United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) COP18 Outcomes of the Barcelona Convention relevant to the MSFD / Ecosystem Approach in the Mediterranean MSCG, 11 February 2014 Maria Luisa Silva Mejias Executive Secretary and Coordinator United Nations Environment Programme Barcelona Convention Secretariat www.unepmap.org

COP18 Key Substantive Outcomes Adoption of a Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter; Definitions of Good Environmental Status (GES) and concrete targets for 11 EOs aaloined with MSFD but adding coastal issues; Strengthened cooperation with partners (UfM, IUCN); Measures to enhance the protection and conservation of species and habitats; Extending the power of initiative to the Compliance Committee – submissions from civil society; timeline to revise the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) in line with global developments; an Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) to be prepared by next COP. Ministerial discussion on urban impacts on coastal and marine environment the adoption of a Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter - the first of its kind in a Regional Seas Convention; definitions of Good Environmental Status (GES) and concrete targets to reach the 11 Ecological Objectives for the application of the Ecosystems Approach; further strengthened cooperation with partners including two concrete agreements with the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and with the IUCN; measures to enhance the protection and conservation of species and habitats, including Monk Seals and Marine Turtles, and in particular protection for the first time of dark cave habitats and specifically Corals; further extending the power of initiative to the Compliance Committee which the facto opens to the participation of civil society in the compliance system; A timeline to revise the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) in line with global developments as well as an Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) to be prepared by next COP. The population from Mediterranean countries concentrated in the shorelines grew from 95 million inhabitants in 1979 to 155 million in 2010, with most of this population living in cities. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2010 there were 15 Mediterranean coastal cities with more than 1 million inhabitants and 11 with more than half a million representing a total of almost 50 million people living in large cities along the Mediterranean coast.

COP18 Key Financial and Institutional Outcomes institutional reforms: establishing the structure and staffing of the Barcelona Convention Secretariat, changes in the funding to RACs and restructuring the REMPEC the elaboration of a new Mid-Term Strategy (2016-2021) aligned with EcAp and launching the process of a possible MAP III Financial recovery two years before planned From a financial perspective, Parties welcomed the end of the MTF deficit two years before planned and agreed on a gradual establishment of a working capital reserve over the next two years; changes in the funding to RACs and restructuring the REMPEC Center while keeping its international status under IMO administration in Malta; and, establishing the structure and staffing of the Barcelona Convention Secretariat. Financial Regulations, Rules and Procedures in line with art. 24.2 of the Convention were adopted; agreement was reached to gradually update the level of assessed contributions to the fund in line with the UN GA agreed scale of assessment by 50% in 2015 and in full by 2016 thus accommodating significant changes in capacity to pay by parties since 1983 when the levels were frozen. Progress also happened regarding institutional reforms, which should continue this biennium with the decisions to reform the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) in line with global developments; the launching of the process of a possible MAP III starting with the assessment of the current one; the evaluation of the current Mid-Term Strategy (2010-2014) and elaboration of a new one for submission to Contracting Parties in 2015; new Terms of Reference for the Bureau of Contracting Parties with a clearer mandate and more detailed procedures;

EcAp COP Decision/Milestones Sets targets, indicators and GES descriptions for the region, in order to reach the 11 Ecological Objectives Sets out a clear timeline for Parties and the Secretariat on how to reach an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme by COP19 in December 2015; Foresees Assessment Fact Sheets to be developed by 2015 in areas more mature and a Second State of Environment Report by 2017; Mandates the Secretariat to conclude an Analysis of existing measures to implement the Ecosystems Approach in the Mediterranean (including a socio-economic part of the analysis).

Future EcAp Timeline Aim by 2015: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Assessment Fact Sheets, Measures gap analysis Feb 2014 - CORGEST group to agree on common indicators; March 2014 - Sec to prepare Monitoring and Assessment Guidelines as basis of CORMON discussions; April-June 2014 - first round of CORMON group discussions (to be followed by two more rounds by mid 2015); Jan 2015 - Secretariat to prepare Measures Gap Analysis Jan 2015 - Secretariat to prepare Assessment Fact Sheets Mid-2015 - EcAp Coordination Group to endorse Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme/discuss gap analysis By December 2014 - Monitoring and assessment country capacities are assessed by the Secretariat, as well as UNEP-MAP capacity gaps identified

Specific Links with MSFD Implementation/Challenges Timeline and implementation challenges, common aims but different background and capacities EcAp MED fully follows principles and approach of the MSFD; COP 18 agreed Integrated list of GES/Targets/Indicators and EOs are fully in line with MSFD; Common indicators of Barcelona Convention, can help to trigger coherence in the approach of the countries in the MED; Timeline is a challenge, especially for monitoring, but next cycle may be already more in line; On Measures Barcelona Convention may provide good basis for regional measures, but their coherence with EcAp/MSFD need to be further elaborated (key outcome for 2015 the gap analysis of the Secretariat on this topic). Capacity differences between EU and non-EU countries are a huge challenge, which need to be addressed specifically for the implementation of the integrated monitoring programme from 2016 on.

Pollution related Decision (EO 10) Other MSFD relevant COP18 Decisions Pollution related Decision (EO 10) Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean in the Framework of Article 15 of the Land Based Sources Protocol Offshore related Decision (EO 6) Follow up actions regarding the Offshore Protocol Action Plan

Biodiversity related Decisions (EOs 1, 2, 3 & 4) Other MSFD relevant COP18 Decisions Biodiversity related Decisions (EOs 1, 2, 3 & 4) Action Plans under the Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity Protocol including Monk Seal, Marine Turtles, Birds, Cartilaginous Fishes, and Dark Habitats Identification and Conservation of sites of particular ecological interest in the Mediterranean Amendments of the Annexes II and III to the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean

The Vision “A healthy Mediterranean with marine and coastal ecosystems that are productive and biologically diverse for the benefit of present and future generations”

United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan Barcelona Convention www.unepmap.org