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Doc. 7977
8 January 1998
Sustainable development in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins
Report
Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities
Rapporteur : Mr Lluís Recoder, Spain, Liberal, Democratic and Reformers' Group
Summary
In many respects, particularly as regards the environment, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean form a single basin. Therefore, problems affecting this area would be better tackled if approached from an overall perspective. The Council of Europe can help. On the one hand it has always paid much attention to Mediterranean affairs. On the other hand, all of the Black Sea rim countries have now either joined the Organisation or been granted special guest status. The Assembly thus proposes that parliamentary co-operation in this field be strengthened by setting up a dialogue with parliaments from Mediterranean countries which do not belong to the Council of Europe. This process could be further improved by bringing into it local and regional authorities from that area.
I. Draft resolution
1. The Parliamentary Assembly has long given attention to the problems of co-operation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, particularly through the conferences of Mediterranean regions held in co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, the most recent of which, the fourth, took place in Cyprus in October 1995.
2. It is gratifying to note that, through the Euro-Mediterranean Conference, held in Barcelona in November 1995, the European Union decided to intensify co-operation in the Mediterranean area and initiated a very large-scale partnership with those Mediterranean countries which are not members of the Union.
3. Where the Council of Europe is concerned, the enlargement which began after 1989 resulted in the accession to the Organisation of three countries from the Mediterranean basin, Albania and "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" in 1995, and Croatia in 1996.
4. Furthermore, bearing in mind the close relationship which exists between the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, especially where the environment is concerned, the fact that all the states of the Black Sea basin are either members or special guests of the Assembly is a significant new element. As a result, the Council of Europe is in an ideal position to deal with the problems affecting both basins.
5. What is more, the political importance of co-operation among local and regional authorities in recent times clearly shows the contribution which local and regional authorities can make to sustainable development, stability and peace. It nevertheless has to be said that the, sometimes enormous, differences between the structures of local and regional authorities are an obstacle to effective dialogue and co-operation.
6. In this context, in line with the views put forward in Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation ... (1998) on the same subject, the Assembly expresses its conviction that interparliamentary dialogue and co-operation help to make available, not only to the countries adjacent to the Black Sea, but also to those on the southern shore of the Mediterranean basin, the Council of Europe's treaties and co-operation mechanisms, which can help to solve the region's problems.
7. The Parliamentary Assembly, which has always supported and encouraged the activity of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in this field, takes the view that joint activities would make it possible to turn to advantage the complementary nature of the activity of both parliamentary bodies.
8. In addition, it is sure that a strategy of interparliamentary dialogue encompassing all the countries of both basins, with which various local and regional authorities from the area would be associated, would enable those responsible for legislation and those who hold elective office in both basins to pool their experience and to introduce common strategies.
9. The Assembly welcomes the fact that one of the aims of the Fifth Conference of Mediterranean Regions, to be held in Montpellier in October 1998, will be precisely that of strenthening the machinery, and going into more detail about the subjects, which would enable this interparliamentary and inter-authority dialogue to be set up in the field of sustainable development.
10. Consequently, the Parliamentary Assembly:
i. believes that it would be useful for consideration to be given, in respect of the subjects which most lend themselves thereto, such as the environment, regional policy, culture, migration, etc., to opening certain committee meetings to participation by the equivalent committees of the parliaments of non-member states from the Mediterranean basin;
ii. decides to request the Inter-Parliamentary Union to study, in co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the scope for co-operation between the two assemblies, and, in particular, to consider associating representatives of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and of the local authorities of the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean with certain activities which are part of the CSCM process (Conferences on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean);
iii. in the same spirit, wishes to develop its co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly for Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC);
iv. shares the views expressed by the joint Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe-Parliamentary Assembly group in charge of organising the forthcoming conference of Mediterranean Regions, that it would be useful to change the title of these conferences to "Conferences on interparliamentary and inter-regional co-operation in the Mediterranean Black Sea basins".
II. Draft recommendation
1. The Parliamentary Assembly has long given attention to the problems of co-operation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean. In particular, it is under its aegis, and in co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, that the conferences of Mediterranean regions are periodically held, the most recent of which, the fourth, took place in Cyprus in September 1995. These conferences have enabled priority areas for the development of the Mediterranean region to be identified, areas in which Council of Europe activity would be both welcome and beneficial.
2. Following the third conference, held in Taormina in April 1993, the Assembly adopted Recommendation 1249 on co-operation in the Mediterranean basin, in which it put forward several proposals as to the role which the Council of Europe might play in this region.
3. While wishing that the Committee of Ministers show a stronger commitment in favour of a Council of European Mediterranean policy, the Assembly is gratified to note that a rapporteur group was set up in 1995 which - within the same committee - is responsible for issues relating to co-operation in the Mediterranean area.
4. Furthermore, the Assembly welcomes the fact that the CLRAE has already taken practical action to follow up the conclusions of the fourth conference, holding a conference in Bari (Italy) on "local and regional authorities in the face of Mediterranean migration: from intolerance to development", and takes note of the proposal of the Apulia Region to host an "inter-regional observatory of Mediterranean migration".
5. For its part, the European Union has decided to intensify co-operation in the Mediterranean area. Through the Euro-Mediterranean Conference, held in Barcelona in November 1995, it has initiated a very large-scale partnership with those Mediterranean countries which are not members of the Union.
6. Where the Council of Europe is concerned, the enlargement which began after 1989 resulted in the accession to the Organisation of three countries from the Mediterranean basin, Albania and "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" in 1995, and Croatia in 1996. Furthermore, bearing in mind the close relationship which exists between the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, especially where the environment is concerned, the fact that all the states of the Black Sea basin are now associated with the Organisation in one way or another is a significant new element. As a result, the Council of Europe is in an ideal position to deal with the problems, particularly those of a political nature, affecting both basins, by adopting a comprehensive approach to them.
7. As the Black Sea suffers from severe pollution, its vitality is in grave jeopardy. The proceedings of the first Interparliamentary Conference on the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea (Istanbul, 10-12 July 1996), jointly organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly for Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC), showed that the pollution generated upstream along the rivers which flow into the Black Sea affect — to some extent, at least — the Mediterranean basin. Hence the benefits of adopting a comprehensive approach to the issue, highlighting co-ordinated parliamentary activities intended to guarantee the sustainable development of both basins.
8. What is more, the Parliamentary Assembly has always supported and encouraged the aim of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to hold Conferences on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (the CSCM process), and takes the view that joint activities in this field would make it possible to turn to advantage the complementary nature of the activity of both parliamentary bodies, and, in this same spirit, it also considers that co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly for Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC) can make a useful contribution to furthering and deriving benefit from the inter-parliamentary dialogue in the region.
9. It expresses its wish that existing international instruments, on protecting this region's environment, such as the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest, 1992), the ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea (Odessa, 1993) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL, 1973 and 1978), be more widely ratified and effectively respected.
