1. Towards an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme in the Mediterranean
16th Meeting of the Marine Strategy Coordination Group (MSCG)
4 April
European Commission,
Conference Centre Albert Borschette
Brussels, Belgium
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you some recent developments in the Mediterranean, from the side of UNEP/MAP, Barcelona Convention, with a focus on the preparation of an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme, which has been in the centre of our work for the past 1,5 years.

2. Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance
COP18 EcAp Decision (Decision IG. 23/1)
“Request the Secretariat to:
Prepare in cooperation with MAP components and competent partner organizations, through a participatory process involving Contracting Parties and the scientific community, a Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance for consideration during the first meeting of EcAp CG in 2014 and a draft Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme to be presented at the 19th Meeting of the Contracting Parties for adoption.”
During the last Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP18, December 2013), the Secretariat was given the mandate to prepare a Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance as a basis for an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme, to be agreed on by the next Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP19, February 2016).
In order to fulfil this mandate, the Secretariat did present its Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance to the EcAp Coordination Group in October 2014, with the input of experts of the Contracting Parties (three specific Monitoring Correspondence Groups were held to prepare this document in between May-June 2014).
The EcAp Coordination Group gave strategic direction for the further development of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme, based on which the Secretariat prepared a Main elements of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment document, which was recently discussed at an Integrated Correspondence Group Meeting on Monitoring, in between 30 March-1 April, 2015.

3. Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance;
Towards an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Programme
Building on:
Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance;
Ongoing MEDPOL monitoring programme;
Existing monitoring practices of the Contracting Parties;
Relevant articles of Barcelona Convention’s Protocols related to monitoring, when available;
Relevant practice of other Regional Sea Conventions, noting Mediterranean specifics.
Recommendations of the EcAp Coordination Group of October 2014 and previous work of the CORMONs;
Work of the informal online working groups.
The Main elements of an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme strongly builds on the Draft Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance and aims to respond to the following needs:
The scope to be kept focused on the common indicators, while also allowing flexibility to reflect scientific development and data availability by having common indicators on a trial basis (ie candidate common indicators);
Using as much as possible a common template, outlining specifications for the common indicators, as well as their links with the specific Ecological Objectives in line with the above and practices of other Regional Sea Conventions;
Monitoring, and assessment activities (including the assessment of the health risk associated with the quality of bathing waters), as well as data quality assurance, data collection and handling, reporting and data management policies and procedures, to be functionally harmonized with those adopted by regional, international and global bodies and organizations, such as by other UN Agencies and programmes and the EU;
Follow-up closely on the pollution monitoring provisions as articulated in Article 12 of the Barcelona Convention and Article 8 of the Land-Based Sources Protocol, Article 9 of the Prevention and Emergency Protocol,);
Follow up closely on other monitoring provisions suggested under the Barcelona Convention, its Protocols and Action Plans (such as SAP MED and SAP BIO) in relation inter alia to a monitoring system of endangered and threatened species, as well as adequate monitoring and survey of the effectiveness of marine and coastal protected areas; addressing links between fisheries and biodiversity monitoring requirements, in a cost-efficient manner;
Address integration, aggregation, geographical scope and specifics of assessment, as much as possible.
While the current Draft is already addressing in a more detailed manner some of the key outstanding monitoring and assessment issues mentioned above, it still only lays down the key elements of the future Draft Monitoring and Assessment Programme, to be presented to COP19, as there are still important questions for the experts to discuss in the upcoming meetings, such as:
Interlinkages between the various common indicators, cumultative impacts of pressures, possible integration of common indicators, noting the differing nature of the common indicators (state/pressure/trend);
Assessment criteria options to be discussed for each common indicator (and/or sub-indicator);
Aggregation and scale of assessment, with a focus on biodiversity and NIS common indicators,;
Possible inclusion of candidate common indicators developed through the EcAp process (in relation to marine litter and coast), with a start of their monitoring during the initial phase of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme implementation ( );
Possible inclusion of additional common indicators, presented and proposed by partner organizations (on fisheries, marine noise and cateceans monitoring) or by Contracting Parties.

4. Some key recommendations of the Integrated CORMON on the Main elements of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Undertake an assessment of list of most important pressures (noting that the list of the most important pressures could be used for the identification of further needed measures);
Prepare a policy makers guide specifying key definitions, common indicators, interlinkages between common indicators, sampling and analysis methodologies, adequate technologies and related costs;
Amend the UNEP/MAP Technical Report Series No. 120 with particular reference to the sampling period (case of fish) and sampling frequency (case of sediments);
Extend and amend the existing reporting formats used for contaminants and biological responses in MED POL database to avoid gaps of the information required and to facilitate the proper assessment of environmental criteria;
Present at the PAP/RAC Focal Points Meeting the initial outcomes of the EcAp Pilot Project on the candidate common indicator on coast (land-use change) and propose based on the initial outcomes a way forward to the monitoring of this candidate indicator in the initial phase of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme;
Present to the EcAp Coordination Group a draft Guidance Document, on how to reflect changes in hydrographical conditions in relevant assessments (such as Environmental Impact Assessments).

5. Main elements of an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Is a living document, enabling discussions on how to achieve agreement on a regional integrated monitoring and assessment programme;
Will be discussed again at the respective Focal Points Meetings;
Will be further discussed and elaborated in the Informal Online Working Groups;
With the aim to be able to propose the draft Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme and discuss it at the EcAp Coordination Group Meeting in September 2015.
Work on the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme has been greatly supported by the EcAp-MED EU funded project.
14 May PAP/RAC Focal Points Meeting;
25-29 May RAC/SPA Focal Points Meeting;
15-19 June REMPEC-MEDPOL Focal Points

6. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
Contact: Gyorgyi Gurban EcAp-MED Project Officer: Tatiana Hema MED POL Programme Officer (EO 5, 9, 10): Gabino Gonzalez REMPEC Programme Officer (EO 9, 10): Daniel Cebrian RAC/SPA Programme Officer (EO 1, 2, 3): Marko Prem PAP/RAC Programme Officer (EO 7, 8):
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
United Nations Environment Programme
Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean Action Plan
Vassileos Konstantinou 48
Athens 11635
Greece