The ministers of 42 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), including Croatia, agreed on Tuesday to intensify cooperation in governance in the Mediterranean to protect the sea and coastal areas from growing pollution, the Barcelona-based organization has said.

The member states adopted a new declaration on a “blue economy”, six years after adopting the first such document dedicated to harmonizing policies in sectors such as transport, tourism and fisheries. They announced promoting low-emission technologies, turning to environmentally sustainable tourism, more actively dealing with marine litter and carefully monitoring economic activities.

“Today, countries of the Union for the Mediterranean agreed to the transition to a truly sustainable blue economy, as part of our strategy to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to tackle the serious impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. This is a key step towards sustainable management of the Mediterranean — our common sea — and a contribution to the ambitions of the European Green Deal,” said the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius during the meeting held by video link.

The Union for the Mediterranean was established in 2008, bringing together all 27 members states of the European Union and 15 countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. It promotes dialogue, cooperation and integration.

“The Mediterranean region is the world’s leading tourism destination. Representing the first blue economy sector for income and job creation in the sea basin, tourism is also a driving force for young entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ growth. However, this sector has been highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The region is also highly exposed to climate change, warming 20% ​​faster than the world average, with visible impacts on the marine environment. This will continue unless further mitigation and adaptation measures are undertaken to reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the resilience of marine and coastal habitats,” the UfM said.

The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, underscored that the declaration should ensure that maritime activities are sustainable.

“The Declaration follows a broad consultation, to which more than 100 experts and representatives from international organizations have contributed,” the UfM said.