Environmental Protection, Barcelona Convention and Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

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1 SPEECH/05/366 Stavros Dimas Member of the European Commission, Responsible for Environment Environmental Protection, Barcelona Convention and Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, European Parliament Brussels, 20 June 2005

2 Mr. President, Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen, The countries surrounding the Mediterranean Basin have always been united in a common destiny by the mare nostrum - the Mediterranean Sea. This destiny has been shaped by the unique environmental characteristics of this largest European sea, with its rich biodiversity, mild climatic conditions and specific coastal biotopes and landscapes. Thanks to the sea, the Mediterranean region is one of the most valuable, but also most vulnerable regions of the world. (Environmental protection - Barcelona Convention/Euro-Mediterranean Partnership) Awareness that they depend on the sea for their livelihoods has brought peoples of the Mediterranean together to safeguard their precious marine environment. Since 1975, the European Community and the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea have cooperated in the context of the Barcelona Convention. This is one of the most successful regional environmental conventions in the world - especially now that it fully incorporates the concept of sustainable development. The EU has consistently encouraged its partner countries in the region to ratify and implement the Convention and its main Protocols. As you know, twenty years later, in 1995, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP), also known as the Barcelona Process, was signed. Under this framework, the Union has supported a range of activities to improve the environment of the Mediterranean and provided significant funding. (Current challenges) However, despite the achievements of the past decade, considerable challenges remain to ensure a high level of environmental protection for the Mediterranean Sea and a sustainable development of the countries around its shores. The coastal areas and the wildlife of the Mediterranean are threatened by sometimes uncontrolled tourist development and pollution, such as unprocessed sewage, oil pollution and toxic discharges. Biodiversity is threatened by invasive fauna and flora species and the scraping of the sea beds. Wildlife is endangered by uncontrolled fishing, which still takes place in many countries of the Mediterranean. All these pressures put at risk the economic prosperity, social well-being and quality of life in the Mediterranean. In particular, the countries of the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean face the concurrent challenges of developing their economies, building inclusive societies and ensuring environmental protection. This has to happen in a climate of limited financial resources and globalisation. Given the pressing problems facing these countries, environmental ministries are, unfortunately, generally not strong enough to address the challenges. The other actors, who should be involved in environmental decision-making and implementation, such as local and regional authorities, NGOs and the private sector, are not yet fully equipped to play their proper role. NGOs in particular could play an important role in areas where government cooperation is limited for a variety of reasons. 2

3 (Priorities for the future) As you know, in November, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership will celebrate its tenth anniversary. An extraordinary summit will take stock of what has been achieved under the Barcelona Process and agree on priorities for the future. This is also the time to review our approach in the environmental field. We have to clearly identify our priorities and think about how the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership can put increased emphasis on protecting the environment in the future. We need to: Strengthen the environmental administrations and civil society, including the private sector, to play a constructive role in the development and implementation of environmental policy. Involve regional and local authorities in environmental protection and sustainable development. Contribute to the sustainable development of Mediterranean countries through progressive convergence with EU environmental standards and norms. Achieve the integration of environmental concerns into other sectoral policies in the partner countries and in regional initiatives. This includes the integration into the relevant economic sectors of co-operation under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Ensure adequate level of finance for the environment in the Mediterranean, including better co-ordination of international financial assistance. (High-visibility initiative to de-pollute the Mediterranean by 2020) 1 A couple of months ago, the European Commission published a Communication outlining its ideas how to reinforce the European-Mediterranean Partnership over the next five years. Our proposals include a high-visibility initiative to de-pollute the Mediterranean by We aim to tackle all the major sources of pollution including industrial emissions, municipal waste, and particularly urban wastewater in the Mediterranean. This proposal was endorsed at the Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting of May A precise timetable of actions should be agreed with Mediterranean Partners by Therefore, over the coming months, we need to determine how we can create the necessary political will and ensure the necessary budgetary backing to successfully implement our initiative. We also need to define how environmental activities under the Partnership can be better coordinated with, and articulated within, other initiatives in the Mediterranean region so that we can pool resources and be more effective. 1 (12 April 2005) 3