10. Consequently, concurring with the Final Declarations of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions (Limassol, 16 and 17 October 1995) and the Interparliamentary Conference on the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea (Istanbul, 10-12 July 1996), the Assembly requests that the Committee of Ministers take follow-up action on the proposals therein, and, in particular:
i. promote the Organisation's values in the Mediterranean, in particular as regards sustainable development;
ii. contribute, within the context of this programme, to the promotion of the co-operation programmes set up among local and regional authorities around the Mediterranean, particularly in respect of migratory movements;
iii. strengthen the Mediterranean dimension of the dialogue under way within the framework of the Lisbon North-South Centre, particularly by opening, in Limassol (Cyprus), an office responsible for liaison with the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean and of the Middle East;
iv. encourage and support bilateral and multilateral exchanges, in the sphere of water management, particularly at the level of local and regional authorities, relating to:
a. transfer of knowledge and pooling of experience;
b. training programmes for decision-makers and managers;
c. the provision of information to, and raising of awareness among, those who hold elective office and representatives of users;
d. the raising of users' awareness and education of users so as to enable them to participate in the management of their own resource, especially through non-governmental organisations;
v. organise a "Mediterranean and Black Sea Protection Year", modelled on European Nature Conservation Year, in order to make people at every level aware of both seas' problems and to bring into play the ecological awareness of the peoples of every European country and of the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean;
vi. develop activities with a view to encouraging the Mediterranean countries which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979);
vii. encourage the Mediterranean states which are not members of the Organisation to accede to the Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport and to the Partial Agreement on Major Disasters;
viii. promote the signature and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Civil Liability for Damage resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment (Lugano, 1993).
III. Explanatory memorandum by Mr Recoder
Table of contents
Introduction
2. Analysis of the situation in the Mediterranean – Black Sea region
2.1 Disequilibrium and instability in the mediterranean
2.2 Situation in the black sea
2.2.1 The major problems
2.2.2 International solidarity
2.2.3 Mounting a programme for the black sea environment
3. Recent activities
3.1 Council of Europe
3.1.1 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions (Cyprus, 20-22 September 1995)
3.1.2 Hearing on Mediterranean co-operation (Thessalonika, 28 May 1996)
3.1.3 1st Interparliamentary Conference on Protection of the Environment in the Black Sea (Istanbul, 10-12 july 1996)
3.1.4 Mediterranean Conference on Population, Migration and Development (Palma de Mallorca, 15-17 October 1996)
3.1.5 Conference on sustainable development in the Black Sea (Odessa, 11-12 November 1996)
3.1.6 International conference on “local and regional authorities in the face of migratory flows in the Mediterranean Region: from intolerance to development”
3.2 European Union
3.2.1 Euro-Mediterranean Conference
3.2.2 Follow up to the conference : Euro-Mediterranean partnership
4. Current thinking at the Council of Europe
4.1 Parliamentary Assembly
4.2 Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
4.3 Views of the Committee of Ministers and the rapporteurs group
5. Proposals as to future co-operation
5.1 Fifth conference of Mediterranean regions
5.2 Conclusion
Appendices :
1. Programme of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions
2. Final declaration of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions
3. Programme of the 1st Inter-Parliamentary Conference of the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea
4. Final Declaration of the 1st Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea
5. Final Declaration of the Conference on Sustainable Spatial Development for the Blck Sea Region
6. Final Declaration of the International Conference of Bari
1. Introduction
The Council of Europe has always paid great attention to the problems in the Mediterranean. The Parliamentary Assembly’s last opinion was expressed by means of its Recommendation 1249 (1994), in which it put forward to the Committee of Ministers a number of initiatives aimed at clarifying and strengthening our Organisation’s role in this area. The Council of Europe’s evolution and the events which have taken place since 1994, far from making these proposals less valuable, force us all the same to give some fresh thought on these questions in order to incorporate new points of view to our position.
By means of the Euro-Mediterranean Conferences held in Barcelona (1995) and Malta (1997), the European Union has launched a vast Mediterranean co-operation programme. In this context, one must note that the Council of Euorpe must find a niche which would be its own and in which it could bring an original contribution in line with the values it represents.
On the one hand, different conferences organised by the Parliamentary Assembly in this domain have demonstrated that a reinforcement of inter-parliamentary co-operation would find favourable response throughout the basin. On the other hand, the considerable diversity of models of territorial administration found there makes it difficult for cities, provinces and regions from one shore to find counterparts in their co-operative efforts with the other shore. Hence the interest to associate them with inter-parliamentary dialogue, which could give them a forum that has been unavailable to them so far.
Furthermore, it is now time to note that all the countries from the Black Sea rim are now either members or special guests in our Assembly. If, on the one hand, the two basins – Mediterranean and Black Sea – can represent different characteristics, it is no less true that they are much closer in other areas, notably that of the environment. Insofar as all of the Black Sea Rim countries and most Mediterranean ones now belong to the Organisation, and notably to the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe could become a political forum particularly well fitted for dealing with the common problems of the two basins.
This report contains, first of all, an analysis of the current situation in these two basins, followed by an overview of the most recent actions that different international organisation have carried out there, and, finally, a series of proposals regarding a stronger and newer Mediterranean policy for the Council of Europe.
2. Analysis of the situation in the Mediterranean – Black Sea Region
2.1 Disequilibrium and instability in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean, cradle of cultures and civilisations and the birthplace of the three main monotheistic religions, was in the past and remains today a crossroads for cultural, human and economic exchanges, a bridge between civilisations which have mutually influenced and enriched one another.
But it also was and still is a place rife with existing and potential conflicts and with economic, social and cultural tensions. Today this state of affairs is mainly due to the great political, social, economic and environmental imbalances which persist in the region, especially, but not solely, on the Mediterranean's southern shores.
Unemployment, poverty and a lack of prospects are leading to the emergence of religious fundamentalism, sometimes taking violent forms, being what young people without a future see as their only tangible reality and hope of salvation.
Political imbalances are perceptible in the Adriatic sub-region, where with the fall of communism unresolved national conflicts have come to the fore and have led to atrocious fighting, as in Bosnia-Herzegovina, or to extreme poverty and the collapse of social structures, likewise with outbreaks of violence, as in Albania. Such imbalances are also to be seen in the Middle East, one of the world's principal trouble-spots, where active or latent conflict is a fact of life, and on the island of Cyprus, where the tensions engendered by a long-standing unresolved conflict periodically flare up.
Rapid population growth threatens the achievement and consolidation of sustainable economic development in the countries concerned and paves the way for the migratory pressures exerted by those seeking a better life elsewhere. In 1950 two-thirds of the population of the Mediterranean basin lived on the northern shores, from Spain to Greece, and the remaining third on the eastern and southern shores, from Turkey to Morocco. As a result of demographic trends, these two areas today have more or less the same proportion of inhabitants, but by the year 2025 the ratio will be exactly the opposite: one third of the population will live in the European part of the Mediterranean, and two-thirds in the African and Asian parts, where there will be a far higher percentage of young people, exacerbating even further the unemployment problems which currently plague those areas. From 1970 to 1982 the populations of the countries in the south and the east grew by 2.5% per year, and in some countries the growth rate even exceeded 3%. Over the same period annual population growth in the north was 1% or less, with the lowest figure - 0.4% - in Italy.
