Gearing up for exploration of hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea, the governments of Cyprus, Greece and Israel reached an agreement on 13 May to protect the environment from possible oil pollution.
Cyprus’ Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Nicos Kouyialis, Greece’s Environment,EnergyandClimate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis and Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz agreed for a tripartite co-operation agreement on the protection of the environment to move ahead the soonest possible, with the aim of it being signed by June, focusing on coastal research and the extraction of hydrocarbons and oil pollution.
Kouyialis, Maniatis and Peretz met on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting for the Environment and Climate change within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, which took place in Athens on 13 May, and in which over 40 Ministers and representatives from Mediterranean countries took place.
Cyprus, Greece and Israel agreed to promote co-operation, inter alia, in the fields of readiness and response of serious marine pollution of the Mediterranean sea from hydrocarbons extraction, including joint drills, the implementation of measures in all sectors for the protection of the environment and of sustainable development, the promotion of Green and Blue Economy and Sustainable Consumption and Production.
They also agreed to support the co-operation between public and private actors in the field of the environment, the exploitation of funding opportunities through international organisations and European resources, the combating desertification and climate change and biodiversity and nature conservation.
During the meeting, the ministers discussed a series of issues, including the decontamination of the Mediterranean from pollution that comes from inadequate treatment of domestic and industrial waste, and the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/cyprus-greece-israel-vow-protect-mediterranean