The UNEP/MAP Barcelona Convention Secretariat participated in the Online Sub-Regional Workshop titled “Assistance for the implementation of the Barcelona Convention” that the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX) organized online on 16-17 February 2021.
The workshop took place in the context of the project titled “EU Environment Partnership Programme for Accession (EPPA) in the Western Balkans and Turkey”. Representatives of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Turkey tackled challenges and capacity gaps hindering the effective implementation of the Barcelona Convention and three of its seven protocols, namely the Land-Based Sources Protocol, the Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity Protocol, and the ICZM Protocol.
In her opening remarks, the UNEP/MAP Deputy Coordinator Tatjana Hema welcomed the EPPA support to the full implementation of the Barcelona Convention by the EPPA beneficiary countries. She highlighted several common priority areas for cooperation between EPPA and UNEP/MAP, including waste management and resource efficiency, marine litter and plastics prevention and reduction, wastewater management and treatment, and biodiversity conservation and restoration.
“The UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system brings special added value to EPPA countries. By taking measures to implement the Convention and its protocols they not only comply with their respective obligations, but this also helps them achieve relevant Sustainable Development Goals and progress towards EU accession,” Ms. Hema noted.
Participants presented the status of implementation of the Barcelona Convention and the three Protocols in the four countries, expressing appreciation for the support received under the EU accession process. The ensuing discussions addressed capacity needs for a synergistic implementation of both the Barcelona Convention and EU-related policies.
The UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat underscored synergies being pursued with the the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and relevant EU instruments and policies.
Cited by Black Sea country representatives, the outcomes of cooperation between the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat with the Black Sea Commission illustrate the benefits of seizing opportunities for synergy in the implementation of regional agreements such as the Bucharest Convention.
Updates on the status of implementation of the Ecosystem Approach Roadmap and the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), including the Roadmap for the preparation of the next 2023 Mediterranean Quality Status Report, fed into the discussion on how the quest for synergies can be pursued.
The workshop recognized that the effective implementation of IMAP, which is crucial for the attainment of Good Environmental Status in the Mediterranean, generates co-benefits for those Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention that are in EU accession phase, notably by helping align their national legal and policy frameworks with relevant obligations deriving from EU legislation.
IMAP was effectively designed to harmonize environmental monitoring methodologies across the basin and ensure coordination with other processes, including compliance with EU legislation for Contracting Parties in Europe. The MSFD is a case in point; UNEP/MAP has woven synergy with the the Directive into the IMAP structure and implementation.
During the workshop, the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat recalled the mandate that the Contracting Parties gave to UNEP/MAP at COP 21 for the preparation of strategic documents and regional measures that will bolster the regional endeavor for healthy marine and coastal ecosystems in the context of sustainable development.
A new push for implementation and compliance with existing obligations under the Convention and its seven Protocols will set the scene for and catalyze sustainability-driven national policies. Pro-sustainability national action under the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols can underpin a post-COVID green renaissance in the Mediterranean region.
