24. April, 2025
The Barcelona Convention, officially known as the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution, is a regional treaty adopted in 1976 to reduce and prevent pollution in the Mediterranean Sea from ships, land-based sources, and offshore activities. It represents a cooperative effort among Mediterranean countries and the EU to safeguard the marine environment through coordinated policies, sustainable development, and environmental monitoring.
Since December 2023, under Slovenian presidency, the Convention adopted an ambitious work programme for 2024–2025 and the Portorož Declaration, focusing on Mediterranean protection and climate resilience. Among the most important initiatives was the establishment of cooperation between the implementation of the programmes of the Danube River Protection Convention, the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution and the Barcelona Convention and the establishment of regional and sub-regional synergies to improve the health of the large marine ecosystem.

To achieve this goal, of the essence was successful coordination of the programmes of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River ICPDR, the Black Sea Commission and the UNEP/MAP Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention.

„Within our work, we have been using the results of the Barcelona Convention to build on our activities under the EUSAIR, especially in the areas of the Contingency Plan Adriatic, the Network of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas, and efforts to increase the resilience of river basins and coasts through the integrated implementation of River Basin, Coastal and Marine Management“, explains Mitja Bricelj, EUSAIR’s Pillar 3 coordinator.

With the significant EUSAIR Youth Council involvement the EUSAIR thematic workshop „Accelerating Climate Change Adaptation“ was held in Corfu, Greece on 7th and 8th of April. During the EUSAIR Forum in Georgioupolis on Crete, Pillar 3 expects further reinforcing of regional collaboration to tackle climate challenges by organizing a workshop under the title „Protection of the Marine Environment through the Legal Framework and Accelerating Actions“.