and

prospect for the environment in Europe. The SOER is thus one of the core products of the EEA.

To date, the EEA has produced four such reports (i.e. in 1995, 1999, 2005 and 2010). All of these

reports provided a comprehensive environmental assessment, and aggregated environmental

information in an accessible manner. Over this period, both our understanding of environmental

challenges in Europe as well as the environmental policy context in the EU has evolved. Against this

backdrop also the focus, structure and role of the SOER has changed (see Table 1).

Table 1 – Focus and context of previous state of the environment reports published by the EEA

Year SOER Title Focus of SOER Input to EU environmental policy

1995 ‘Environment in the EU 1995’

(plus ‘Europe’s Environment 1995’)

addresses 5EAP targets

focus on sectoral integration

Report for the mid-term review of

the 5EAP (1993-2000)

1999 ‘Environment in the European

Union at the turn of the century’

addresses environmental trends

focus on DPSIR, interconnections

Input to global assessment of 5EAP

(1993-2000)

2005 ‘The European Environment: State

and Outlook 2005’

addresses air, water, land

focus on DPSIR, core indicators

Input to the mid-term review of the

6EAP (2002 to 2012)

2010 ‘The European Environment: State

and Outlook 2010’

addresses 6EAP priorities

focus on systemic challenges

Input to the final assessment of the

6EAP (2002 to 2012)

The next edition in this European reporting cycle is due in 2015, and – with all likelihood – a SOER

2015 will be published against a context that will differ somewhat from today’s settings: Amongst

others we can assume that by 2015 a new EU environmental action programme (7EAP) will be

setting a policy frame to 2020. Also, a new European Commission can be expected to be in place by

early 2015, with a new European Parliament elected in 2014.

At the same time, we might also assume that most challenges already highlighted in SOER 2010 will

remain on the political agenda, such as dealing with climate change, halting biodiversity loss,

improving resource efficiency, and managing environmental risks to human health. The

implementation of environmental policies, the integration of economic, environmental and social

concerns, as well as the risks of global environmental change are likely to remain key priorities.

Against this backdrop, SOER 2015 would preferably be published early in 2015 (i.e. first quarter) –

for two main reasons. One, SOER 2015 can provide a frame of reference for the work the new

Commissioners and a new European Parliament in 2015, and thus serve as a knowledge base for the

next legislative period. Two, an early publication allows active dissemination throughout the year

and for spin-off products to be promoted without seeming ‘out-dated’.

Geographically, SOER 2015 should cover all EEA member countries, and explicitly address also the

Western Balkans countries. It should also, as appropriate, link to neighbouring countries (i.e.

especially in the Arctic, as well as the eastern and southern neighbours) and the global context.

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Scope and guiding principles of SOER 2015

As with previous reports, the overarching goal of SOER 2015 will be to assess the state of, trends in

and prospect for the environment in Europe – and to provide objective, reliable and comparable

information to policy-making agents and the public. For this, SOER 2015 aims to maintain continuity

from previous state of the environment reports by building on the general structure and key

outcomes of past reports – whilst improving on some of the perceived shortcomings (see Box I.1).

Box I.1 - From SOER 2010 to SOER 2015: What will stay the same? And what will differ?

Two elements that stay the same …

Two elements that differ …

Maintain continuity regarding structure

– The SOER 2015 will build on the structure used in the

two previous reports in 2005 and 2010, namely distinct

Parts A (global), Part B (European) and Part C (countries).

Build more explicitly on existing EEA information

– Instead of developing ‘new’ thematic and country

assessments, the SOER 2015 will take stock of indicators

and complement them with short briefings.

Keep and build on the existing narrative

– Rather than starting with a ‘blank page’, the SOER

2015 will further explore the main arguments developed

in the SOER 2010 and subsequent cross-cutting reports.

Involve stakeholders more in developing conclusions

– The SOER 2015 will explicitly aim to engage key

stakeholders in synthesising, developing cross-cutting

conclusions and reflecting on their implications.

