Preserving the environment in the Mediterranean
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text adopted by
the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 11
March 2011 (see Doc. 12439, report
of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional
Affairs, rapporteur: Mr Falzon).
1. The Parliamentary Assembly regrets
that, despite various initiatives at international level, the Mediterranean
still faces very serious environmental problems, which are the result
both of climate change and of factors such as overfishing, rampant
coastal development, inadequate controls over waste and waste water disposal,
the destruction of sensitive habitats and increased shipping.
2. Furthermore, while the region’s rapid growth in recent decades
has had positive effects on the local standard of living, this has,
regrettably, largely been at the cost of its environmental balance.
3. According to some scientific studies, biodiversity is under
increasing threat and some vulnerable species are already on the
verge of extinction.
4. Climate change has affected water resources owing to increased
evaporation and decreased rainfall. Water, therefore, is set to
become a major political and economic issue, over which there are
likely to be highly frequent conflicts in the Mediterranean region.
5. In this context, the Assembly refers to its
Resolution 1197 (1999) on
peace, democratic stability and sustainable development in the Mediterranean
and Black Sea basins: the role of interparliamentary co-operation;
its
Recommendation 1630
(2003) on erosion of the Mediterranean coastline: implications
for tourism; and its
Resolution
1693 (2009) on water: a strategic challenge for the Mediterranean
Basin.
6. The Assembly also refers to the Convention on the Conservation
of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (ETS No. 104, “the Bern
Convention”), whose aim is to preserve wild plant and animal species
and their natural habitats and promote European co-operation in
this field, the 1976 Barcelona Convention for the Protection of
the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, which aims to reduce pollution
in the Mediterranean region and protect and enhance the marine habitat
in this area in order to contribute to its sustainable development,
and the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA),
which is a forum for co-operation between European and southern
Mediterranean countries in the field of major natural and technological
hazards.
7. The Assembly also highlights the existing international treaties,
particularly the Mediterranean Action Plan, brokered by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Mediterranean Environmental Technical
Assistance Programme (METAP).
8. In this context, the Assembly welcomes the measures taken
by some states to set up national action plans for the environment
and encourages countries which have not yet done so to follow this
example.
9. The Assembly welcomes the action taken in the area of sustainable
development by some southern Mediterranean countries, particularly
Morocco, with a view to preserving fish stocks and the marine environment
and developing renewable energy sources, and encourages all southern
Mediterranean countries to take these kinds of measures.
10. The Assembly welcomes the constructive co-operation with the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean on subjects of common
interest such as environmental protection, disaster management and the
role of local and regional authorities, and highlights the major
role played by the Council of Europe in this context in the Mediterranean
region.
11. The Assembly notes and regrets that, since its establishment
in 2008 and owing to insufficient commitment on the part of the
European Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, which brings together
all the European Union member states and Mediterranean countries,
has not yielded the expected results despite the various projects
which had been planned.
12. The Assembly is disappointed at the low level of solidarity
shown by the northern countries towards the southern countries.
This is especially regrettable since the northern countries have
contributed to a large extent to the environmental deterioration
in the southern countries, caused in particular by the intensification
of tourism in the Mediterranean region and intensive land farming
around the Mediterranean for the benefit of northern markets.
13. The Assembly also points out that there is a large amount
of shipping activity in the Mediterranean and that most ships carry
cargo which can cause major environmental damage if lost.
14. In the light of the foregoing, the Assembly asks the member
states and particularly the Mediterranean non-member states to:
14.1 implement strict policies designed
to prevent and reduce environmental degradation in the Mediterranean;
14.2 enhance national and international environmental legislation
and ensure that it is implemented;
14.3 take measures to promote the sustainable management of
water resources;
14.4 commit appropriate financial resources, build institutional
capacity and promote technology and skills transfer in order to
address the environmental problems of the Mediterranean Basin;
14.5 take joint action at parliamentary level with the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Mediterranean and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary
Assembly to preserve the Mediterranean environment more effectively;
14.6 work in close co-operation with the Union for the Mediterranean
to improve its performance in the field of environmental protection
and to compensate for some states' lack of political commitment;
14.7 introduce structural policies and, as far as possible,
assist financially the Mediterranean towns and coastal regions in
modernising their harbour installations and their waste water collection,
treatment and recycling systems;
14.8 step up inspections of the fishing industry and help rebuild
depleted fish stocks;
14.9 promote sustainable, healthy tourism respecting the natural
heritage and, in this connection, promote the establishment of a
system of taxes for the benefit of tourist countries;
14.10 encourage increased and long-term use of renewable energy
sources around the Mediterranean and support the efforts already
being made by some countries to improve their energy efficiency;
14.11 intensify co-operation and integration in the field of
maritime surveillance so as to improve oil pollution control and
apply the “polluter pays principle”;
14.12 encourage transfrontier co-operation;
14.13 adopt an integrated ecosystem-based approach for the protection
of the Mediterranean environment and combat pollution linked with
urban development, agriculture and industry;
14.14 take measures to improve the quality of biennial reports,
particularly as regards comparisons between the Parties to the Barcelona
Convention;
14.15 sign and ratify, if they have not already done so, the
international legal instruments relating to co-operation in the
field of sustainable development in the Mediterranean Basin, some
of which are referred to above;
14.16 endeavour to put in place protected areas and support
sustainable agriculture, in conformity with the spirit of the Bern
Convention.
15. The Assembly also invites the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of the Council of Europe to:
15.1 support the local and regional authorities around the
Mediterranean and the countries whose rivers flow into the Mediterranean
Sea in their efforts to manage the marine environment, in accordance with
the principles of sustainable development, and to further promote
this type of co-operation in the Mediterranean Basin;
15.2 ask local and regional authorities concerned to promote
Agenda 21 activities;
15.3 promote the signature of environmental agreements and
twinning agreements between the local authorities concerned and
make environmental impact assessments mandatory for all regional
projects;
15.4 initiate co-operation programmes to foster sustainable
development at local and regional level, using existing platforms
such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
