On February 17, 2025, the 2nd project meeting with the associated partners of Free LitterAT that constitute the Advisory Board (AB) of the project took place, with participation from several members of the AB and the various project partners. The goal of the meeting was to present the project progress to the Advisory Board, get their feedback and jointly plan capitalization activities.
The Free LitterAT Advisory Board is integrated by relevant organizations that act as multipliers of the project impact and can provide high-level advice and guidance to align project activities and outcomes with the needs and priorities of the MSFD, PRF, and SUP Directives. It includes Competent Authorities of the partner countries that have environmental competencies and responsibilities in the implementation of key EU legislation: the Ministry for Ecological Transition of Spain (MITERD), the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage of Ireland (DHLGH), and the Ministries of Ecological Transition, Cohesion of Territories, and the Sea of France (MTES). The Competent Authority of Portugal is DGRM, which participates as a full partner. The involvement of OSPAR in the AB is key for capitalization and for connecting with national EU experts and other regional marine conventions. The CRPM facilitates the transfer of outcomes to the Atlantic regions and the link with the Ocean Pollution Working Group of the Atlantic Arc Commission and the Atlantic Strategy. The network of local municipalities (KIMO), a pioneer in Fishing for Litter Schemes provide valuable inputs and contribute to transfer activities to local authorities. Three NGOs, the Spanish and Portuguese Marine Litter Associations (AEBAM and APLM, respectively) and the Vertidos Cero Association, will support the project by providing social insights and fostering communities and citizen participation. They will also act as end users of the developed marine litter monitoring and removal tools.
The Advisory Board ensures the link with national and EU activities and facilitate the transfer and uptake of the project’s results. It plays a crucial role in identifying key stakeholders and support the dissemination, capitalization, and transfer of the results obtained through their networks and communication channels.
During the meeting, the partners presented the progress in the various project activities and the results obtained during this first year. The feedback and contributions from the members of the Advisory Board were extremely valuable and encouraged project partners to continue working towards achieving tangible and useful outcomes.