SOER 2015 does not aim to fill prevailing gaps in EEA reporting and assessment processes – it

complements regular assessments. To define the scope of SOER 2015, it is worth noting that

European-level SOE reports (such as SOER 2015) cannot and should not be seen as replacing regular

thematic assessments that illuminate specific issues or underpin dedicated policies. Nor can they

replace dedicated regular country-level SOE reports (as are mandated by the Aarhus Convention).

The European-level SOER can, however, complement both regular thematic assessments and

country-level SOE reports in at least two ways: One, due to their five yearly publication cycle they

provide reflections on environmental policy processes with a more long-term strategic view. Two, as

they look across a range of environmental topics they can offer a more integrated perspective that

can inform cross-cutting policies at the European scale (e.g. Environment Action Programmes).

Although European-level SOE reports also offer an opportunity to highlight new issues, their primary

remains to consolidate existing knowledge and provide insights that can be derived from the

available (extensive) base of environmental information. In other words, SOER 2015 will build, to the

degree possible, on already available regular EEA monitoring, data, indicators and assessments (i.e.

SOE information) as well as state of the environment reporting at national and regional level.

Such regular SOE information is already today being kept up-to-date in a dynamic manner to

different degrees; the respective updating and reporting cycles necessarily increase from monitoring

to data to indicators through to assessments, and are managed differently depending on the topic in

question. Dynamic SOE information can be made accessible online (sometimes referred to as ‘SOE

Live’ or ‘SOER online’) – this should complement, but not replace the dedicated SOER assessments.

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Objectives and guiding principles for SOER 2015

As noted above, the primary objective of the SOER 2015 is to fulfil the EEA’s requirement to publish

a report on the state of, trends in and prospects for the environment every five years – and to

provide objective, reliable and comparable information to policy-making agents and the public.

Generally, environmental assessments – including state of the environment reports – have been

seen to be most effective if the information provided is regarded by relevant stakeholders to be not

only credible, but also salient (relevant) and legitimate.1 Based on this, four primary objectives and

guiding principles should govern the development of SOER 2015 – with the aim to publish a credible

and reliable, relevant and timely, legitimate and transparent, targeted and accessible assessment.

Objective 1 - SOER 2015 should be based on credible and reliable sources; in other words, the

underpinning data should be collected and processed using technically adequate methods and

approaches, and the arguments developed should live up to the standards of scientific plausibility.

Box I.2 - How can SOER 2015 ensure that is based on credible & reliable sources? - some examples

By underpinning assessments with quality-assured indicators, and being transparent about uncertainties …

By ensuring a scientific review (Scientific Committee) and consultation with country-level experts (Eionet) …

Objective 2 - SOER 2015 should address relevant and timely topics; in other words, the issues

addressed and the structure used should directly relate to the challenges that stakeholders are

facing, and thus inform and support decisions that stakeholders are taking – before taking them.

Box I.3 - How can SOER 2015 ensure that address relevant & timely topics? - some examples

By expanding on existing findings, and updating on issues identified in previous assessments …

By consulting with stakeholders about which topics to address (and how), and on the outcome of SOER assessments …

Objective 3 - SOER 2015 should be developed in a legitimate and transparent manner; in other

words, the process by which conclusions are derived should be recognised as being unbiased and

meeting standards of procedural fairness, ideally directly involving stakeholders as possible.

Box I.4 - How can SOER 2015 ensure that is developed in a legitimate & transparent way? - some examples

By involving key stakeholders in arriving at cross-cutting conclusions and reflecting on their societal implications…

By guarding the independence of the EEA to ensure objective SOER assessment(s) …

Objective 4 - SOER 2015 should provide targeted and accessible information; in other words, both

the underpinning information and the derived assessments should be presented in a transparent

and open manner – and actively delivered in appropriate formats to different stakeholders.