In terms of human resources, in addition to weight of numbers the age difference can be taken into account. This difference will be twice as great by the year 2025: in the south 45% of the population will be under fifteen years old, compared with only 24% in the north. According to statistics collected by Professor Bichara Kader, by the year 2000 the working population of the four countries of the Maghreb will grow by 602,500 per year, whereas by the beginning of the 21st century that of the countries of southern Europe will be falling. The Mediterranean is therefore the European frontier region with by far the highest, most explosive demographic growth.
Along with the Caribbean, the Mediterranean currently has the strongest migratory flows in the world. Until the seventies the countries on the northern shores of the Mediterranean saw significant population movements. However, from then on southern Europe saw a sharp fall in emigration and a rise in immigration, as much for political reasons as for demographic and economic ones. Italy, for example, took in a total of more than one million foreigners, and Spain some 800,000, not to mention France. As Tahar Ben Jelloun points out, the crucial problem for Europe throughout the present decade will be the fate of those emigrants' sons and daughters, the so-called second generation. The young people in question are not immigrants but were born in Europe or came there as children. Yet at the same time they have been completely uprooted from their culture of origin and are not at all integrated into the new culture. These second-generation immigrants are at risk of remaining prisoners of a socio-professional situation less favourable than that of their parents: almost two-thirds of these children leave school with a low level of education.
The Mediterranean is also a region of major economic imbalances. In 1990, with less than 45% of the region's population, the four Mediterranean countries of the European Union - Spain, France, Italy and Greece - accounted for 87% of its GDP, and while per capita income in the European countries averages about 10,000 dollars, the countries on the southern shore scarcely achieve 1,200 dollars. This shows that the Mediterranean is also a frontier with the underdeveloped countries of the world, a particularly serious state of affairs if the south's demographic problems, referred to earlier, are borne in mind.
This combination of political, economic and demographic factors, to which other environmental or security-related considerations must be added, is leading the north to close in on itself in such a way that, from the southern point of view, Europe, and in particular western Europe, is perceived as a fortress reluctant to share its prosperity, a group of societies concerned with preserving their enviable standard of living and capable of developing racist, xenophobic attitudes towards migrants. The south sees a Europe turned towards the east, devoting all its efforts to integrating its eastern regions and overlooking the fact that the region on its southern border is rife with conflicts, although that region is separated from Gibraltar by a mere 14-kilometre stretch of sea.
The Mediterranean is a region full of variety with little uniformity in any sense - cultural, religious, political, economic, or in terms of the advance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is therefore a region that must be developed on the basis of respect for diversity. The problems, difficulties and disparities within the region may give the impression that it suffers from incurable structural instability, but at the same time can and should prompt us to try to make it a zone of prosperity, co-operation, neighbourliness and tolerance.
Furthermore, the Mediterranean continues to be a heavily polluted sea despite the international efforts carried out since the 1970s to reverse the situation. Its problems are well-known, and the Rapporteur merely wishes to outline them here. As an almost closed sea, it takes decades to renew the Mediterranean’s waters naturally, and therefore its capacity to absorb pollution is rathter limited. Yet, with the growing population of its coastal countries and the heavy yearly inflow of toursits comes an increase in urban waste and sewage, which for the most part is directly dumped into the sea. Heavy maritime traffic is also a cause for concern : the Mediterranean ranks very high as far as oil pollution is concerned. Last but not least, overfishing remains a problem which helps deteriorate the situation.
This reality can no longer be ignored, a fact which was the principal point made in the recommendation on co-operation in the Mediterranean basin adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1994.
2.2 Situation in the Black Sea
The Black Sea is the biggest inland sea in the world. It is linked in the north to the Sea of Azov and in the south to the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus, which is both very narrow (1.6 km on average) and shallow (36 m). It is thus a virtually enclosed sea, as deep as 2,000 m in places and with an average depth of 1,240 m.
Several of Europe's major rivers flow into the Black Sea, including the Danube, the Don, the Dnieper and the Dniestr.
The Black Sea basin includes the greater part of 17 countries, six of which border directly on it. The population of this region is some 160 million.
Although its ecosystem is fragile, being vulnerable due to factors such as its shallowness in places, the Black sea had no major problems until the 1970s; on the contrary it enjoyed remarkable biodiversity. Overfishing, man-made pollution, eutrophication and intense shipping traffic are some of the causes of damage to the environment, which has now reached alarming proportions.
The first positive consequence of the major geopolitical changes of recent years has been the realisation of the seriousness of the problem, whether by international organisations, research institutes, NGOs or certain of the coastal states. This has encouraged the pooling of efforts and the establishment of a net work with the common aim of recovering this extremely rich ecosystem.
2.2.1 The major problems
The Black Sea has always had an extremely rich ecosystem. The great rivers already mentioned have always discharged nutrients which have been considered a special contribution to the quality of the ecosystem. These nutrients have been the source of substantial production of phytoplankton, the first element of the marine food chain. Precipitating phytoplankton give rise to substantial bacterial activity on the seabed, consuming all available oxygen and leading to the complete disappearance of all life forms below a depth of 180 m.
This has always been a feature of the Black Sea which, apart from being the most "anoxic" in the world, has always had a mid-surface area of great richness and diversity.
Unfortunately, for nearly 30 years, the Black Sea environment has been suffering unprecedented damage due to the conjunction of various phenomena, of which I shall mention the most important.
Pollution by large rivers plays an important part in the Black Sea's deterioration. Firstly, owing to over-fertilisation of farmland in their catchment basins, they discharge much too large amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, causing excessive proliferation of phytoplankton (eutrophication). In moderate amounts, such phytoplankton has been considered beneficial to marine ecosystems, but too much has caused the system to "seize up" and had a devastating, suffocating effect.
A typical example is the Danube which in 1990 alone deposited 40,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 50,000 of nitrogen into the Black Sea, 10 times more than in 1960.
But the management of the region's water resources has also had a significant contributory effect. River flow management for various purposes in the former Soviet Union has diminished salinity in the Sea of Azov and substantially reduced exchanges with it. In the Danube Basin, major engineering works, including the hydroelectric dam reservoir have sharply reduced the amount of sediment carried down to the Black Sea.
This phenomenon, combined with overfishing has led to an alarming depletion of resources, turning the once rich and diversified marine environment into a poor habitat in which species are less and less numerous. One example may suffice to illustrate this point : 900,000 tonnes of fish land in 1986, 100,000 tonnes in 1992 ...
Another example illustrates the seriousness of deterioration in terms of quality : in the waters of the Black Sea in 1965, there were still some twenty species of fish. By 1985, following the changes which have occurred since 1989, has become the only way out for oil.
Oil pollution is another problem for the Black Sea, for which, as has been said, the Bosphorus is the only exit to the oceans. Mainly because of the changes which have taken place since 1989, the Bosphorus has become a compulsory passage for oil tankers.
