NIEL Members invited to attend official launch of the CHANGE Project

NIEL Members are invited to attend the attend the official launch of our PEACEPLUS funded CHANGE Project on 20th May in Newry.

CHANGE is a cross-border initiative that responds to urgent and shared environmental governance challenges across the island of Ireland, including climate change, biodiversity loss, marine ecosystem degradation, and declining freshwater quality. With investment of almost €1.8 million, the CHANGE Project aims to strengthen cross-border environmental governance and resilience by developing a shared framework to better understand and address regulatory divergence. The project will map and analyse divergence across key environmental themes, consolidate and assess cross-border environmental datasets, and identify critical data gaps that constrain informed decision-making.

CHANGE is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and aligns with Investment Area 6.1, Strategic Planning and Engagement.

Event Details:

📅Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026

🕰️Time: 10.30am – 1.00pm

📌Venue: Canal Court Hotel, Newry, Co. Down BT35 8HF

Agenda:

10:30am – Arrival & Refreshments / Official photos

11:00am – Welcome & Introduction – CHANGE Project representative

11:05am – Department of Finance Minister/representative

11:15am – Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Minister/representative

11:25am – Paul Sheridan, Director of Corporate Services, Special EU Programmes Body

11:35am – Karen Ciesielski, CEO, Irish Environmental Network

11:45am – Max Bryant, CEO, NI Environment Link