First Meeting of the National Competent Authorities for the Development of the Sub-regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan (SCP) between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece

At the 6th Cyprus- Egypt-Greece Trilateral Summit (Elounda, Crete, 10 October 2018), where a Joint Declaration by Cyprus, Egypt and Greece was adopted, the Heads of State and Government expressed their determination to proceed promptly with, inter alia, the elaboration and implementation of a Sub – Regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan (SCP) for the preparedness and response to accidental marine pollution in the framework of the Barcelona Convention. In this context, the support of REMPEC was officially requested through the UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan-Barcelona Convention Secretariat.

The First meeting of the national competent authorities for the development of the Sub-regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece (Piraeus, Greece, 9 -10 October 2019), marked the launch of this ambitious project aiming at the adoption of the sub-regional contingency plan in 2020.

The General Director for Shipping from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, and the Coordinator of the UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan-Barcelona Convention Secretariat opened the meeting emphasising the importance of this initiative which will further strengthen the capacity of the Mediterranean coastal States to response jointly to marine pollution incident, and will complement seven (7) similar sub-regional contingency plans in place in the region.

Officials from the three countries examined the first draft sub-regional contingency plan prepared by REMPEC and agreed on the following steps toward the completion of the plan, its annexes and the related agreement, as well as a programme of activities for its implementation. The Second Meeting of the National Competent Authorities for the Development of the Sub-regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan (SCP) between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece will be held in Cyprus, in November 2019.