4 We intend to consult all relevant stakeholders in the region in order to find the best ways of achieving our goals. We need to involve Member States and international financing institutions, but also civil society and elected officials in our partner countries, as well as their administrations. Obviously, we need and want to involve you as elected representatives of the citizens of the Mediterranean countries. I hope I have been able to outline to you how important the Mediterranean environment and sustainable development are for the region. Neglecting the environment would mean neglecting one important component of sustainable development, which is based on three pillars that mutually reinforce each other: economic growth, social cohesion and a healthy environment. If we do not stop the environmental degradation of the Mediterranean Sea, it could eventually put at risk the economic development, prosperity and social well-being of the region. This is why need to increase our efforts to protect this important sea. (Thematic Strategy on the Marine Environment:) I believe that a new strategy on the marine environment, which we will present in a few weeks' time, will make an important contribution towards achieving this goal. Its objective is to ensure the sustainable use of Europe's oceans and seas so that current and future generations can enjoy them and reap their benefits. This strategy is one of seven 'Thematic Strategies' that we are developing under the 6 th Environment Action Programme, the EU's environmental policy agenda for We have chosen the term 'Thematic Strategies' because the strategies address themes rather than single pollutants or specific economic activities, reflecting the fact that the problems are generated in many different policy sectors and need to be resolved in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic fashion. Apart from the marine environment, the strategies tackle air pollution, natural resource use and waste, soil and pesticides, and the urban environment. Each strategy takes a 20-year perspective and is based on an in-depth review of existing policy, thorough research and science, and wide-ranging stakeholder consultation. The Thematic Strategy for the Conservation and the Protection of the Marine Environment will be a major pillar for our future actions in the Mediterranean region. It is to be the most important EU initiative to address environmental challenges in the European seas. Instead of the current situation, where there is a wide variety of measures that are sectoral and not designed specifically to protect the marine environment, it will propose an integrated approach through a dedicated policy. The Strategy will be a very good example of region-oriented policy since it will propose a dual EU/regional approach. The Parties to the Barcelona Convention have been informed of its development. The contributions by representatives of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) have taken important account of Mediterranean particularities. We will also rely on regional partners, such as the MAP, for the implementation of the Thematic Strategy on the Marine Environment. We expect that this renewed cooperation between the EU and its partners in the Mediterranean region will help consolidate the institutions dedicated to environmental protection in the area. We also hope that it will improve the quality of the environmental policies and that all these efforts will effectively contribute to sustainable development in the region. 4

5 (EU Water Initiative) We are also pursuing the further development of the Mediterranean component of the EU Water Initiative. This is the EU contribution in the region for achieving the water-related Millennium Development Goals. This process requires the involvement of all partners to enhance cooperation and coordination. In this context, a range of regional and national activities are being implemented and will be further developed in the coming years to cover the needs identified for water supply, sanitation and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Greece is leading this initiative. Together with the Commission, it is developing a process for facilitating the implementation of sound water policies in the region in accordance with the approach taken by the Water Framework Directive of 2000: integrated, cross-border river-basin management. The priorities identified by the Water Initiative will be backed up by coordination of donors support and EU financial mechanisms. (European Neighbourhood Policy) Before concluding, I would like to mention another recent development which has had a positive influence on our political engagement with our partner countries in the Mediterranean region. In 2004, three Mediterranean countries - Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia - were among the ten new Member States that joined the European Union. In a bid to create a true ring of friends around its new external frontiers, the enlarged EU launched a new European Neighbourhood Policy. In the Mediterranean region, this new policy can build on existing close cooperation under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and other regional initiatives. Under the European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU recently negotiated national action plans with many of its partner countries in the Mediterranean. These plans cover cooperation in environmental governance, improving environmental legislation and its implementation, and promoting global and regional environmental cooperation. The plans also state that sustainable development principles should be taken into account in the development of cooperation in other policy sectors. Implementing these bilateral plans will make an important contribution towards improving the environment in the Mediterranean. As we work towards implementation of these plans on a bilateral basis, we are also looking towards creating better synergies between activities taking place at the regional level. So, in addition to the cooperation between the Commission and the MAP on the Marine Strategy, we are developing a global joint work programme between the European Commission and the MAP, as recommended by the last conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention. We also aim to improve collaboration with the donor community and the IFIs who are working on the environment in the Mediterranean region. Mr. President, Through the actions I have outlined, I hope that you and the members of this Committee are convinced that, more than ever, the European Commission is committed to protecting the environment and to promoting a more sustainable model for development in the Mediterranean. This will be the common denominator of our actions in the region in the years to come. 5

6 We plan to mobilise all actors and all partners in this effort. Our interlocutors will not be only ministries but also members of parliament and all sectors of civil society. Your Committee represents an area of work that can easily be integrated with environmental action. I will look forward to collaborating with you and the stakeholders you represent toward a better environment in the Mediterranean. 6