16TH INTER-SECRETARIAT MEETING BETWEEN REGIONAL AGREEMENT SECRETARIATSIS HELD IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) explores the establishment of synergies and cooperation in the field of prevention for and response to marine pollution from ships, with Regional Agreement Secretariats (Bonn Agreement, Copenhagen Agreement, Lisbon Agreement, HELCOM), the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), during the 16th Inter-Secretariat meeting held on 5 February, in Brussels.

 

The ongoing development of the Inter-regional HNS Response Manual, in cooperation with the Bonn Agreement, HELCOM and REMPEC, in the framework of the EU-funded West MOPoCo Project, resulting from discussions held within previous Inter-Secretariat Meetings, is a concrete example of a collaborative approach to address common challenges and goals.

 

Building on ongoing developments within Regional Agreements, DG ECHO and EMSA, potential areas of cooperation and best practices were addressed and presented during the meeting, including pollution reporting format, exercise planning and assessment, the use of the Manual and Tool to Evaluate Oil Spill Management Capabilities (RETOS), the implementation of the Road Map for a Proposal for the Possible Designation of the Mediterranean Sea, as a whole, as a SOx ECA, within the Framework of the Barcelona Convention, as well as the preparation of the Post-2021 Mediterranean Strategy for Prevention of and Response to Marine Pollution from Ships.