United Nations United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan
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UNITED NATIONS UNEP/MED CC.15/Inf.3 UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN 14 May 2019 Original: English 15th Meeting of the Compliance Committee of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols Athens, Greece, 25-26 June 2019 Agenda item 3: National Implementation Reports for the Biennium 2014-2015: Status of Reporting, Key Findings, Draft Recommendations and Possible Tools to Improve the Assessment Methodology of National Implementation Reports for the Biennium 2016-2017 Updated Synthesis Analysis of the Information Provided in the National Implementation Reports Submitted by Contracting Parties for the Biennium 2014-2015 Note by the Secretariat: This document contains the Updated Synthesis Analysis, which, together with the Updated General Status of Progress (UNEP/MED CC.15/Inf.4), has provided the basis for preparing the key findings and draft recommendations contained in document UNEP/MED CC.15/5 For environmental and cost-saving reasons, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies. UNEP/MAP Athens, 2019 UNEP/MED CC.15/Inf.3 Page 1 Updated Synthesis Analysis of the Information Provided in the National Implementation Reports Submitted by Contracting Parties for the Biennium 2014- 2015 1. Following-up on the conclusions and recommendations of the 14th Meeting of the Compliance Committee (Athens, Greece 27-29 June 2018), the Secretariat has updated the Updated Synthesis Analysis of the information submitted by Contracting Parties in their national implementation reports for the biennium 2014-2015 (UNEP/MED CC.14/5), by incorporating the information contained in the national implementation reports received as at 10 May 2019 as below. 2. The further Updated Synthesis Analysis below provides a factual and comprehensive summary of the information submitted per country and legal instrument. The synthesis analysis itself is purely factual, focuses on the legal and policy implementation aspects and describes what has been reported 3. The summary below is organized per each reporting country by legal instrument and relevant thematic parts for compliance assessment purposes, as structured in the Format for the Implementation of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, adopted by COP15 Decision IG. 17/3. There is variation on the content of the summaries as information submitted vary between reporting countries, ranging from general to detailed descriptions. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) Introduction 4. Part IV Legal Measures. Part IV seeks to determine whether Contracting Parties have established the legal framework to: (1) implement the precautionary principle and the polluter paid principle (Article 4.3.a and b); (2) notification exchange in case of transboundary EIA (Article 4.3.c); (3) promote Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) (Article 4.3.e); (5) monitor the pollution of the marine environment and its coastal areas (Article 12), and (6) ensure public information and participation (Article 15). 5. Part V Policy Measures. Part V seeks to determine whether policy measures have been put in place addressing: (1) domestic strategies for sustainable development, (2) regional strategies adopted in the framework of MAP, (3) Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and physical planning and (4) economic instruments. Reporting countries Country: ALBANIA 1976 Barcelona Convention Accession: 30.05.90 1995 Amendments Acceptance of Amendments: 26.07.01 6. Part IV Legal Measures. Domestic legislation (Law on Environment Protection, Law on Environmental Impact Assessment) is reported to be in place to comply with the requirements under Articles 4, (General Obligations), 12 (Monitoring) and 15 (Public Information and Participation) of the Barcelona Convention. As regards the promotion of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) work is in process. 7. Part V Policy Measures. The protection of the marine environment and its coastal areas is reported to be part of the domestic strategy for sustainable development as well as the protection and conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity. No measures reported to integrate the protection of the marine environment from LBS into the domestic strategy for sustainable development or to promote economic instruments to protect the marine environment. Work is underway as regards the UNEP/MED CC.15/Inf.3 Page 2 use of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) when developing the physical plan of the coastal zone. Country: ALGERIA 1976 Barcelona Convention Accession: 16.02.81 1995 Amendments Acceptance of Amendments: 09.06.04 8. Part IV Legal Measures. Domestic legislation is reported to be in place: (1) to implement the precautionary principle and the polluter paid principle, (2) to carry out the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as required, (3) to promote Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), and (4) to monitor the pollution of the marine environment and its coastal areas. On public information and participation, this section has been left blank. 9. Part V Policy Measures. The protection of the marine environment and its coastal areas is reported to be part of the domestic strategy for sustainable development. Otherwise, sections of this Part have been left blank. Country: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1976 Barcelona Convention Succession: 22.10.94 1995 Amendments Acceptance of Amendments: Not yet 10. Part IV Legal Measures. Domestic legislation is reported to be in place to implement Articles 4, (General Obligations), 12 (Monitoring) and 15 (Public Information and Participation) of the Barcelona Convention, exception made of: (1) promotion of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), (2) public access to information related to activities carried out and/or measures taken to implement the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols and (3) public participation in the process of authorization of proposed activities likely to cause damage to the marine environment and its coastal areas. 11. Part V Policy Measures. The protection of the marine environment and its coastal areas is reported to be part of the Water Management Strategy, which is part of the Environmental Protection Strategy. The Environmental Protection Fund Law the economic instrument used to promote the protection of the marine environment. Otherwise, no action reported having taken under this Part. Country: CROATIA 1976 Barcelona Convention Succession: 12.06.92 1995 Amendments Acceptance of Amendments: 03.05.99 12. Part IV Legal Measures. Detailed account is given of the domestic legislation in place to implement Articles 4, (General Obligations), 12 (Monitoring) and 15 (Public Information and Participation) of the Barcelona Convention. In detail: (1) the precautionary and the polluter paid principles are the heart of the Environmental Protection Act, which is the core legal instrument on environmental protection and basis for all the sectoral legislation (e.g. Air Protection Act, Waste Act, Nature Protection Act, Water Act) that regulates the specific issues of the environmental protection, (2) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Assessment Regulations are in place, (3) a Marine and Coastal Management Strategy has been adopted, encompassing policies of marine environment protection (Marine Strategy Framework Directive-MSFD) as well as integrated management of sea and coastal area (Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol), (4) different monitoring programmes are in place, including the UNEP/MAP MED POL Programme for UNEP/MED CC.15/Inf.3 Page 3 the Assessment and Control of Pollution in the Mediterranean Region, and (4) public participation is regulated by the Regulation on information and participation of the public and public concerned in environmental matters. 13. Part V Policy Measures. It is reported as follows: (1) the protection of the marine environment and its coastal areas is part of the Croatian Strategy for Sustainable Development, (2) the protection of the marine environment from LBS is part of the Croatian Strategy for Sustainable Development. There are also other strategic documents that include measures related to LBS sources of pollution. Such include Marine and Coastal Management Strategy (under development) and the Water Management Strategy, (3) the protection and conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity is part of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection of Biological and Landscape Diversity and (4) some of the acts that proscribe the establishment of economic instruments include: Water Act, Water Management Financing Act on Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. Country: CYPRUS 1976 Barcelona Convention Ratification: 19.11.79 1995 Amendments Acceptance of Amendments: 18.07.03 14. Part IV Legal Measures. Work is reported to be ongoing as regards the application of the precautionary principle and the notification and consultation process among parties concerned in case a transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted. The sections on public access to public access to information related to activities carried out and/or measures taken to implement the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols and public participation in the process of authorization of proposed activities likely to cause damage to the marine environment and its coastal areas have been left blank. Otherwise, domestic legislation is reported to be in