The role of the European Union in the protection and conservation of the Mediteranean Sea with reference to some legal and strategic documents

Abstract

The European Union has, in the protection and conservation of the marine environment in total and particularly in the protection of the Mediterranean Sea, interwoven many documents, strategic instruments, initiatives and action plans. However, this has continued to remain a delicate area exposed to various forms of contamination and pressures. The reasons for the still unsatisfactory efficiency in the protection and conservation of the Mediterranean Sea are many and complex. Besides the economic, political and other differences in coastal states and the problem of limited financial sources, one should in particular emphasise the ever low political priority that the environment has and the insufficient public awareness of the problem of environmental protection in certain states. For the threat to and deterioration of the Mediterranean, the policies of certain states cannot be held responsible, nor can protection be achieved by the action of only some. All this suggests that it is necessary to further enrich the European ecological network of protecting and conserving the Mediterranean. This is in particular when it concerns the strategic and political models of partnerships and good neighbour relations with states outside of the European Union so that we do not one day, through our lack of interest, cause irreparable harm.