Barcelona Convention

Source: UNEP

Subject: Environment

Context: At COP24 of the Barcelona Convention in Cairo, EU countries and Mediterranean partners adopted strengthened commitments to protect the Mediterranean Sea.

About Barcelona Convention:

• What it is?

• The Barcelona Convention is a legally binding UNEP-led regional environmental agreement for protecting the Mediterranean Sea against pollution and promoting sustainable coastal and marine management.

• Adopted in: 16 February 1976 (Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution)

• Entered into force: 1978

• Amended & renamed: 1995 as the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Region of the Mediterranean

• Prevent, reduce, combat and eliminate pollution from land-based, marine and atmospheric sources. Promote sustainable development through coordinated regional action. Support Mediterranean states in implementing protocols dealing with dumping, emergencies, land-based sources, protected areas, offshore pollution, hazardous waste, and coastal zone management.

• Prevent, reduce, combat and eliminate pollution from land-based, marine and atmospheric sources.

• Promote sustainable development through coordinated regional action.

• Support Mediterranean states in implementing protocols dealing with dumping, emergencies, land-based sources, protected areas, offshore pollution, hazardous waste, and coastal zone management.

About Mediterranean Sea:

What it is?

• A semi-enclosed, intercontinental sea between Europe, Asia, and Africa, covering ~2.5 million km² and accounting for ~0.7% of global ocean area; a biodiversity hotspot and cradle of ancient civilizations.

Neighbouring Nations:

• The Mediterranean is bordered by:

• Europe: Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece Asia: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco

• Europe: Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece

• Asia: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel

• Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco

• Connected to major water bodies via:

• Atlantic Ocean through Strait of Gibraltar Black Sea through Dardanelles–Marmara–Bosporus system Red Sea through Suez Canal

• Atlantic Ocean through Strait of Gibraltar

• Black Sea through Dardanelles–Marmara–Bosporus system

• Red Sea through Suez Canal

Geological Features:

• Formed by tectonic convergence of the African and Eurasian plates.

• Divided by the Sicily submarine ridge into western and eastern basins.

• Contains major basins: Alborán, Algerian, Tyrrhenian (west); Ionian, Levantine (east).

• Deepest point: Calypso Deep (5,267 m) in the Ionian Sea.

• Hosts major islands including Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Lesbos, and Mallorca.