The Bosphorus being 700 m wide at its narrowest point, navigation through the Strait is very dense, even congested. Currently, over 90 foreign vessels cross the Strait every day on average, and the trend is ever-increasing. Acccording to experts, daily traffic, which includes transport of oil and hazardous substances (35% of all traffic are tankers), could increase by as much as 50% when new canals link the Danube to the Baltic.
This traffic is polluting enough in itself owing to its intensity and the effects which "ordinary" discharges are bound to have on water quality. But, alas, in addition to this pollution which - although "usual" - is not negligible, the Black Sea also regularly suffers accidents or deliberate dumping which have occasionally caused oil slicks of some magnitude.
There is now also the problem of supply routes for oil and gas from the Central Asian fields which, being no longer able to use the former Soviet ports, are obliged to transit via the Bosphorus. For the moment, two possibilities are envisaged for such supplies : pipeline and a combination of ship and pipeline.
The latter would obviously increase traffic and automatically also increase the risk of ecological damage. According to some estimates, it would multiply tanker traffic in the region by a factor of 8. According to some coastal states, including Turkey, shipping in the strait should be eliminated by means of a pipeline across the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas.
Discharge and dumping of waste is another danger to the Black Sea environment. Waste is discharged into the Sea by the rivers which transport sewage from many of the towns they flow through, or directly by industry. The problem of urban sewage transported by the rivers illustrates the close correlation that has to be maintained between various kinds of complementary action.
In this respect, the example of the Danube is eloquent. Knowing that the Danube is responsible for 80% of pollution in the Black Sea and that various schemes are under way in the Danube Basin, we can see that any co-operation concerning the Black Sea and the Danube must be co-ordinated in order to achieve synergy.
But waste dumping is also a crucial problem. Unfortunately, not only the coastal states are responsible, but also other states from outside the basin. There is clear evidence of relatively frequent dumping of toxic waste by vessels flying flags from elsewhere.
The question of radioactive waste also deserves careful attention, whether it be land-based, as from Chernobyl, or from the discharge or dumping of drums of radioactive materials.
From this brief overview, it can be seen that the Black Sea is subject to many and varied assaults, mostly due to human activity. In recent decades, resources have been exploited without thought for their renewal. For the time being, the effects seem to be confined close to the sources of pollution, without be basin's overall ecology being irreversibly affected, but projections based on current data show clearly that if damage were to continue at the present rate, the situation would rapidly become dramatic and probably irreversible.
2.2.2 International solidarity
Unfortunately, the situation is coming to a head now, at a time when the Black Sea countries are having to face crucial problems of political, economic and social transition and care little for the gravity of the situation and are in any case incapable alone of shouldering the economic burden of any substantial action.
The Black Sea's resources are shard between six coastal states - Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine - who should be responsible for managing them. But, as in he case of rivers, it is important to take into account the whole cachement basin, in which case 11 more countries must be added to those six.
These countries certainly have a "neighbourly" responsibility for the Black Sea. But solidarity surely goes further than these 17 countries directly concerned.
At the Conference held in Istanbul in July 1996, sponsored by the Assemblies of the Council of Europe and Black Sea Economic Co-operation on the Black Sea environment (see below), it was shown that the Black Sea has a direct influence on the Sea of Marmara and, above all, on the Mediterranean. As the sea level is higher than in the Mediterranean, Black Sea pollution overflows directly into the Mediterranean.
Another example is provided by the Danube, which is mainly responsible for pollution of the Black Sea. Surely Germany, Austria and Hungary bear a share of responsibility for the state of the Black Sea environment ?
2.2.3 Mounting a programme for the Black Sea environment
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Black Sea coastal states grasped the opportunity afforded by the region's new political configuration to draft the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution.
This Convention, signed in Bucharest at the beginning of 1992, was ratified by the six parliaments at the beginning of 1994. It was designed as an outline convention and has so far been supplemented by three protocols on three crucial problems : land-based pollution, dumping of waste, and joint action policy in the event of disasters such as major oil spills.
Finding that the convention was not sufficiently strict in terms of timetable and priorities, the environment ministers of the six coastal states signed a Declaration on the conservation of the environment of the Black Sea, at Odessa in April 1993.
Thanks to joint financial backing from various organisations (World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, European Union ...) and countries such as France, Austria, Canada and Japan, funds totalling nearly 100 million dollars have enabled the Black Sea Environment Programme (BSEP) to be launched.
The first schemes launched under this programme have sought to improve the means available to the coastal states for assessing and managing their environment and to support the drafting and implementation of new legislation. Another of the main aims of the Programme has been to restore the necessary institutional links at local, national and international level and to establish a network of thematic working parties based on regional activity centres in each of the coastal states. Each centre works on a specific theme within a working party in which each of the coastal states is represented. The specific themes correspond to the major issues described above.
The BSEP has also established close links with other organisations working in the same fields. For the moment these are international NGOs, Black Sea Economic Co-operation (BSEC), UN Specialised Agencies.
3. Recent Activities
3.1 Council of Europe
3.1.1 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions (Cyprus, 20-22 September 1995)
Among the Council of Europe activities devoted to Mediterranean co-operation the Conferences of Mediterranean Regions organised by the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local Authorities illustrate clearly the interest of both bodies in the subject.
The Mediterranean, despite constituting a historical and cultural entity, remains an important source of instability made all the more acute by a widening gap in economic development and the absence of political structures in some countries of the southern shore, which make the exercise of democracy and the maintenance of peace difficult. The Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local Authorities set out to contribute to the provision of conditions for satisfactory development and preservation of the region's historical and cultural inheritance by organising regular "Conferences of Mediterranean Regions" as a means of providing those regions with an opportunity to co-operate with each other in surmounting common problems.
After the first three conferences, in Marseilles (1985), Malaga (1987) and Taormina (1993), the fourth assembled in Nicosia and Limassol (Cyprus) on 20-22 September 1995 on the theme of "Sustainable development in the Mediterranean: environment, demography and migration" (see Appendix 1).
The conference themes were introduced by top-quality presentations by leading scientists and academics which made for fruitful political discussion.
The subject of intolerance, racism and xenophobia was dealt with at a Round Table, resulting inter alia in an invitation from Puglia (Italy) to hold a major conference in Bari on the theme of intolerance in the Mediterranean (see 3.1.6, below).
It emerged clearly from the discussions at this round table that the difficult social and economic situation in most of the Mediterranean countries is an aggravating factor in phenomena of social or racial intolerance, but that improving living conditions is not the only solution. It is unanimously agreed that solutions must also be sought by political, cultural and legal means.
With regard to population and migration problems, the reports showed that the characteristic features of demography in the Mediterranean are population ageing and a falling birth rate in the north, and a young population facing major problems in the south.
The difficult general socio-economic situation is reflected in high unemployment affecting all strata of the population, but in the south it is the cause of substantial migration. Apart from the socio-cultural problems it causes, for the south migration also means the loss of young graduates who prefer to leave in search of better job prospects elsewhere.
