On Thursday, 12 June, DG XI of the European Commission organised a NGOs’ informal consultation meeting, in order to prepare a Short and Medium-term Environmental Priority Action Programme (SMAP) in accordance to the Declaration and Work Programme adopted at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference, held in Barcelona in November 1995. The European Commission is the coordinator of the SMAP. Prof. Michael Scoullos and Dr. Emad Adly represented MIO-ECSDE at the consultation. This was the first of a series of consultations now starting in order to prepare the SMAP which should be adopted by the Euro-Mediterranean Helsinki Conference of Environment Ministers, on 28 November 1997. MIO’s representatives emphasised the need for a much stronger public participation dimension and strengthening of the role of the civil society in the whole priority scheme. They indicated water as the top priority which could also embrace many other issues (such as biodiversity or desertification) and called for coherence with other initiatives and schemes such as the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis supported by GEF and carried out by UNEP/MAP.

ii) Europe’s Environment Commissioner in Greece

During the visit of Mrs Ritt Bjerregaard, Environment Commissioner at the European Commission, in Athens, which took place on Friday 13 June 1997, a meeting with the Environmental NGOs was organised by the Delegation of the European Commission in Greece. MIO-ECSDE was represented and raised the issue of financial support to NGOs particularly those of the Mediterranean. It also raised the question of access of NGOs to Euro-Med projects and put forward the issue of ‘Environmental Education and Public Awareness’. Mrs Bjerregaard promised to draw the attention of the Commission on all these matters.

WWF-International and Greenpeace International circulated a position document regarding general principles for a Mediterranean Fisheries Regime, prepared as a follow-up to a process initiated by the EU three years ago. The document was widely circulated to Mediterranean NGOs who were asked to ‘sign on’. MIO-ECSDE, after consultation with the members of the Executive Bureau, decided to sing the document and support this initiative. MIO-ECSDE is going to introduce a few comments and amendments to the next draft which will be submitted as a joint NGO document to the General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in time for its 22^nd session to be held in Morocco in October 1997. Should you wish to obtain the first version and make any comments, please do not hesitate to contact the MIO-ECSDE Secretariat.

A meeting of Government-designated experts to examine a Strategic Action Programme to address Pollution from Land-Based Activities was held in Ischia, Italy, on 15-18 June 1997. Prof. Michael Scoullos represented MIO-ECSDE. Among the documents presented, three were the most important discussed in length:

• The Draft Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (UNEP(OCA)/MED WG 130/3) which analyses the problems and makes recommendations on sources of pollution, sensitive areas, institution arrangements and public participation. Rough estimates of the budget needed for these actions were also included. This document was used only as background information.
• The Draft Report on Priority Pollution Hot Spots (UNEP(OCA)/MED WG 130/4). A number of 109 Hot Spot areas with major pollution problems of regional importance was compiled based on assessments made by the countries. The relative prioritisation - ranking proposed by the document was not accepted.
• The Draft Strategic Action Programme for LBAs (UNEP(OCA)/MED WG 130/5). MIO-ECSDE has emphasised the need to strengthen the “Participation” component; to reduce and separate its “analytical part” from the action oriented part; to include monitoring and evaluation of the implementation; to include also agricultural inputs. Finally, with the proposal of MIO-ECSDE the Annexes of the document, the only part related to targets and commitments, was decided to be kept.

The amended versions of these documents will be circulated by the UNEP/MAP Secretariat for final comments.