Box I.5 - How can SOER 2015 ensure that it provides targeted & accessible information? - some examples

By developing targeted communication products for different audiences (e.g. Signals 2015; policy briefs) …

By making all underpinning data and information available on the EEA’s website and/or its web-based services …

Subsequent to the finalisation and publication of SOER 2015, it should be evaluated against success

criteria derived from the overarching objectives and guiding principles introduced above.

1 For more details, see, for example the work done by the ‘Global Environmental Assessment’ project.

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II. What? - The SOER 2015 product(s)

The SOER 2015 process provides an umbrella for two distinct, yet related types of outcomes: a series

of short publications that provide a summarising and reflective overview on the state of

environment in Europe (i.e. referred to as here SOER assessments), underpinned by regularly

updated information on the state of the environment – i.e. monitoring, data, indicators –accessible

as part of the EEA’s online services in 2015 and thereafter (i.e. referred to here as SOER online).

Thematically, both the SOER 2015 assessments and its online platform are to comprise four main

parts. Three of these parts specifically address environmental challenges in a global (Part A),

thematic (Part B) and national (Part C) context – while the fourth provides a cross-cutting and

comparative European perspective (see Figure II.1). (Note that this is consistent with the structure of

and main parts developed in previous SOER reports, i.e. in SOER 2005 and SOER 2010).

Figure II.1 – The SOER assessment ‘Toblerone’ to visualise how SOER 2015 addresses different scales and themes.

Part A – The European environment in a global context, comprising:

- SOER assessments: ‘megatrend fiches’ on global developments (11 or more megatrends; 4 pages each);

- SOER online:. indicator-type information related to global megatrends (FLIS).

Part B – European-level thematic SOER assessment and information, comprising:

- SOER assessments: ‘thematic fiches’ on environmental issues (20 to 30 themes; 4 pages each);

- SOER online: a host of corresponding thematic sets of indicators (CSI & IMS).

Part C – Country-level SOER assessment and information, comprising:

- SOE assessments: ‘country fiches’; i.e. summary of national reports (39 countries, 4 pages each);

- SOE online: where possible, direct links to national level indicators (SENSE).

In addition, a SOER 2015 Synthesis report summarises key thematic challenges, cross-cutting issues,

and reflections on policy implications as well as offering overarching conclusions.

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Each of these four parts is described in more detail below. The work on these four parts will be

further detailed in a dedicated SOER 2015 Implementation Plan, to be developed in 2013. This

Implementation Plan will address in more detail project governance, operational objectives,

resource requirements, milestones, contributors guidelines, as well as a communication plan.

Furthermore, SOER 2015 is complemented by a series of Environmental Indicator Reports (2012,

2013, 2014), various flanking activities, and subsequent derivatives, such as EEA Signals (in 2015).

Figure II.2 – The four main strands of activity and related outputs under the SOER 2015 umbrella.

II.1 SOER 2015 Synthesis

Product(s)

SOER assessment outcome: A Synthesis report (100 to 150 pages, A5 format); plus a separate 4-

page summary in all EEA member country languages.

SOER online outcome: The above Synthesis report, as well as all underpinning indicators will be

made available online.

Aim & audience

The main aim of this part is to publish a credible, relevant and legitimate report on the state of and

trends in the environment in Europe – and to contribute to a societal debate that focusses on the

prospects to improve, ensure and maintain a good state of the environment. This would reflect,

amongst others, on enabling factors towards achieving long-term visions.2

2 See, for example, the vision at the core of the European Commission proposal for ‘General Union Environmental Action Programme towards 2020’ (see COM(2012) 710): “In 2050, we live well, within the planet's ecological limits. Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed in ways that enhance our society's resilience. Our low carbon growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a global sustainable economy.”

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The Synthesis is primarily targeted towards informing ‘strategic decision-making’. This includes those

directly involved with EEA / EIONET, the wider policy arena, and civil society (including non-

governmental organisations, business sectors as well as researchers), primarily in Europe, but also

those working to improve the state of the environment in an international and global setting.

Key input

The Synthesis will be largely based on four main elements.