On this subject, the Conference emphasised the need to put into effect certain proposals already put forward in the Council of Europe, such as the setting-up of a "Mediterranean Migration Foundation" in Sicily, as proposed by the third Conference in Taormina.
The Conference also stressed the importance to the Mediterranean countries of the problem of water resources management and the priority that should be given to all forms of co-operation that can help protect this vitally important resource, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Overexploitation of resources is certainly the most serious and the most urgent problem for the countries of the southern shore, which have already by far exceeded their capacity. Consequently, since population growth and rapid urbanisation are bound to increase requirements, they will have to rely on the most advanced techniques of sewage and seawater treatment.
The Conference proceedings demonstrated that it is essential to establish interterritorial co-operation as part of a genuine Mediterranean strategy, for which the Council of Europe would be an appropriate framework.
Such a strategy could focus on the Council of Europe's special fields such as the defence of democracy, human rights, minorities and the rule of law. The Council could also place at the disposal of non-member Mediterranean states the legal instruments which can help achieve the objectives referred to above.
Moreover, the Conference specifically requested the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to open for signature the convention on interterritorial co-operation proposed in 1993 by the Standing Conference (since become the Congress) of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe to complement the Madrid Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation.
The 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions concluded with the adoption of a Final declaration (see Appendix 2). The next Conference - for which preparations are already well under way - will be held in Montpellier in autumn 1998 at the invitation of Languedoc-Roussillon Region, on the themes of interregional co-operation, democratic security and peace, and sustainable development.
The Rapporteur is convinced of the value of developing Mediterranean co-operation between regions and through interparliamentary dialogue. Such regional and parliamentary co-operation would naturally fall within the range of the Council of Europe and, importantly, would complement that undertaken by the European Union with the Euro-Mediterranean Conference held in Barcelona in November 1995 (see below).
3.1.2 Hearing on Mediterranean co-operation (Thessalonika, 28 May 1996)
By its very nature, the Parliamentary Assembly, whose members are drawn from national parliaments, can provide an ideal platform for dialogue with southern-shore counterparts.
Where territorial authorities are concerned, the difference - or absence- of such structures on the southern shore makes co-operation less easy. Consequently, opening dialogue at this level also entails co-operation with the aim of establishing or reinforcing institutional or administrative structures of a kind to guarantee the exercise of genuine "proximity" democracy.
However, it is important to remember that, despite arousing great interest, the Conferences of Mediterranean Regions have suffered from the imbalance between north and south in terms of the organisation of territorial authorities. As a consequence, the regions, departments or provinces of the northern shore do not always have any counterpart on the southern shore or, where they do, their powers are often considerably different.
This structural imbalance is certainly one of the reasons for the poor attendance by representatives of the southern shore and hence the difficulty of establishing systematic institutional dialogue.
But this fact merely confirms that the Council of Europe has a part to play in establishing such structures and this is where dialogue between legislators comes in. It is with this in mind that the committee has wished to hold exchanges of views with parliamentarians from the southern shore in order to discuss concrete problems facing all the Mediterranean countries, but also to discuss the institutional and administrative structures necessary to optimum co-operation.
The committee accordingly decided to hold a hearing on the problems of water management and desertification and to invite representatives of southern shore parliaments. For practical reasons, it was decided to issue this first invitation to the parliaments of the Maghreb countries.
At this gathering, which was held in Thessalonika in May 1996, the problems mentioned above were introduced by experts and gave rise to practical discussions including the possibility of co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the parliaments of those countries.
Those discussions, as well as informal contacts, give reason to suppose that a Parliamentary Assembly initiative to create the conditions for regular dialogue at parliamentary level would be both useful and welcomed by the parliaments concerned.
Bearing in mind the obstacles that might arise over certain sensitive political issues, co-operation could focus on certain specific subjects falling within the scope of the Assembly's various "technical" committees.
Where the Committee on Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities is concerned, it would be interesting for example to hold periodic meetings with representatives of their counterparts to review subjects of interest and single out forms of co-operation to be developed.
3.1.3 1st Interparliamentary Conference on Protection of the Environment in the Black Sea (Istanbul, 10-12 July 1996)
Since its creation in 1992, the Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC) has always paid special attention to the environmental situation of the Black Sea and the surrounding region.
The region's extremely serious plight calls for swift action and the setting-up of suitable co-operation machinery. From the various reports available it is clear that the problem stretches far beyond the frontiers of the Black Sea area. Heavy pollution, due to the alarming state of the Danube and other major rivers; the objectively measured effects of this pollution on the Mediterranean show unequivocally that it is indispensable to tackle integrated management of the area according to a pan-European, world-scale approach.
Since its enlargement from 1989 onwards, the Council of Europe has grown to include among its members virtually all the Black Sea coastal states and so bears a responsibility in the co-operation to be organised to secure sustainable development of the Black Sea region.
It was in full awareness of this responsibility that the Parliamentary Assembly decided, in co-operation with PABSEC, to organise the first Interparliamentary Conference on the Protection of the Black Sea Environment, which took place in Istanbul on 10-12 July 1996 (see programme in Appendix 3).
The conference proceedings covered three main themes: review of the main environmental problems in the Black Sea; measures to stop pollution, prevent damage to the environment and foster its recovery; and environmental legislation.
Being a parliamentary conference, its proceedings were mostly concerned with action by parliaments to draft and adopt legislation geared to the satisfactory implementation of environment protection policies.
The conference also emphasised the role of the different levels of government, recognising the fundamental importance of local authorities, but also of national and international NGOs.
The reports - often very specific and well documented - highlighted the seriousness of the situation and the many problems which play a part in the degradation of the regions's environment, but also and above all the close correlation between them all. For example, Professor Mario Pavan's report brilliantly demonstrated the direct connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and the need for a comprehensive approach to the "Mediterranean/Black Sea System".
Apart from the objective data proving the connection between the two, the Rapporteur believes that the Council of Europe is the appropriate place to launch region-wide action embracing both basins. The coastal states together account for almost half the Council of Europe's members, which shows the potential importance of such co-operation.
The Conference - which the President of the Assembly attended in its entirety - concluded with the adoption of a Final Declaration (see Appendix 4) which included an appeal to the Council of Europe to proclaim 1998 "Mediterranean and Black Sea Protection Year".
3.1.4 Mediterranean Conference on Population, Migration and Development (Palma de Mallorca, 15-17 October 1996)
This conference was organised by the Council of Europe's European Population Committee in response to Parliamentary Assembly efforts to find ways of coping with demographic imbalance and disparities in socio-economic development in the Mediterranean.
While welcoming the important initiatives taken by the European Union in connection with the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona, the conference concluded that a comprehensive Council of Europe strategy for the Mediterranean was indispensable.
The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography drew up a report on follow-up to the conference which was discussed by the Standing Committee at its meeting in Bucharest on 28 May 1997 and resulted in the adoption of Recommendation 1329 (1997). This recommendation asks the Committee of Ministers to support the process of institutional joint consultation between Europe and the non-member coastal states by inviting them to participate in the Council of Europe's work as observers.
