The European Commission and the European Investment Bank today are presenting the results of a study on potential investments addressing pollution hotspots in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The study, undertaken as part of the Commission's Horizon 2020 Initiative designed to tackle the major sources of Mediterranean pollution by the year 2020, recognises the need for a programme to help the countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean reduce the pollution they release into the sea.

The decline of the Mediterranean threatens the health of the 143 million people living on its shore and jeopardises the long-term development of key economic sectors such as fishing and tourism. The proposed Mediterranean Hot Spot Investment Programme (MeHSIP) and the Horizon 2020 initiative are part of the European Union's cooperation with the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries involved in the Barcelona Process and covered by the EU's Neighbourhood Policy.

The Mediterranean Hot Spots Investment Programme

In November 2006 a timetable of action for the Horizon 2020 Initiative was launched. The identification of priority hotspots investments were conducted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in cooperation with the United Nation's Environment Programme's Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). The activities of the MeHSIP will primarily focus on providing support to the Horizon 2020 initiative and partner countries in implementing priority pollution reduction investment projects.

The EIB will now proceed in finalising a list of projects under the Mediterranean Hotspot Investment Programme based on the 44 projects already identified in seven Mediterranean countries. Among the criteria for determining the potential investment in projects are:

• The projects' importance for the country or the Mediterranean region.
• How significantly they reduce pollution
• The sustainability of the operations.
• The loan repayment capacity of the projects' promoters and,
• The amounts required from donors.

The MeHSIP will also contribute to closer collaboration between the European Investment Bank and other donors and initiatives in the region designed to integrate the environment in different sector policies in the Mediterranean.

The Horizon 2020 initiative

Horizon 2020 is a central part of the European Union's policy to tackle environmental problems in the Mediterranean. The initiative aims to address many of the inadequacies of past efforts to protect the Mediterranean by financing projects to:

• Reduce the most significant sources of pollution.
• Support the creation or reinforcement of national environmental authorities.
• Promote research on Mediterranean environmental issues, and
• Develop indicators to monitor the success of the initiative.

Framework Porgrammes for Research and Investigation

The European Commission has also been supporting projects in the field of Research and Investigation via the sixth framework programme by means of financing, and by other means, of the following projects:

• DIFIS  - Double inverted funnel for intervention on ship-wrecks.
• EUMOP - Elimination Units for Marine Oil Pollution.
• MAPO - MArine POllution.
• SPREEX - Spill Response Experience Coordinated Action.
• AMPERA - European CA to foster prevention and best response to accidental marine pollution.