Protocol - rempec

Foreword to the first editionWhen in Barcelona, in June 1995, as part of the revision process of the MediterraneanAction Plan in line with the provisions of UNCED 1992, and in particularthe Agenda 21, the Contracting Parties and the Conference of Plenipotentiarieson the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollutionand its Protocols, adopted the Phase II of MAP for the decade 1996-1995, theyalso decided to promote the regional cooperation for the control of the implementationof the relevant International Conventions for the protection of the marineenvironment from pollution by ships. This decision was followed in 1997 by theadoption of the regional strategy on the prevention of pollution from ships in theMediterranean, which led to the start of the revision of the Emergency Protocol.This process was eventually completed on 25 January 2002 when a Conferenceof Plenipotentiaries, convened in Malta by UNEP/MAP, adopted the new “Protocolconcerning cooperation in preventing pollution from ships and, in cases of emergency,in combating pollution of the Mediterranean Sea”.Once the new Protocol comes into force, it will replace the previous one, andrepresent the legal basis on which the Mediterranean coastal States Parties to theBarcelona Convention and REMPEC will develop a new global strategy for a betterprotection of the Mediterranean Sea.In fact, it is now expected that the translation of the new Protocol into practicalactions will significantly reduce pollution from maritime-transport-related activities.The objectives and functions of REMPEC have also been amended and updatedto reflect the extension of its mandate.It is a new challenge for the Mediterranean region, but it is not an easy task to becarried out, since the implementation of the new Prevention Protocol involvessolving not only technical and financial problems, but also difficulties related todifference in priority setting in the coastal States partly due to their economic diversities.Indeed the success of these efforts will depend on the enhancement ofco-operation and the reinforcement of a regional attitude, also making use of existingregional mechanisms, such as Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which cansignificantly facilitate this process.However, the experience gained by the Centre, as well as by the Parties to theBarcelona Convention and by MAP itself, since REMPEC was created 27 yearsago will definitely help the region in the implementation process of the new Protocol.Rear Admiral Roberto PatrunoDirector, REMPEC8