3.1.5 Conference on Sustainable Development in the Black Sea (Odessa, 11-12 November 1996)
As regards activities on the situation in the Black Sea basin, the rapporteur wishes also to mention the Conference held in Odessa on 11-12 November 1996 on sustainable development in the region.
It was organised by the Council of Europe intergovernmental sector, the German federal Ministry of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development and the Ukrainian Government, in co-operation with the network of spatial planning research institutes of eastern and central Europe. It emphasised the need to formulate strategies for integrated approaches to spatial planning policy in the region and the value of placing the experience, achievements and instruments of the Council of Europe at the disposal of the countries of the region.
The rapporteur particularly wished to draw attention to this meeting because he firmly believes that such an approach can not only contribute to sustainable development in the Black Sea region, but can also help bring about a comprehensive approach to the Black Sea/Mediterranean System conceived in the light of the comprehensive, integrated spatial development approach formulated by the Council of Europe nearly 20 years ago and reasserted since by the Parliamentary Assembly.
The Conference concluded with the adoption of a Final Declaration (see appendix 5) calling upon the Council of Europe to give the Black Sea countries the support they need in the formulation of their spatial development strategies, which should moreover fit into a pan-European programme.
3.1.6 International Conference on “Local and Regional Authorities in the face of Migratory Flows in the Mediterranean region: from intolerance to development”
This conference, organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe at the invitation of the Region of Puglia, stems directly from the proposals made in the final declaration of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions held in Limassol in 1995. Participants were able to study the models of integration of immigrants put into place by local and regional authorities which face considerable inflows of immigrants. The final declaration (see appendix 6) made an appeal to the Council of Europe for it to pay more attention to demographic, political and economic problems around the Mediterranean, and invited it to promote co-operation between local and regional authorities in the basin. Further to the conference, the Region of Puglia is setting up a foundation devoted to these topics, which could bear the following name : “European interregional centre for monitoring migrations and promoting trans-frontier co-operation in the Mediterranean”.
3.2 European Union
3.2.1 Euro-Mediterranean Conference
Any discussion of multilateral European efforts in the Mediterranean basin must pay special attention to and take due account of the activities being pursued by the European Union within its own sphere of action. It should be pointed out that the fifteen-member Union is no longer exclusively concerned with the changes in eastern Europe, and therefore dedicated to strengthening the new democracies, but has become aware of the threat posed to its own stability by the under-development of the Mediterranean region and is attempting to remedy that region's long-standing relegation to the sidelines. This new outlook has led to a decision to step up co-operation in the broader sense.
However, before that decision could be taken the differences existing within the Union had to be overcome. On one side, there was the attention of all kinds that the countries of eastern Europe needed, and still need today, which caused the countries on the Mediterranean's southern shore, and above all those of the Maghreb, to feel not only that Europe was ignoring them but even that it was turning its back on them. On the other, there was the position of the Mediterranean countries of Europe, which were well placed to monitor the situation and to foster integration and which, seeing that they were the first affected by what happened in the region and the most exposed to the dangers of widespread destabilisation in neighbouring areas, called for the Union to rebalance its policy between the two regions of prime importance to its security.
The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and its consequences - German reunification and the geopolitical reorganisation of eastern Europe; the Gulf war and its impact on Euro-Arab relations; the Algerian crisis and the potential risks it entails for the whole of the Maghreb; and the development of Islamic militancy, frequently with anti-western overtones, which feeds on the worsening economic situation and the population growth described above, finally convinced the European Union that it must develop such a policy, while of course not forgetting the need to reintegrate the countries of central and eastern Europe into the European area.
From the point of view of the European Union, the rediscovered need to co-operate with the countries south of the Mediterranean and promote their development is to some extent bound up with a security rationale: greater wellbeing will reduce migratory pressure, weaken the influence of Islamic fundamentalists and, therefore, alleviate the danger of internal conflicts spreading outside the region. There is no doubt that this new attitude was influenced by the domestic situation in Algeria and the outbreaks of Islamic extremism in Egypt and Turkey.
However, the European Union also has a genuine economic and political interest in fostering the creation of a prosperous greater Mediterranean area, since the region is rich in natural resources which Europe needs, its population growth poses a serious problem, the countries concerned already trade on a large scale with the EU, and they represent an interesting potential market which, in the event of a resumption of economic growth and a rise in demand matched by the ability to pay, could have a very stimulating effect on European exports.
The Euro-Mediterranean Project, which has its origins in the Barcelona Conference of 1995, aims to further the efforts to transform the region into an area conducive to the sustainable, integrated economic and social development of all the countries of the Mediterranean basin and, to achieve this ambitious objective, includes a series of measures, which can be classified according to more tangible objectives: political co-operation and security, as means of establishing a common area of peace and stability; economic and financial co-operation, as means of creating an area of shared prosperity; and co-operation in the social, cultural and human spheres to facilitate the development of human resources and foster intercultural understanding and exchanges between the different countries' civil societies. These latter objectives are also particularly relevant to the Council of Europe's interests and responsibilities within its sphere of action.
The following elements of this project have been identified by Professor Gabriel Guzmán as reasons for optimism; they also provide the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with food for thought:
- The project represents a multilateral approach, the outcome of a maturation process, which complements and provides a framework for the separate bilateral agreements concluded with each country.
- It includes an ambitious plan to set up a free trade area by the year 2010, which must gradually be given shape and implemented as the background against which exchanges within the area will develop. When the time comes this free trade area may bring together 600 to 800 million individuals from 30 to 40 countries.
- It entails a significantly higher level of financial co-operation, with 4,685 million ECU earmarked for the 1995-99 period, a figure which may be increased, notably by resources made available by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and bilateral contributions from the Union's member states.
- It balances the EU's external relations, which in the sphere of financial co-operation attached far more importance to the countries of central and eastern Europe than to those on the shores of the Mediterranean.
- It broaches extremely important political issues, including a commitment to strengthen democracy and respect for human rights and to promote regional security, with the aim of laying the foundations of a stable, safe Mediterranean area.
- It encompasses co-operation in the economic sphere, seeking to modernise economic and social structures, to promote entrepreneurial capacities in the domestic economies, to set up semi-public companies, to encourage women to participate in economic development, to improve infrastructure, etc.
- It entails an undertaking to devise a programme of priority environment protection measures and to marshall the appropriate technical and financial support.
- It includes an innovative initiative in the social and human field, with the aim of helping to improve training schemes and exchanges at the levels of civil society, political and cultural circles, universities, trade unions, businesses, the media, etc.
3.2.2 Follow up to the Conference : Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
The European Union has started setting up the new Partnership announced in the Final Declaration of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference held in Barcelona. The initiatives taken are very important. Some of the projects launched in the context of this partnership have already been concluded. Work is progressing at considerable pace.
In the spring of this year the second Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference was held in Malta (15-16 April). Participants took stock of the work completed and underlined their support for its continuation, indeed the strengthening of the Partnership. An obvious sign of this willingness is the statement made in the final declaration according to which participants would like to earmark 4.685 million ECUs from EU funds to finance it.
