The XIV Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, the highest decision-making body of the Convention, which is held every two years, closes today in Portoroz, Slovenia.

The Barcelona Convention, which was amended in 1995, was renamed the “Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean”, took protection beyond the sea, to the coastal region, and is currently associated with up to six protocols, of which four have already entered into force (they regulate various matters and activities to prevent deterioration and improve the environmental conditions of the Mediterranean Sea and its coastal region). In addition, over the years, two major programmes have been put into operation, MEDPOL, for the control and monitoring of marine pollution, and the one developed by the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development, which has resulted in the drafting of a Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, which will be presented at this Conference for approval by the Parties.

As a demonstration of the concern and high interest of the Spanish Government in the conservation of the Mediterranean and its coastal region, Spain will make the offer at this conference to host the next Meeting of the Contracting Parties to be held in 2007.