APPEAL from Mediterranean environmental NGOs
addressed to the Barcelona VII Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Luxemburg, 30-31 May) and the EuroMediterranean Heads of Government Summit (Barcelona, November 2005)

We, the Mediterranean environmental non-governmental organizations, a significant component of Mediterranean civil society grouped under the major environmental NGO networks comprising the Comité de Suivi, and focusing on the EuroMediterranean Partnership (EMP), the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and active partners in the work of its Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development (MCSD), make the following appeal, for which we invite support from other NGOs:

1. DEMONSTRATING POLITICAL WILL TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

The EuroMediterranean Summit in Barcelona in November 2005 should endorse the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) as the vehicle to achieving sustainable development in the Mediterranean region, subsequent to its adoption by environment ministers within the 14th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (November 8-11). Such an endorsement would be in accordance with the conclusions of the 2nd Conference of EuroMediterranean Ministers of the Environment (Athens 2002), assumed by the presidency conclusions of the Barcelona VI Conference of EuroMediterranean Foreign Ministers. Heads of state should ensure that the necessary financial means are made available for its implementation.

Accordingly,

• All EuroMediterranean Partnership programmes, policies, Association Agreements and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plans, in addition to South-South bilateral agreements, should be reviewed and where necessary adjusted in the light of the MSSD. Mandatory regular reports must be submitted by all the EMP sectoral fora (energy, water, transport etc), other EMP bodies and the European Neighbourhood Policy, to demonstrate how they are incorporating sustainability issues into their work and responding to the challenges of the MSSD. These reports should be reviewed regularly by the Barcelona Committee of senior officials, and subsequently by joint annual meetings of EuroMed. Foreign and Environment ministers.
  
  
• MEDA, EIB and FEMIP operations and those of the proposed European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument should fully take into account the MSSD, with the disbursement of funds in the region being dependent upon their contribution to sustainable development (eco-conditionality).
  
  
• EMP partner states should formally commit their respective countries to integrate sustainable development throughout their policies, reflecting the main principles of MSSD, and develop necessary capacity for implementation.

Consequently, the Barcelona VII Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Luxemburg, 30-31 May should ensure

• Full cooperation, provision of information and support be provided to facilitate the completion of the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) of the EMFTA
  
  
• Within this commitment to sustainability, that the EuroMediterranean Partnership strengthens its social and environmental pillar at Barcelona VII by announcing its collective determination to achieve all the UN Millennium Development Goals within the region by 2015, and meet the basic needs of its population in a spirit of solidarity, by establishing a regional structure or programme to facilitate their implementation at national level. The EMP should adopt a timebound regional goal for full eradication of poverty to be formally endorsed by the Heads of Government. The EMP should also adopt sustainable solutions to issues relating to migration and minorities.
  
  
• A gender mainstreaming approach be applied throughout the Partnership, to reflect commitments already assumed by all Partnership states under UN Conventions and Action Plans, as well those assumed by EU Partners under EU legal instruments, and by certain Partner states under the Commonwealth and African Union Gender Action Plans.
  
  
• Education for Sustainable Development becomes a central feature of the EMP. Since most Partners have already adopted the UN ECE Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development (March 2005) we urge those who have not adopted the Strategy to do so and collectively develop a regional instrument derived from its principles.
  
  2. STRENGTHENING MEDITERRANEAN INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATION

One of the essential requirements for launching sustainable development in the region and successfully implementing the MSSD resides in improved co-ordination between the EMP and the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, which services the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, and is advised by the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development.

Accordingly,

• Future co-operation and working relations between the EMP, the European Commission and the Mediterranean Action Plan should be defined at Barcelona VII, in full recognition of MAP’s international status and functions. A protocol should subsequently be elaborated to facilitate this collaboration and be endorsed by the Heads of Government summit in Barcelona. Similar co-operation schemes should follow to maximise synergies of EMP activities with those of other international organisations active in the region, such as the Arab League, regional UN organisations etc.

3. ENHANCING THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN EMP

Genuine civil society participation must become an integral part of all the activities of the EMP.

Accordingly,

• Based on good governance principles, a formal consultation process should be approved by the Summit to enable Mediterranean civil society networks to submit presentations and comments to and be assured of their full consideration by, the Barcelona Committee, the EIB/ FEMIP management, MEDA, the proposed European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument and the sectoral EMP fora. Civil society, and NGOs in particular, should be consulted in the conception, implementation and revision of national and regional indicative programmes (NIPs and RIPs) as well as European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans.
  