However, one could define the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership as still a largely inter-governmental initiative. The European Parliament has taken steps to associate itself with the Partnership, a move which the participants have welcomed. However, the concrete contents of this association have yet to be defined.
As regards the association with local and regional authorities, one notes the absence of initiatives at the date of the Malta conference and the temporary suspension, because of administrative difficulties, of programmes aimed at financing decentralised co-operation in the Mediterranean.
4. Current thinking at the Council of Europe
4.1 Parliamentary Assembly
The Parliamentary Assembly has always manifested a sustained interested for co-operation in the Mediterranean and, with this conviction, has wished, inter alia, to organise jointly with the CLRAE conferences on Mediterranean Regions.
Faced with many initiatives lunched and set up in this are in the framework of various organisations, but especially following the European Union’s Euro Mediterranean Conference, the Council of Europe should focus on issues which are within its sphere of competence and which can be dealt with at the institutional levels which are specific to the organisation.
In this spirit, the Committee has deemed it interesting to develop dialogue with Parliaments and local authorities from the basins’s southern and eastern shores. Such a dialogue should make possible, on the one hand, concrete co-operation on some particularly suitable matters such as the environment, culture or migration problems, and, on the other hand, help to put into place the mechanisms and structures that will contribute to ensure stability and peace in the region.
By focusing on inter-parliamentary and inter-regional dialogue and on developing it, the Council of Europe can bring a contribution that is specific and complimentary to the co-operation carried out by various other organisations.
As to that which most particularly concerns co-operation with the IPU, which is at the origin of the CSCM process, which consists in periodically organising conferences on co-operation and security in the Mediterranean, the Rapporteur is convinced that the approach of both assemblies is complementary.
This complementary nature is even more interesting in that it appears now useful to deal with Mediterranean countries by means of a global approach encompassing the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, and that countries bordering the Black Sea are all members of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Interparliamentary Union.
4.2 Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
In 1996, the CLRAE adopted a Resolution and a Recommendation which follow up to the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions (Limassol, 1995) and in which the Congress made proposals as to the Council of Europe’s Mediterranean policy.
Resolution 36 (1996) underlines its commitment to formulating a Mediterranean of Europe for the Council of Europe. The Congress states it would welcome more support for local authority activities around the Mediterranean. It also suggests that actions should be undertaken to promote the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the south shore, and declares its readiness to contribute to the Barcelona process in the field of inter-territorial co-operation.
In its Recommendation 21 (1996), the Congress insists on the need to adopt a Mediterranean policy for the Council of Europe and notably to put into place co-operation programmes which are complementary to those for Central and Eastern Europe. It requests for that the support of the Parliamentary Assembly.
In September 1997, the Committee of Ministers replied to this Recommendation and proposed to hold a dialogue with the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE in autumn 1997 with a view to preparing the fifth conference of Mediterranean Regions.
4.3 Views of the Committee of Ministers and the Rapporteurs Group
The Report on Co-operation in the Mediterranean Basin that the Committee submitted to the Assembly in September 1994, and the contributions of six other committees, have brought to light the fact that the majority of the activities developed by the Council of Europe in the field of Mediterranean co-operation, have been the fruit of concrete initiatives which do not fit into an overall policy of the Organisation in that domain.
Aside from this observation, the Assembly had indicated all interest in a coherent approach and above all in the role that such an approach could bring to stability and to the development of peace and democracy in the region. Therefore, in its Recommendation 1249 (1994) the Assembly formulated the wish that member country governments engage in a policy of co-operation in the Mediterranean basin to be set up within the Council of Europe.
While expressing some interest in this question, the Committee of Ministers did not share the Assembly’s will to see the Council of Europe follow this road. In its response (Doc. 7264) to Recommendation 1249 (1994), it shared the Assembly’s view to assure stability and democratic security in the Mediterranean basin thanks to solidarity and co-operation between the two shores.
Yet, as far as ways of co-operating are concerned, the Committee of Ministers suggested that southern shore countries become observers or associate members of certain legal instruments and that they be invited to joint the partial agreement on which the Council of Europe’s North-South centre is based, which in its specific sphere of competence, can play a full role in the region, but it pointed out that these countries have not shown up to the present a great interest in becoming parties to certain conventions.
On the other hand, one can welcome the Committee of Ministers’ decision to set up an internal ad hoc working party charged specifically with following the evolution of the Council of Europe’s relations with the states concerned. When drawing up the party’s terms of reference, the Committee of Ministers also determined the domains where the relations could be developed if the coastal states showed the desire. It specified that this could relate, inter alia, to the setting up of democratic institutions, to the promotion of the rule of law and human rights, to migrations, the environment…
Since the constitution of this working party within the Committee of Ministers, one can hope that it will be more inclined to paying attention to Mediterranean issues.
One of the first positive signs was certainly that the group was represented by its President at the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions, which was held in Cyprus in September 1995. But, unfortunately, one most at the same time deplore the fact that the Committee of Ministers has not followed the proposals made on the occasion of that same conference, and has not deemed it useful to take the necessary steps to try to associate the Council of Europe with the Euro-Mediterranean Conference organised by the European Union in Barcelona in November 1995, and with the vast co-operation programme with southern shore countries which resulted from it.
To the Committee’s great disappointment, the participation of the Council of Europe was limited to sending an extremely succinct and factual document in which stock was taken of different activities and initiatives of the Organisation in this domain.
Currently, the Committee of Ministers has been sent the latest texts adopted by the CLRAE and the proposals made therein, which its Rapporteurs Group is considering.
5. Proposals as to future co-operation
The 1st Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean, held in Malaga in 1992, revealed the need for a security and co-operation dynamic peculiar to the Mediterranean, so that the region, which remains one of the hubs of world peace, will not degenerate into a place of destructive polarisation or become the dividing line between north and south, but quite the opposite - a contact zone.
The idea of Mediterranean co-operation has been taking shape both in intergovernmental relations and in exchanges among the region's inhabitants. On the northern shore, the OSCE, the European Union, NATO and the Council of Europe itself have, to differing extents, devised a specific Mediterranean policy. On the southern shore, there have been similar signs of a growing awareness of the external and internal reasons for the inadequate level of Euro-Mediterranean co-operation and of the outlook for the future. In this connection, attention should be drawn to the Forum for Mediterranean Dialogue and Co-operation held in Alexandria in July 1994.
Mediterranean co-operation initiatives are fast taking shape as a result of the governments' and the international organisations' realisation that the region is not only behind with its development but is also of importance to world, and particularly European, stability.
All this goes to show that, as was pointed out in Recommendation 1249 (1994), the Mediterranean basin is a region of paramount importance for Europe, and therefore for the Council of Europe. This brings us to the conclusion that our organisation should devise a Mediterranean project, just as other international organisations for which Europe is a raison d'ętre have done or are doing, a project which would be designed not so much to ensure that the Council of Europe's ideals are taken on board by those European countries of the Mediterranean basin where such values are lacking, since this is already the purpose of the activities normally carried on by the various entities that make up the Council itself, but to spread those ideals to the rest of the region by establishing solid ties through co-operation and exchanges.