(1) Key conclusions from the other three SOER 2015 Parts (see descriptions below);

(2) A main narrative informed by the series of Environmental Indicator Reports 2012, 2013, 2014;

(3) Reflections based on other cross-cutting EEA assessments and SOER 2015 flanking activities;

(4) (Two) dedicated stakeholder workshops designed to discuss the prospects for the environment.

Box II.1 - SOER 2015 stakeholder workshops

Two dedicated stakeholder workshops are foreseen as part of the SOER 2015 process – aimed at discussing the prospect

for the environment in Europe (as informed, in particular, by recent SOER 2010 findings and/or Environmental Indicator

Reports). These workshops will involve a limited number (30 to 50) of selected societal stakeholders, by invitation only.

A first workshop in autumn 2013 would focus on ‘brainstorming’ (i.e. with the aim to discuss and uncover a range of

stakeholder perspectives on long-term environmental prospects). A second workshop in spring 2014 would focus on

‘consolidating’ (i.e. with the aim to further reflect and refine the outcomes of the first workshop). The second workshop

could involve a larger group of participants, and possibly include direct involvement of Management Board, Scientific

Committee and/or National Focal Points.

These workshops, their approach and expected outcomes will be elaborated in the SOER 2015 Implementation Plan.

Resources & timeline

Staffing: Synthesis Team (ca. 6 staff, lead by IEA)

Meetings: 2 workshops (up to 50 participants); plus one joint seminar with MB & SC

II.2 SOER 2015 Part A – The European environment in a global context

Product(s)

SOER assessment outcome: A series of fiches on global megatrends (GMT). These fiches are to be

rather succinct, with reference to FLIS indicators as available, possibly 4 pages each in print.

SOER online outcome: A set of indicator-type information on global megatrends (as available in an

updated FLIS) plus the above mentioned fiches, online.

Note: The global megatrends addressed will likely be similar to those in SOER 2010: by their nature,

global megatrends are stable over longer time periods. Yet their interpretation may change.

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Aim & audience

The main aim is to provide a backdrop for understanding the state of the environment in Europe in a

longer-term and global context; with a focus on a 2050 perspective (and beyond this for selected

issues) – and to thus provide relevant and credible input into stakeholder discussions.

Part A is primarily targeted towards ‘strategic decision-making’ – both within and beyond the

environmental community, and both inside and outside Europe, that want to get an overview of key

external factors that might affect the success of environmental policies and related decisions. This

includes policy makers as well as civil society (including NGOs, business sectors, and researchers).

Key input

Part A will build and expand on the assessment of global megatrends published in the SOER 2010,

and subsequent work at the EEA and within the NRC-FLIS network on this issue. For SOER 2015, the

starting point will be the EEA Technical Report on GMT which is planned for publication in 2013.


Staffing: Part A Team (ca. 6 staff, lead by IEA)

Meetings: 2-3 external expert meetings (10 to 20 participants)

II.3 SOER 2015 Part B – European-level thematic SOE information

Product(s)

SOER assessment outcome: A series of ‘thematic fiches’ (or policy briefings) describing the state of

environment regarding key environmental challenges and key environmental themes. These

briefings are to be rather succinct, with reference to related EEA indicators and EEA reports, possibly

4 pages each in print (see Box II.2).

SOER online outcome: Up-to-date sets of environmental indicators for thematic areas plus the

above mentioned fiches, online.

Note: Related to this, by 2015 the respective EEA thematic web-pages should be updated, and

information presented in the ‘thematic fiches’ should be easily accessible on the EEA website.

Aim & audience

The main aim of this part is to provide an overview of state of environment at European level for a

selection of key environmental themes – and to publish accessible and credible environmental

information. This should build on and complement the on-going assessment work in the thematic

groups across the EEA. It does not aim to develop new dedicated assessments.

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Part B is primarily targeted towards specialists, and informed or interested non-specialists, that want

to get a short overview of policy context, successes, and challenges of specific environmental issues.