  
• EuroMediterranean countries that have not done so should be invited to sign and ratify the Aarhus Convention.
  
  
• The participation of civil society should be further encouraged by creating an independent MEDA/ENPI budget line, with the aim of providing capacity building for all Mediterranean NGOs, especially from the south and east of the Mediterranean, to become active in the EMP.
  

4. MAINSTREAMING MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS WITHIN THE EMP

Sustainable development in the region also depends on the full implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements by their Mediterranean contracting parties.

Accordingly,

• Given the recent entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and the actual and predicted negative impacts of climate change on the Mediterranean basin, the Barcelona VII Conference should formally launch a regional climate change strategy, dealing with both mitigation and adaptation, to be developed by EMP in co-operation with MAP.
  
  
• The EMP should facilitate implementation of other MEA’s by Partners that have ratified these instruments. The provisions of the future EMFTA should be designed to accommodate regional contracting parties’ obligations under these agreements and ensure that measures to operationalise EMFTA do not contradict them.

ENDORSED BY

Abou Mosieh	Rania	Association for Forest Development and Conservation Lebanon
Abrougu	Mohamed Ali	Association Tunisienne pour la Protection de la Nature et de l’Environnement
Al nouri	Osama	The Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife-SSCW
Aliewi	Amjad	House of Water and Environment Palestine
Atallah-augè	Mireille	Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon
Attard	Denise	Ceratonia Foundation , Malta
Baccouche	Aissa	Association pour laProtection del’Environnement de l’Ariana Tunisie
Baroud el khoury	Dunia	Women’s Association of Deir El Ahmar Lebanon
Bazaca	Elvira	Athens Environmental Foundation
Bou Ganem	Monir	Association for Forest Development and Conservation Lebanon
Bromberg	Gidon	EcoPeace/FoEME
Caric	Hrvoje	ODRAZ-Sustainable Development of Communities Croatia
Castejon	Aranzazu	Funndacion IPADE Spain
Clancy	Eugene	FOEE Mednet
Costi	Andrea	UIL Trade Union-Rome-Italy
Diamantidou	Domna	Athens Environmental Found, Greece
Di Felice	Giosella	Forum per la Laguna-Italy
Eleftheriadis	Eleftherios	European Geography Association, egea Mytilene
Ermis	Emre Murat	TEMA Foundation Turkey
Fadila	Raed	Link to the environment Israel
Fasciolo	Dante	Movimento Azzurro Italy
Filippini	Rosa	Amici della Terra-Rome, Italy
Gelle	Anne	Les Amis de la Terre France
Grifols	Maria Antonia	Fundaciò EcoMediterrania , Spain
Hemingway	Sandy	Amigos de la Tierra(FoE Spain)
Ibrahim	Magdi	Enda Maghreb Morocco
Labidi	Wahid	Arab Scouts, Tunisia
Lombardi	Paolo	WWF MedPo. Rome
Madueno	Rafael	MED forum Spain
Manarious	George	FOE ME-Palestine
Maroufi	Abdelghani	Club Marocain D’Education-Morocco
Mastino	Giovanni	Amici della Terra-FoE italy
Mimi	Achene	Comitè 21-Algeria
Moncada	Stefano	FoE-Malta
Nada	Essam	RAED-Egypt
Naji	Omar	FUED-Morocco
Palomba	Laura	CISL-Rome-Italy
Papay	Nir	SPNI-Israel
Pavlidou	Loukia	Cyprus-FoE
Radiconcini	Laura	Amici della Terra-FoE Italy
Radosevic	Milena	Green Istria-Croatia
Roniontes	Anastasia	MIO.ECSDE, Athens
Sanchez Arenas	Francisco	Coordinadora de organizaciones de agricultores y ganaderos, Spain
Hontelez	John	European Environmental Bureau, Bruxelles
Scoullos	Michael	MIO.ECSDE, Athens
Simonetta	Jacopo	Amici della terra (versilia), FoE Italy
Skala	Nenad	Zelena Akcija , Croatia
Tidy	Henry	FoE France
Venneri	Sebastiano	Legambiente-Rome , Italy
Vicario	Lorenzo	Legambiente-Italy
Walker-Leigh	Vanya	Nature trust, Malta
Yaker	Farid	Enda Europe, Paris
Zekovic	Lidija	Green Home , Montenegro

END