On Tuesday, 8 May, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel have signed the Implementation Agreement on the Sub-Regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan. The objective of the Plan is an effective reaction to spills and to facilitate the co-operation among the three countries in the field of oil pollution preparedness and response. The Heads of State and Government Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus; Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic; and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, who were meeting in Nicosia for their Fourth Trilateral Summit, were present at the signing ceremony. Mr. Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the UN Environment / Mediterranean Action Plan, who attended the signing ceremony, noted his appreciation of this important development of sub-regional cooperation in the context of the UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)-Barcelona Convention, which is dedicated to continuing to provide support, building capacity to respond to oil spills, and sharing the experiences and lessons learned across the Mediterranean region. The Sub-Regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel has been prepared in the framework of the MAP-Barcelona Convention system with the leadership and support of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC).
More details on the Agreement are available at: http://web.unep.org/unepmap/implementation-agreement-sub-regional-marine-oil-pollution-contingency-plan-signed-cyprus-greece-and