Key input

Part B is to be based (almost exclusively) on existing thematic EEA indicators, EEA reports and EEA

assessments – in other words: no new thematic assessments will be developed in SOER 2015. For

those themes which would warrant a fiche, and for which no regular EEA assessment processes

exists yet, fiches can be based on other EEA information. However, in this case it is the responsibility

of the respective themes to ensure credible, relevant, legitimate and accessible evidence exists.

Note: A key decision to be made in 2013 is which thematic environmental challenges to focus on (see

Box II.2). This will be further detailed in the SOER 2015 Implementation Plan.

Box II.2 - Possible structure & topics for SOER 2015 Part B ‘thematic fiches’

Possible structure of a 4-page thematic ‘fiches’

Summary

(1/2 page)

EU Policy context

(1/2 page)

State of, trends in, prospects for theme

(1 page)

Box: A key indicator

(1/2 page, including country breakdown)

State of action (successes / challenges ahead)

(1/2 page)

Key links to other environmental challenges

(1/2 page)

Overview of related EEA indicators / reports

(1/2 page)

Note: Each of these four-page ’fiches’ should be linked

one or several up-to-date thematic web-site, including

up-to-date indicators.

Possible topics for 4-page thematic ‘fiches’

Example: Topics of EEA fiches (made in 2009) – 28 topics

Agriculture; Air pollution & air quality; Arctic; Beyond

GDP & accounting; Climate Change; Climate Change

Adaptation; Air pollution emissions; Energy; Forests;

Freshwater pollution; Freshwater quantity; Greenhouse

gas inventory; Greenhouse gas trends; Hazardous

substances; Land use & soil; Marine environment;

Maritime activities; Mediterranean sea; Nature &

biodiversity; Noise; SCP, resource use & waste; Transport;

plus: EE AoA; ENP; Eye on Earth; GMES (note: now

Copernicus); INSPIRE; SEIS.

Example: Topics of SOER 2010 Part B – 13 topics

Understanding CC; Mitigating CC; Adapting to CC;

Biodiversity; Land use; Soil; Marine & coastal

environment; Consumption & environment; Material

resource & waste; Water resources; Freshwater quality;

Air pollution; Urban environment.


Staffing: Part B Team (contributions from staff across EEA; co-lead by ACC, IEA, NSV)

Meetings: to be discussed (varies by topic), mostly embedded in regular Eionet meetings

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II.3 SOER 2015 Part C – Country-level SOE information

Product(s)

SOER assessment outcome 1: Short ‘country fiches’ (i.e. summaries of national SOE reports for each

EEA member and cooperating country) – i.e. one fiche per country.3 Each fiche should be 4 pages

and made available both in English and the respective national language(s). The updated SERIS (State

of the Environment Report Information System) will offer an overview of related SOE reports.

SOER assessment outcome 2: Dedicated ‘European country comparison fiche(s)’ that give an

overview of performance by country with regard to a limited number of environmental indicators

(i.e. a subset of the EEA core set of indicators as available at country level). This will be based on the

indicators as maintained by the EEA, but also include scope for country perspectives (using SENSE).

SOER online outcome: In addition to making all of the above fiches available online, SOER 2015 will

make links to national level environmental indicators (SENSE) to underpin and offer a country-level

perspective of environmental performance and add detail to underpin the country comparison

fiche(s), as well as providing additional information beyond that presented in the country fiche(s).

Aim & audience

The main aim of this part is to provide an overview of and make accessible state of environment

information available at the country level – and link these to the European level.

Part C is primarily targeted towards specialists, and informed or interested non-specialists, that want

to get an overview of the state of environment in different countries, and compare approaches

across countries. It is thus also targeted at policy makers both at the European and the national with

an interest to look across countries for peer-to-peer learning and policy implementation.

Key input (by EEA)

Much of this part will be developed by the respective countries: the country fiches are to be drafted

by respective country representatives in the Eionet (preferably the authors of the respective

national SOE reports) – and the indicators used are those regularly developed and maintain by

countries.

