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The European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) and
Planta Europa: an opportunity for synergies.
L. Maggioni, N. Maxted and J. Engels
PDF file (144KB).

The ECPGR, an example of cooperation for crop genetic resources in Europe. L. Maggioni
PDF file (0.2MB).
(From: Proceedings of an international workshop: Strengthening policy and institutional frameworks for conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources. National programmes and networks as strategic tools.
1 – 10 October 2002, Zschortau – Germany)

About ECPGR

	Objectives		Associated countries
	Priorities for Phase VIII		International context and interactions
	Timeframe and budget for Phase VIII		Structure and modus operandi
	Participating members

The European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) (formerly "European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks - ECP/GR) was founded in 1980 on the basis of the recommendations of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Genebank Committee of the European Association for Research on Plant Breeding (EUCARPIA).

ECPGR is a collaborative Programme among most European countries, aimed at facilitating the long-term conservation on a cooperative basis and the increased utilization of plant genetic resources in Europe. The Programme, which is entirely financed by the participating countries and is coordinated by a Secretariat at Bioversity International, operates through broadly focused Networks dealing with groups of crops or general themes related to plant genetic resources.
ECPGR is guided by a Steering Committee.

Objectives

Established for ECPGR by its Steering Committee during its seventh meeting (1998) and reconfirmed during the subsequent meetings, the objectives of ECPGR are:

• To facilitate the long-term in situ and ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources in Europe

• To facilitate the increased utilization of plant genetic resources in Europe

• To strengthen links between all plant genetic resources programmes in Europe and promote the integration of countries that are not members of ECPGR

• To encourage cooperation between all stakeholders, including NGOs and private breeders

• To increase the planning of joint activities including the development of joint project proposals to be submitted to funding agencies

• To encourage the sharing of conservation responsibilities for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in Europe

• To increase awareness, at all levels, of the importance of PGRFA activities including conservation and sustainable use

• To seek collaboration with other relevant regional and global initiatives

Priorities for Phase VIII (2009-2013)

During the tenth Steering Committee meeting (Riga, Sept. 2007), the following priority issues were agreed for ECPGR activity during the Phase VIII:

• Task sharing (AEGIS) and capacity building

• Characterization and evaluation

• In situ and On-farm conservation and management

• Documentation and Information

Timeframe and budget for Phase VIII (2009-2013)

Phase VIII of ECPGR started in January 2009.
An overall budget of € 2 759 000 was approved by the Steering Committee, with more than 40 countries expected to participate in this Phase.
The Programme is entirely funded by the member countries paying annual contributions based on the United Nations scale of assessment.
The ECPGR budget is mainly dedicated to coordination and Network operations (i.e. meetings, publications, ad hoc actions), with a ratio of 75/25 of meetings versus actions.
Specific funds are included in a budget line dedicated to AEGIS activities, to be assigned through a competitive grant scheme that will be opened on an equal basis to all the Networks.

Participating members

As of April 2009, the 41 member countries contributing to the ECPGR Programme are (countries that signed their membership for Phase VIII are marked with * ):

Associated countries

The following countries have not formally joined ECPGR yet, but have nominated Focal Persons for collaboration with the Programme: Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro and the Russian Federation. Contact details for the Focal Persons can be found [here].

International context and interactions

Bioversity International currently provides the Coordinating Secretariat to ECPGR.
The European meeting on Plant Genetic Resources held in Nitra, Slovakia, September 1995, recommended that ECPGR be used as a platform to facilitate the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for the European region as part of the FAO Global System on Plant Genetic Resources.

The Programme also interacts with other bodies, programmes or collaborative projects addressing plant genetic resources, such as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, SEEDNet and the Genetic Resources Programme of the EU (Council Regulation (EC) No 870/2004). During the eleventh meeting of the Steering Committee (Sarajevo, Sept. 2008) a Task Force was established to further develop the ECPGR strategy for collaboration with the EU, with the objective of obtaining long-term support for implementation of the International Treaty and PGRFA conservation in general.

Structure and modus operandi

The networking structure of the Programme adopted in Nitra (1995) was reaffirmed by the Steering Committee in the following meetings, consisting of National Coordinators nominated by participating countries. The Programme operates through Networks in which activities are carried out either in the framework of Working Groups or as ad hoc actions.

For more information, see:
ToRs of the ECPGR operational bodies (Phase VIII) (71KB PDF file)
Operational structure of ECPGR
Interaction of National Programmes with the ECPGR Networks and Steering Committee