Pers uitnodiging voor Strömstad, 4-13 September: Focus op wereldwijde biodiversiteit en Europa's beschermde gebieden (en)

The Swedish EU Presidency welcomes you to the high-level meeting on biodiversity in Strömstad. At this meeting the Minister for the Environment, Andreas Carlgren, would like to underline the economic value of biodiversity and the necessity to work together towards a new UN agreement on biodiversity in 2010. Recent key findings from the TEEB – the report on Economics, Ecosystems and Biodiversity – will be discussed with the study leader Pavan Sukhdev. The presence at the high-level meeting of the COP Bureau of the Convention on Biodiversity stresses the urgent need for the European Union to prepare steps to take before the global summit in Nagoya, Japan.

Managing biodiversity is a shared challenge and calls for co-operation in times of climate change. For this reason 300 protected area managers will also meet in Strömstad for the annual Europarc Conference, which is the largest yearly gathering of individuals working in, for and with Europe’s protected areas. This year’s highlights include the inauguration of the Koster Marine National Park in Strömstad. The new member of the family of European National Parks is located mainly below the sea’s surface and is connected to the neighbouring Norwegian Ytre Hvaler National Park, which will be inaugurated on the same day. The inauguration ceremonies will be marked by visits from HRH King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.   

Events in Strömstad

4-6 Sept: Scientific preparatory workshop

7-8 Sept: Preparatory workshop of officials and experts

8 Sept: Meeting of EU Environment Ministers and high-level officials

9 Sept: Inauguration of Koster Marine National Park and Ytre Hvaler National Park

9-10 Sept: Meeting of the COP Bureau of the Convention on Biodiversity

9-13 Sept: The EUROPARC Conference

Press briefings in Brussels and Strömstad

2 Sept : The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency will be in Strömstad to answer questions about the inauguration of Koster Marine National Park.

4 Sept at 10.00 : Press briefing at the Swedish Permanent Representation in Brussels with Åsa Norrman, Director for the Division of Natural Resources at the Swedish Ministry of Environment and Member of the COP Bureau, Ulf Björnholm-Ottosson, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation and Richard Blackman, Deputy Director of the EUROPARC Federation.

8 Sept at 11.00 : Press briefing with Minister Carlgren and Pavan Sukhdev in Strömstad

8 Sept at 18.45 : Webcast press conference with Ministers from Strömstad.

A media centre with workstations for journalists is open September 7-8.