In addition, to the assessments and indicators to be provided by countries via Eionet, EEA input to

this part is threefold:

(1) EEA hosts an entry point to the national SOE reports and the country fiches (SERIS);

(2) EEA coordinates the drafting of fiches by, for example, providing a common structure;

(3) EEA supports the infrastructure to link indicators between European- and national-level (SENSE).

3 Note: In addition there is scope to specifically develop similar four-page fiches with countries that do not have a regular

SOE process – such as those in ENP countries. However, this will not be part of SOER 2015.

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Furthermore, the EEA will use a subset of the EEA core set of indicators available at country level to

develop dedicated European country comparison fiche(s). This will be based on a limited number of

indicators in the EEA indicator system, with links to corresponding national-level indicators where

available to ensure country perspectives (SENSE).

Resources & Timeline

Staffing: Part C Team (6 staff, co-lead by GAN, IEA, SES)

Meetings: to be discussed (varies by topic), mostly embedded in regular Eionet meetings

II.4 Links between different SOER 2015 parts

Each of these four strands will result in a set of distinct products; yet they should not be seen as

independent activities. Rather they aim to inform, complement and reinforce each other.

III.5 SOER 2015 Flanking Activities

SOER 2015 Implementation Plan (in 2013)

Work towards the respective fiches on global megatrends, environmental themes and country

overview (i.e. Parts A, B, C) will be underpinned by a dedicated SOER 2015 Implementation Plan. This

will detail project governance, operational objectives, resource requirements, contributor

guidelines, as well as a communication plan. This document will be made available in mid-2013 to

guide the development of the different SOER parts (especially the ‘fiches’) in a coherent manner.

Environmental Indicator Reports (in 2012, 2013 and 2014)

Three annual, cross-cutting Environmental Indicator Reports are foreseen: in 2012 (green economy,

resource efficiency and ecosystem resilience), 2013 (use of natural resources and human well-

being), and 2014 (sustainable consumption in a global context). Each edition is a 100 to 150 pages

report in A5 format, largely based on existing EEA indicators. (Note: No dedicated Environmental

Indicator Report is report foreseen for 2015; the series would continue again in 2016.)

EEA Indicator Digest Report (in 2013)

A dedicated EEA Indicator Digest Report complements the indicator-based assessments developed

under the SOER umbrella with methodological information. The digest is to offer a comprehensive

yet accessible guide to EEA indicators. It thus acts as reference document that offers an overview of

all available EEA indicators. This is foreseen as an EEA technical report, with up to 100 pages,

primarily aimed at a technical audience.

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EEA Signals Report (in 2015)

The EEA Signals report (i.e. 2015 edition) could complement the more analytical SOE information

with a presentation geared towards the public – to offer an easy to read (accessible) output on key

issues. The product could be a report, 50 to 100 pages, drafted for a general audience – based on the

material compiled in the context of SOER 2015, with scope to also include interviews and side-

stories. Possible vehicle also for a multimedia approach to communication of SOER 2015 findings.

Other EEA communication channels

The EEA SOER assessment outcomes should be made accessible as much as possible using also other

key EEA online communication channels. This should utilise the EEA website, data interpretation

tools (such as Daviz, a tool for interactive data comparison), web-based platforms and networking

approaches (such as Eye on Earth), or social media channels (such as Facebook and Twitter). This will

be discussed in more detail in the SOER 2015 Implementation Plan.

Pan-European environmental reporting and assessments (tentative)

EEA has been put in charge of developing a ‘Regular Process’ for environmental reporting across the

pan-European region (accompanied by a decision to gradually extend SEIS to these countries to

support this). This includes activities in non-EEA countries in the UNECE European region supporting

the development of indicators and national SOE reports, and the further application of the

Assessment of Assessments approach in new thematic areas. A key aim of this activity is to

streamline SOE reporting at different geographical scales across this region. There is an opportunity

to use the approaches being applied for SOER 2015 to help frame and inform this work (for example,

using SERIS, SENSE, or other Part C approaches).

