April 2009 to April 2011

Overall objective:
To reduce the vulnerability of South-Eastern Europe to natural hazards, and address losses of life, property and economic productivity caused by weather and climate related natural hazards.

Specific Objectives:

1. Improve technical capacity of the IPA Beneficiaries’ national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHS)  with the view to underpin effective early warning systems for weather, water and climate related hazards and extreme events.
2. Ensure closer interaction , dialogue and cooperation among the NMHSs in the SEE Region, as well as between the IPA beneficiaries’ NMHSs and the respective disaster management and civil protection key stakeholders.
3. Support progressive alignment of IPA beneficiaries with the standards and policies of the European Union.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR), Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Initiative (DPPI), World Bank, EUMETNET, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and National Hydrometeorological Services of participants.

National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of the Western Balkans and Turkey; Senior policy makers and government officials from ministries and agencies responsible for civil protection development, environment, and climate sensitive sectors;

The general public and also the various socio-economic sectors in participating countries who are significant end-users of the hydro-meteorological services and products (agriculture, air, road and sea transport, emergency services, civil protection), and various government operations

1. Improved cross-border cooperation between IPA beneficiaries in the field of disaster risk reduction.
2. Enhanced utilization of modern technology in monitoring and forecasting of hazardous weather, water and climate events; improved information dissemination in support of Early Warning Systems.
3. Improved cooperation and coordination between the NMHSs and civil protection and disaster risk management agencies.
4. Further integration of the IPA beneficiaries into the European Meteorological Infrastructure.
5. Enhanced human and institutional capacity of the region to provide better quality products and services in support to disaster risk management, including enhanced capacity in risk assessment for floods and drought.
6. Improved meteorological and hydrological data quality through enhanced capacity for maintenance and calibration of hydro-meteorological instruments.

Undertake a strategic Capacity Building programme to strengthen the network and improve the basic systems and capacity for hydro-meteorological forecasting, data sharing and information management and dissemination to underpin early warning systems for weather and climate related hazards and extreme events.

Establish mechanisms that promote and improve cooperation within the region and between the SEE countries and the European Meteorological Institutional Framework and Operational Systems.