Final and crucial meeting of the WG on ICZM Protocol

The Working Group on ICZM Protocol will gather for the fourth time, this time in Split on June 13-16, 2007. The experts will have a crucial task this time, as the sincere intention of the meeting is to finalise the draft text of the Protocol. This means that they should finalise the text with as less ‘open wordings' as possible. They are expected to continue their work on reviewing and drafting the final version of the Protocol. In particular, the WG should discuss and try to find consensus on the still open articles. Only in this way the adoption of the Protocol envisaged for the end of this year would have enough chances to be adopted by the Mediterranean countries and the EU. However, this is also one of the main commitments of the CPs from the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD), adopted in Portoroz, Slovenia in November, 2005, and the adoption of the Protocol would be a very concrete achievement of the MSSD.

This year PAP/RAC is celebrating its 30 years of existence in the MAP family. On the occasion of the Split meeting a side event will be organised to celebrate this jubilee. And in this context, the adoption of the ICZM Protocol later this year would mean a particular ‘gift' to PAP/RAC for its endeavours to better manage the coastal zones of the region.