Box II.3 - SOER 2015 as European contribution to global state of the environment reporting (UNEP Live / GEO-6)

The SOER 2015 provides objective, reliable and comparable information on the state of, trends in and prospects for the

environment at the European level. As such – and as was the case with previous SOER processes – it should also serve as

European input to international and global environmental assessments, such as those lead by UNEP (e.g. Global

Environment Outlook 6 and/or the on-going discussions about UNEP Live).

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III. Who? - The SOER 2015 project set-up

III.1 EEA internal project set-up

A SOER 2015 Coordinator is tasked by the Executive Director to coordinate and oversee full

implementation of the SOER 2015 project. The SOER 2015 Coordinator regularly updates the

Executive Director and EEA senior management on the project implementation, to ensure strong

coordination and linkage with related activities and flanking activities.

Four SOER 2015 Teams will be established to work on the respective parts (i.e. Synthesis Team, Part

A Team, Part B Team, Part C Team). These teams are complemented by two further crosscutting

groups (i.e. focussed on communication and SEIS support) – see below. The SOER 2015 coordinator

meets regularly with the lead of the respective teams to ensure overall coherence.

A SOER Synthesis Team comprising around 6 authors (lead by IEA); supported by and working in

close interaction with colleagues across the EEA (especially thematic and communication experts).

A SOER Part A Team comprising around 6 authors (lead by IEA); supported by EEA thematic experts

as well as external experts and, potentially, the NRC-FLIS network.

A SOER Part B Team co-lead by ACC, IEA, and NSV. Each ‘thematic fiche’ is to be co-authored by a

thematic expert (from ACC, NSV or IEA, depending on the issue), supported by the SOER

communication group. The ‘environmental indicators’ are the responsibility of the thematic groups

supported by thematic experts in the respective ETCs, and supported by the SOER online group.

A SOER Part C Team co-lead by GAN, IEA, and SES. Each ‘country fiche’ is to be authored by a

country representative (preferably NRC-SOE) in interaction with EEA – and with guidance from the

SOER Part C Team and SOER communication group. The ‘country comparison fiche(s)’ are to be

compiled and authored by the EEA. Adding country-level perspectives to these is the responsibility

of the countries (via SENSE), and will be supported by the SOER online group.

A SOER Communication Group lead by COM.

A SOER Online (SEIS Support) Group lead by SES.

III.2 Role of EEA stakeholders

The role of EEA stakeholders and other contributors such as Management Board, Scientific

Committee, National Focal Points and National Reference Centres will be discussed with the

respective stakeholders during their respective meetings during spring 2013.

Based on this, the ‘SOER 2015 Implementation Plan’ will further clarify both the EEA internal project

governance and the role of EEA stakeholders in the SOER 2015 process in more detail.

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IV. When? - The SOER 2015 timeline

IV.1 Overview of timeline from SOER 2010 to SOER 2015

In November 2010, the SOER 2010 report was published.

In 2011, the focus was on ‘reflecting’, i.e. on evaluating – internally and with EEA stakeholders –

what worked well in the SOER 2010 setting, and where scope for improvements might be identified.

In 2012, the focus was on ‘planning’ SOER 2015, taking into account the lessons learned from the

SOER 2010 process. The present project plan is the main output of this activity.

In 2013, the focus is on ‘preparing’ and ‘assessing’, i.e. doing much of the analytical work needed to

prepare the actual report. This includes stakeholder workshops as well as updating EEA indicators.

In 2014, the focus is on ‘drafting’ and ‘reviewing’ the various elements of the SOER 2015, i.e. much

of the actual text is to be developed in this period based on the information gathered.

Early in 2015, the main SOER 2015 report(s) and briefings shall be published.

In 2015, the focus is on ‘disseminating’ the various SOER 2015 elements, preferably throughout the

year – and on developing targeted spin-off products for specific audiences and occasions.

Figure IV.1 – The timeline from SOER 2010 to SOER 2015.

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IV.2 Project calendar and milestones towards SOER 2015

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the european environment: state and outlook 2015 (soer … · – the soer 2015 will explicitly aim...

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