As an executive partner of the EcApMEDII project (2014-2019), Plan Bleu attended on 4th December 2019 in Napoli, a side-event on the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (EcAp) within the frame of the CoP 21 Barcelona Convention.
The session has been opened by Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the Barcelona Convention and Daniel Calleja Crespo, General Director of DG ENV (European Commission).
The side event highlighted the crucial need to support implementing and achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) through IMAP – Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (Decision of CoP19) and Science Policy-Interface strengthening.
It has been reminded that:
- Ecosystem Approach (EcAp) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) are extremely important for Contracting Parties member of the EU and the ones non EU for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea.
- It is a crucial need to be ambitious, connect with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthen a systemic approach and coordinate the huge amount of data produced.
In that perspective, the European Union is looking for concrete actions to be implemented in a new phase, especially the need to deliver high quality of data by 2023 to further support Barcelona Convention to reach GES as well as to deliver a global and integrated marine assessment.
