Western Mediterranean Region Marine Oil & HNS Pollution Cooperation

ended

The Project Western Mediterranean Region Marine Oil and HNS Pollution Cooperation (West MOPoCo) will support Algeria, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco (*), Morocco, Spain and Tunisia in strengthening their collaboration and cooperation in the field of preparedness for and response to oil and HNS marine pollution by enhancing the quality and interoperability of their response capacities. The Project will complement existing cooperation frameworks namely the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, the Westmed Maritime Initiative, the 2002 Prevention and Emergency Protocol (Barcelona Convention), the Regional Strategy for Prevention of and Response to Marine Pollution from Ships (2016-2021) and other established multilateral agreements. The Project will be implemented through an inter-regional effort, including participation of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the OSPAR/Bonn Agreement and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), and with the technical support of expert institutions such as the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), the French Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (Cedre) as well as the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). With its proposed pilot approach which could be replicated in other regions and sectors, the Project will increase the countries' preparedness for receiving international assistance, improve trans-border and macro regional cooperation, enhance quality and interoperability of response capacities and procedures and will enhance cooperation between civil protection, maritime and environment administrations. (*)Although Monaco is not an eligible country it will be invited to contribute.