General | Hotels | Map | Documents | Conclusions

1. Conference Venue

The Government of Spain will kindly host the Third Biodiversity in Europe Conference in Madrid, Spain (Madrid Conference) from Sunday, 18 to Wednesday, 22 January 2004 at the Palacio de Congresos :

Palacio de Congresos de Madrid
Paseo de la Castellana, 99
28046 Madrid, Spain
Telephone: + 34 91 337 81 00/01
Fax: + 34 91 597 10 94
http://www.pcm.tourspain.es
Metro Station: Santiago Bernabeu (Line 10)

Participants may access the following links to consult a general map of Madrid and the location of the Palacio de Congresos :

General map of Madrid (PDF)
Palacio de Congresos location (PDF document)

2. Official opening
The meeting of the Committee for the activities of the Council of Europe in the field of biological and landscape diversity will take place on Sunday, 18 January from 3:30 pm. to 6:30 p.m. The 8th Meeting of the Council of the Pan European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy will open on Monday, 19 January at 10 a.m. The Third Biodiversity in Europe Conference will open on Monday, 19 January at 4:00 p.m.

3. Optional excursion to Toledo
The Government of Spain is organizing an optional excursion to the city of Toledo on Thursday, 22 January 2004 for those participants who remain in Madrid after the official closure of the Conference on Wednesday, 21 January 2004. The hosts will provide transportation Madrid-Toledo-Madrid and the luncheon in Toledo. Participants will be picked up at a convenient location at 7:30 a.m. and the return to Madrid is scheduled at 5:00 p.m. Participants are requested to indicate on the registration form whether they will be participating in the excursion so that the Government may plan accordingly.

4. Registration and identification name badge
Registration for the Conference will commence on Sunday, 18 January from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will continue on Monday, 19 January from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Participants should pre-register using the electronic form (PDF) as soon as possible and send it to the Joint Secretariat by 15 December 2003. This will allow the Joint Secretariat to make the necessary preparations and inform the Government of Spain on attendance numbers and contact details.

5. Conference documents
Official documents (English, French and Russian) for the Conference will be placed on the PEBLDS website www.strategyguide.org and the Council of Europe website http://www.coe.int/t/e/Cultural_Co-operation/Environment/Nature_and_biological_diversity/Biodiversity/03conferences.asp as they become available. The documents will also be sent to all Council members and registered participants via email for your convenience. Participants are kindly reminded to bring their copies of the documents to the Conference as there will only be a limited number of copies available on an emergency basis.

6. Services to participants
A cafeteria is located on site at the Palacio de Congresos. There are also several restaurants in the vicinity of the Conference Centre. The Government of Spain will host a reception for the participants at the Palacio de Congresos on Monday, 19 January from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. They will also host a dinner for participants at 8:30 p.m. in the centre of Madrid and transportation will be provided from the Palacio de Congresos.

Participants will be able to utilize computer and internet services at the Cyber Café set up in the lobby of the Palacio de Congresos.

7. General information on access to Madrid and getting around Madrid
Madrid is serviced by the Barajas airport (12 kms away from the city centre). Taxis are available at the airport and taxi fares from the airport to the city centre may range from 20 Euros to 35 Euros. Participants may also use the metro from Barajas airport to the city centre (approx. 20-25'). A map of the metro connection between the airport and the centre of Madrid is shown below.

Consult the airport website http://www.aena.es/aeropuertos/barajas/presentacion.htm and the metro website www.metromadrid.es for further information. Click here (map of the metro - pdf) for an illustration of the Madrid metro network.

The metro system in Madrid is well maintained and efficient. Each trip costs 1,10 Euros but a booklet of 10 tickets is available that costs 5,20 Euros. For general transportation information please go to the http://www.ctm-madrid.es website.

8. Hotel arrangements
Attached is a list of recommended hotels that have made arrangements with the Government of Spain to set aside rooms for the dates of the Third Biodiversity in Europe Conference. Many are located in the vicinity of the Palacio de Congresos and some are located further away but have been chosen for their reasonable room rates and access to transport and the centre of Madrid. Please consult the following map for the location of each recommended hotels.

If participants wish to inquire about other hotels, please consult the following websites:

http://www.munimadrid.es/Principal/ciudad/turismo/turismo/03_2.html
http://www.aehm.es
http://madrid.guia-de-hoteles.com/
http://www.atrapalo.com/hoteles_en/034/168

Participants are kindly reminded that they have to make their own hotel reservations and are urged to make them as soon as possible, preferably before 15 December, to ensure adequate accommodation at reasonable prices.

9. Promotional material and side events
Limited space is available for exhibits and publication displays at the Palacio de Congresos. However, participants must bring their own display structures as these will not be available at the Conference centre. Time and space for side events is also very limited given the number of activities taking place and the short duration of the Conference. Please contact the Coordinator of the PEBLDS Joint Secretariat via email in order to inquire about the possibility of securing exhibition space or a time for a side event. Requests will be processed on a first come first served basis. The deadline for receipt of requests is 15 December 2003.

10. Time Zone
Madrid is GMT + 1 hour.

11. Weather in Madrid
During the month of January in Madrid, maximum temperatures average 11° C and minimum temperatures average 0° C. Precipitation averages 45.7 mm so it is recommended to bring an umbrella with you.

12. Visa/Customs
Participants from outside the European Union require an entry visa for Spain and are advised to approach the nearest Spanish diplomatic mission in order to secure the required entry visa prior to departure. If a Spanish diplomatic mission is not available in a specific country, please contact the nearest European Union government diplomatic mission for assistance. The Government of Spain will issue a personal invitation to the Government-nominated participant as soon as the PEBLDS Joint Secretariat sends the registration form to them. The Government of Spain will also request the relevant diplomatic missions through their Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the issuance of visas for the Conference participants.

Further contact