EEA - NFP/Eionet cooperation guidelines

Disclaimer: The content in this page is under revision and will be updated to reflect changes in EEA and Eionet, as result of the implementation of EEA-Eionet Strategy.

Effective cooperation between Eionet and EEA is central to the success of our shared network. To allow all parties to make best use of their experience, skills and capabilities the cooperation must be open, transparent, and efficient. In the Eionet – EEA context, the focus of our cooperation is on the sharing of information and tasks between the different parties.

The Cooperation Guidelines document is an initiative by the NFPs that is intended to be applied to everyday work and strengthen the EEA – NFP and Eionet cooperation. The “EEA – NFP and Eionet Cooperation Guidelines” are a collection of guidelines, recommendations, and instructions that do not seek to be exhaustive, due to the multifaceted nature of the cooperation. However, they aim to serve as a basis for decisions, also those which are to be taken in situations that might not be described in this document, as well as to serve as an example for the cooperation among the different Eionet parties. At the same time, it should be possible to apply a reasonable amount of flexibility on a case-by-case basis. The Cooperation Guidelines should be regularly reviewed and updated, in order to incorporate new needs, and adjust accordingly, based on the experience we gain in managing our shared network.

The different parties have their own power of decision, which must be respected. The Cooperation Guidelines do not include, for example, how the national networks are organised nor how the duties are shared within the network. The document describing the National Focal Point role (Annex I) is complementary to this document concerning the operation of the National Networks and the role of the NFP both in their respective network and in the Eionet as a whole.