The Mediterranean Sea suffers many environmental damage that affects its biodiversity in the long term but also human health. Penal policy priority, the protection of the environment, and in particular the preservation of the Mediterranean Sea, is a daily challenge for future generations. It is within this framework that was held in Toulon, France, on 4 and 5 July 2019, the symposium “Environmental Protection in the Mediterranean Sea“, organized by Mr. Robert Gelli, Attorney General at the Court Aix-en-Provence, in partnership with the Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean and the General Secretariat for the Sea.
Many issues, such as marine pollution, marine protected areas, air pollution from ships, plastic waste, etc., have been addressed from a legal perspective. Opened by the Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, the conference brought together the highest representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Maritime Prefecture involved in the protection of the Mediterranean. François De Rugy, Minister of State, Minister of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition concluded these two day of exchanges between specialists of the law and / or the environment.
Elen Lemaitre-Curri, director of Plan Bleu, participated in this symposium to represent the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC). She spoke at the round table “Oil Pollution” during which she presented Menelas, the Mediterranean Network of Law Enforcement Officials relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) under the Barcelona Convention. The purpose of this network, created in 2013, is to facilitate cooperation between its members with a view to the effective application of the international regulations on marine discharges by ships, as stipulated in the MARPOL Convention. To date, 19 Mediterranean coastal states and the European Union have appointed their designated representatives within the network.
