SNOWMAN - FP6

Basic Information

Description

Aiming at solution and prevention of actual and future environmental problems, EU policy resulted in many Directives concerning water and soil. Moreover, the Commission of the European Communities composed a paper "Toward a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection" and set up a tight time schedule. Despite of above-mentioned legislative efforts an effective EU-wide approach to the problem of site remediation and groundwater contamination is hindered by a number of problems described by the CLARINET Working Group on "Co-ordination of RTD on an European level". There is little synergy at EU level between national and EU RTD programmes, leading to a serious overlap of research projects and parallel expenditures and less efficient use of limited resources. The broad dissemination of project results through national RTD programmes at an European level is very modest and fragmented. The starting points of SNOWMAN-Era-Net are the questions: "What do we HAVE?" - The consortium will produce a sound overview on programmes and their contents and management in the field specified. "What do we WANT?" - A Vision Paper will define the goal of European research activities in this specific field of environmental research. "How can we GET co-operation NOW?" - Specification of next steps, short- and medium-term, preparing ground in order to implement and conduct a research programme. Suitable tools (like uniform evaluation criteria etc.) will be developed. Knowledge dissemination will be supported by a close linkage with the EUGRIS project. On this portal, all findings produced within SNOWMAN will be published and made available to a wider community. On interpersonal level, networking with the European Soil Policy Working Group or Cost activities will be maimtained. SNOWMAN will also agree on a European research agenda, which provides the basis for a first coordinated research call (EUR 700.000,--).