The Programme for the Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean (MED POL) is the first MAP operational programme.
Established in 1975, MED POL aims to assist Mediterranean countries in the implementation of three major protocols of the Barcelona Convention, namely the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources, the Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft and the Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
MED POL mandate
The MED POL mandate covers the following areas:
- Assessment of status and trends in the quality of the marine and coastal environment;
- Promotion of policy reforms for the implementation of national action plans, including programmes and measures for the reduction and gradual elimination of pollution;
- Catalyzing and facilitating the the completion of the pollution reduction actions listed in National Action Plans (NAPs);
- Regular assessment of loads of pollution reaching the Mediterranean and the determination of trends in coastal areas, including pollution hot spots;
- Collection, analysis and dissemination of data and information on pressures and on the state of the marine and coastal environment;
- Capacity building and technical assistance to support the Contracting Parties in the aforementioned areas.
Activities
To deliver its mandate, MED POL implements several regional, sub-regional and national activities in the framework of the MAP Programme of Work (PoW). This includes pollution monitoring and assessment in line with Article 12 of the Barcelona Convention, and Articles 8 and 13 of the LBS Protocol.
MED POL is responsible for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) for the Pollution and Litter and Noise clusters. Therefore, its work focuses on the development of necessary guidelines and tools to enable the integrated assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) at appropriate levels.
At the regional level
MED POL supports the Contracting Parties in the formulation and implementation of pollution control and prevention policies as well as regulatory measures. MED POL also undertakes regular activities to promote capacity building and provide technical assistance on monitoring and assessment, implementation and enforcement.
The development of legally binding regional measures, known as Regional Plans, constitutes an important aspect of MED POL’s work in line with Article 15 of the LBS Protocol. The Regional Plans are assorted with timetables for their implementation. Thus far the Contracting Parties have adopted ten (10) Regional Plans addressing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), wastewater, the food sector and marine litter. The development and update of three Regional Plans is underway.
At the national level
Recent MED POL achievements include the National Action Plans, first developed in 2003-2005, and substantively updated in 2015-2016 to include commitments to necessary pollution reduction and prevention measures and elimination of marine pollution from land-based sources as well as the achievement of GES. MED POL supports the implementation of National Action Plans by the Contracting Parties.
Recent products
Recent MED POL products include:
- Updated Guidelines Regulating the Placement of Artificial Reefs at Sea
- Guide on the Selection of Best Available Techniques (BAT) in Industrial Installations
- Guide on Inspection of Industrial Facilities
- Updated Guidelines on Management of Dredged Materials
- Contribution to the Joint EEA-UNEP/MAP Horizon 2020 Report with regard to Industrial Emissions
- Contributions to MED QSR 2017
- Midterm evaluation of implementation of the Regional Plans (2019)
