Countries with developing polar programmes
Antarctica and the Arctic are the two regions in the world which continue to offer many opportunities for research and exploration and still remain, in places, untouched by human presence. These regions are also the most sensitive to climate change and its important impact upon life on Earth. It is for these reasons that both the scientific community and the policy-makers around the world have turned their attention to the Polar Regions. Europe as a whole is particularly concerned about the future of the Arctic and the Antarctic as these two are the drivers of the climate system. The Polar Regions still hold many unknowns for science and their exploration is of importance to mankind.
The European Polar Board coordinates the European polar research and offers opportunities to its smaller country-members and those with modest financial resources to participate with their own scientific potential in many joint research projects. Most countries from Central and South-East Europe began polar research programs as late as the end of the past century. Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic already maintain their own Antarctic bases while Portugal, Austria and Greece participate in joint research projects with their own scientists while utilizing the infrastructure of countries with well developed polar programmes. Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Turkey are countries without developed polar programmes and in the future have to be incorporated with their scientists in the polar research.
The cooperation in Antarctica between Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria has been especially fruitful. For six consecutive years, these three countries have developed joint research project “ Permafrost and climate change in Maritime Antarctic” in the areas of Livingston and Deception Islands. Romania is starting a joint project called “Interhemisphere” in the Arctic and Antarctic with Austria, Estonia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Ukraine on climate change research funded mainly from the Romanian Scientific Fund.
The coordinated research efforts of the European scientists from countries with traditionally strong, well-developed polar programmes such as France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Scandinavian countries with their colleagues from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Portugal and Austria is an example of the successful scientific collaboration within the European Union aimed at unlocking the secrets of the last remaining pristine areas on our planet.
The European Polar Board, as part of the ESF, co-ordinates and encourages European polar scientific research in polar regions which at the same time meets the requirements of excellence and relevance. EPB fosters co-operation amongst the well developed programmes in their initial stage and facilitates assistance for those with limited resources and experience.
