Speech by the Hon. Dr. Francis Zammit Dimech, Minister for the Environment, at the 1st Preparatory Meeting of Experts for the 2nd Euro-Med Ministerial Conference on the Environment - The EuroMed process and sustainable development

Madame Chairperson,

It is indeed a pleasure to address this gathering in my own country. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Elisabeth Mann Borgese, founder and honorary president of the International Ocean Institute, which has its headquarters in Malta.

Professor Mann Borghese will be remembered for her untiring contribution in promoting the oceans as the common good of humankind. Professor Mann Borghese organised the first Pacem in Maribus Conference in Malta in 1970 which attracted some of the best minds in the world. She also worked closely with Malta’s first ambassador to the United Nations, Dr Arvid Pardo who prompted the idea that the conservation and the proper use of the reasources of the sea and the seabed be declared as the Common Heritage of Mankind. Arvid Pardo, is considered to be the "father of the new law of the sea" which formed the basis of the constitution of the oceans.

Professor Mann Borgese outstanding contribution for the common good of mankind helped in formulating the concept of sustainable development which is a hallmark of current environmental policy.

Malta has both a European and a Mediterranean identity. It has thus always considered as fundamental to its national and foreign policy these two pillars which reflect Malta’s place in history and in geography. For us in Malta, the Mediterranean is more than just a geographic expression. It is our main life source. Our location in the centre of the Mediterranean gives us a political and regional relevance much bigger than our size.

In 1995, in Barcelona, the European Union and twelve Mediterranean countries drew up a Declaration aimed at promoting regional integration through partnership. This Declaration’s overall objective is to contribute through enhanced and regular dialogue, free trade and co-operation, and to guarantee peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Accordingly, the EuroMed Process encompasses three different aspects:

• a strengthened political dialogue;
• the development of economic and financial co-operation;
• greater emphasis on the social, cultural and human dimension.

The main aim of the EuroMed Process is to turn the Mediterranean basin into an area of dialogue, exchange and co-operation. It endeavors to reach its targets through the strengthening of democracy, respect for human and social rights, the rule of law, good governance and sustainable economic and social development. It is our shared responsibility to pursue this course and reap as much benefit as we can, in order to foster peace and stability in our region.

Sustainable Development is of vital importance in the Mediterranean context. The Mediterranean Sea is the most crowded sea, the sea which is subject to the most intensive use. Through the Mediterranean Sea, with an area less than one per cent of the total area covered by the world’s oceans, originate about 30 % of the international sea-borne trade volume. It is estimated that around 50% of all goods carried are to be considered hazardous to some degrre. It is also estimated that about 28% of the world’s sea-borne oil traffic transit the Mediterranean Sea. It is of vital importance to the economy of all littoral states that environmental emergencies, such as oil pollution accidents, have the potential to totally handicap the economic and development prospects of the States in the vicinity.

It is for this reason that Mediterranean countries have been pro-active on the international front. They have all recognised that environmental threats to the Mediterranean Sea cannot be faced and cannot be solved by single States acting alone. Common problems need common solutions although local action often remains the best manner of implementing global solutions. However, recent Mediterranean agreements, such as the newly negotiated SPA Protocol to the Barcelona Convention have introduced the basis for State co-operation in the administration of Specially Protected Areas which fall within the territorial waters of more than one littoral state. The sustainable development objective and its environmental dimension have been fully integrated in the new Euro-Mediterranean Partnership texts.

Participants at the Barcelona Conference emphasised their interdependence with regard to environment, the need for a regional approach, increased co-operation, and better co-ordination of existing multilateral programmes. They recognised the importance of reconciling economic development with environmental protection, of integrating environmental concerns into the relevant aspects of economic policy and of mitigating the negative environmental consequences which might result. They confirmed their attachment to the Barcelona Convention and the Mediterranean Action Plan.

The European Commission was entrusted in the Barcelona Declaration with the coordination of the preparation of a Short and Medium-term Priority Environmental Action Programme (SMAP). This programme was adopted by the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment, held in Helsinki on 28 November 1997. This process is expressly designed to create linkages by having people meet regularly, getting to know one another and build personal relationships. By creating a culture of dialogue, we would at the same time, be creating the right background within which specific issues could be tackled and dealt with more effectively.

Creating a network enhances the cross-fertilization of ideas and increases the awareness of our needs, aspirations and perceptions. Effective networking should lead to the further development of the sharing of good practices, of practical programmes, and the setting up of bilateral and multilateral agreements between nations in the Mediterranean basin and between the European Union and its Mediterranean partners.

Your participation in this Preparatory Meeting is for the 2^nd Euro Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment which will be held in Greece later this year. Your participation will also be the basis for the EuroMed input to the World Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held in Johannesburg later this year.

Malta has made important progress during the last few years in the field of the environment. Sustainable development has been established as a goal for the government, and our Parliament has enacted laws to this effect. Environment is rapidly becoming a key issue in Malta. We face numerous problems resulting both from a high population density, one of the highest in the world, and from lack of available land. The Environment Protection Act, 2001 provides for the setting up of the National Commission for Sustainable Development, appointed and chaired by the Prime Minister and co-chaired by the Minister for the Environment. This Commission has the following objectives:

• To review how far sustainable development is being achieved in Malta in all relevant fields, and identify any relevant processes or policies which may be undermining this;
• To identify important unsustainable trends which will not be reversed on the basis of current or planned action, and recommend action to reverse the trends;
• To deepen understanding of the concept of sustainable development, increase awareness of the issues it raises, and build agreement on them;
• To encourage and stimulate good practice in the use and management of natural resources.

Membership in the Commission is representative of both Government and civil society with appointees from Ministries and departments, public bodies, political parties, Non-Governmental Organisations, business and other interest groups representing different sectors of society. Sub-committees may be appointed to examine specific issues.

Maltese law also provides for the possibility of Strategic Environmental Assessment, which can broadly be defined as an assessment of all policies in terms of their sustainability. This is another important goal in the journey towards sustainable development.

NGOs have also made an important contribution in putting the environment on the political agenda. As SMAP correspondents, you represent the voice of your respective countries’ citizens. A recent survey confirms that the vast majority of the citizens of the EU and candidate countries regard the protection of the environment as a priority area for Community action. Therefore we have to work together, because - to paraphrase the title of the 6^th Environment Action Programme - having a better environment is "OUR FUTURE and OUR CHOICE".

I wish you all a productive and inspiring debate on all these issues.