What it is: the National Network of the Environmental Authorities and the Programming Authorities of the Community Structural Funds has been set up during the 1994-1999 programming and its operations have been confirmed in the course of the 2000-2006 programming. It is the centre for the coordination, consideration, training, exchange of ideas, sharing of experiences and formulation of proposals, criteria and methodologies pertaining to the environmental aspects of the actions under the Community Structural Funds.

Tasks: in addition to the analysis and in-depth study of the technical and methodological problems related to the programming and implementation of the environmental policies, the Environmental Network is entrusted with the task of disseminating the instruments resulting from the regional programming, furthering the promotion of environmental sustainability in the set-up of the future programming cycles, and fostering the internalisation of the environmental integration mechanisms in the standard operations of the regional administrations to ensure the continuity of the results achieved with the contribution of the Structural Funds.

Members: the Network brings together the representatives of the national and regional Environmental Authorities, the representatives of the Managing Authorities in charge of national and regional assistance projects, the representatives of the national administrations responsible for each Fund, the representatives of the central administrations in charge of the action guidelines falling within the regional Operational Programs, and the representatives of the services of the European Commission. Since 2004, the Network membership has been extended to APAT (Agency for the Protection of the Environment and the Technical Services), ARPA (Regional and Provincial Environmental Protection Agencies) and ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics).

Coordination: Working under the (the following link opens an external site) Ministry of Economic Development - Development and Cohesion Policies Department (DPS), Service for the Community Structural Funds Policies – the Network is managed in accord with the (the following link opens an external site) Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. In order to carry out its technical, organizational and administrative functions, the Network avails itself of a (the following link opens an external site) technical secretariat.

Working Groups: the Coordination Unit sets up Working Groups on its own initiative or further to the suggestion or request of members of the Network or the Monitoring Committee of the Community Support Framework (CSF). In relation to the nature of the tasks entrusted to the (the following link opens an external site) Working Groups, the latter may be divided into: Topic Working Groups (TWG), characterized by an activity dealing with the CSF sectoral ambits of interest, a pluriannual duration and dynamic objectives linked to the evolution of the problems of the sector; and Methodological Working Groups (WG) - characterize by a limited duration, specific objectives linked to fulfilments of the programming documents or to specific environmental themes. The results of the Working Groups are approved by the Network and submitted to the CSF Supervisory Committee.

Meetings: the Network meets at least twice a year, at regular intervals, under the joint chair of the (the following link opens an external site) Ministry of Economic Development and the (the following link opens an external site) Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, and reports on its works to the CSF Monitoring Committee at least once a year. The Network participates in the work of the European Network of Environmental Authorities.