The Council of Europe's Mediterranean project must set itself the objective of promoting and strengthening democracy, fundamental freedoms and human rights in the Mediterranean region, encouraging dialogue and exchanges between civilisations, cultures and religions as a necessary step towards mutual understanding and respect, and helping to establish a climate of security based on good-neighbourly relations and mutual trust.
At the same time, as it has already been said, the Council of Europe must from now on draw the conclusions of its enlargement in the Black Sea Basin which is now part of the territory of the Organisation. Insofar as this basin and that of the Mediterranean present common problems, the Council of Europe constitutes an appropriate forum to deal with them.
5.1 Fifth Conference of Mediterranean Regions
The Rapporteur is convinced of the need to convene a 5th Conference of Mediterranean Regions which marks an evolution in the Organisation’s Mediterranean policy.
To this a combined working group of the CLRAE and the Parliamentary Assembly has been set up to organise it. The group has put forward a double-pronged structure for the conference in order to take account of the ideas the Rapporteur reflects in his report.
Thus, in order to keep in mind the new geographical dimension of the Council of Europe, the Conference could dedicate a day of analysis to sustainable development problems in the Black Sea – Mediterranean system, and most particularly to those concerning protection of the environment. On the second day, participants could give some thought to the role that the Council of Europe might play in these domains. Firstly, it would come to analysing which Council of Europe treaties could possibly contribute to resolving the problems mentioned in this report (and how). Secondly, it is necessary to evaluate whether the Council of Europe can contribute, in view of its experience in this domain, to setting up a forum for political dialogue grouping together parliaments and other inter-parliamentary organisations of the two basins, in order to pool sustainable development strategies for the region. Lastly, it is necessary to evaluate the interest of associating with representatives of local and regional authorities from the two basins and study the best formula for such an association.
The Rapporteur welcomes and supports the proposal of the combined group of the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE, to change the title of these conferences in order to better reflect their structure and goals. The generic name proposed, i.e. “Conferences on inter-parliamentary and inter-regional co-operation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea”, albeit more complicated than the previous one, has the virtue of being more precise.
5.2 Conclusion
As far as the environment and, to a lesser extent, sustainable development, are concerned, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have very similar problems and are closely intertwined, to the extent that one could speak of a single “Mediterranean-Black Sea System”. This should be born in mind when dealing with problems, environmental and other, which affect both basins.
All of the Black Sea Rim countries are now members or special guests of the Council of Europe and therefore have access to the Organisations forums and treaties. Although the same cannot be said about Mediterranean countries, it is nevertheless true that the Organisation has paid much interest to Mediterranean affairs and constantly sought new partnerships in that area.
Local and Regional Authorities from both basins are co-operating actively among themselves. However, there is no forum representing local and regional authorities from all of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Because of this, and because the structure and responsibilities of local government vary considerably country-by-country, they find it difficult to share their experience and co-ordinate their effort.
All this leads the Rapporteur to think that the Parliamentary Assembly should be instrumental in developing a political dialogue regarding the various problems which affect the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, open to both Parliaments and local and regional authorities. A first step in this direction could be for the Parliamentary Assembly to invite members of parliament from the southern shore of the Mediterranean to attend some of its committee meetings. Further dialogue could take place in the framework of the ‘Conferences of Mediterranean Regions’, which could be renamed to reflect this new policy.
Reporting committee : Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities.
Budgetary implications for the Assembly : None.
Reference to committee : Permanent mandate and Doc. 6618, Reference No. 1789 of 30 June 1992.
Draft resolution and draft recommendation adopted by the committee on 11 December 1997.
Members of the committee : Mr Briane (Chairman), Mr Ruffy (Vice-Chairman), Ms Aytaman (Vice-Chairperson), Ms Severinsen (Vice-Chairperson), MM. Abdulatipov, Akçali, Andreoli, Assis Miranda, M Blaauw, Ms Blunck, MM Boka, Cerny, Sir Syndney Chapman (Alternate: Pickles), MM Chircop, Christodoulides, Ms Ciemniak, MM Ciupaila, Cox, Ms Dromberg, MM Erroi, Feldmann, Frunda, Giannattasio, Gregory, Gyorivanyi, Haraldsson, Hoeffel, Ms Jaruga-Nowacka, Mr Johansson, Ms Johansson, MM Koci, Korakas, Kovacevic, Kukk, Martinez Casan, Minkov, Molnar, Mota Amaral, Mozetic, Olivo, Penz, Plattner, Prokes, Prosser, Prusi, Rakhansky, Recoder, Ms Riess-Passer, MM Rise, Samofalov, Shishlov, Skoularikis, Sobyanin, Staes, Steolea, Svoboda, Theis, Toshev (Alternate: Ivanov), Valkeniers, Woltjer, Yamgnane, Zierer.
The names of those members present at the meeting are printed in italics.
Secretaries to the committee : Mrs Cagnolati-Staveris, Mr Grau Tanner, Mr Chevtchenko.
Appendices :
1. Programme of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions
2. Final declaration of the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions
3. Programme of the 1st Inter-Parliamentary Conference of the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea
4. Final Declaration of the 1st Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea
5. Final Declaration of the Conference on Sustainable Spatial Development for the Blck Sea Region
6. Final Declaration of the International Conference of Bari
Appendix I
Appendix II
Strasbourg 4 October 1995
AS/CG/MED (1995) 4
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
CONGRESS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES OF EUROPE
4th CONFERENCE OF MEDITERRANEAN REGIONS
Cyprus, 20-22 September 1995
"THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN :
ENVIRONMENT, DEMOGRAPHY AND MIGRATIONS"
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FINAL DECLARATION
1/ The participants at the 4th Conference of Mediterranean Regions, held in Cyprus from 20 to 22 September 1995, thank the Council of Europe and in particular its
Parliamentary Assembly and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe for organising this Conference.
2/ They also thank the Cypriot authorities and in particular the municipalities of Nicosia and Limassol for their welcome and their hospitality.
3/ The representatives of Mediterranean towns and regions have compared their experiences with a view to cooperating in the fields covered by the Conference, ie the sustainable development of the Mediterranean Basin and, in particular, the problems of demography and migration, water resources and forest management.
4/ They consider that the Mediterranean Basin, a meeting place for different cultures and a region of vital importance to the European continent, is a potential source of instability owing to the widening gap in economic development between the two shores, increasing migration due to demographic and socio-economic imbalances, further exacerbated by the growth of fundamentalist tendencies and the inadequacy of political structures in some of the countries concerned.
5/ They stress the importance of co-operation between local regional authorities for the political stability and economic development of the Mediterranean Basin and believe that the Council of Europe can contribute to the promotion and possibly the coordination of certain co-operation projects, particularly through the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
6/ However, they believe that such co-operation will be fully effective only if it forms part of a Mediterranean policy of the European organisations and, in particular, of the Council of Europe, in keeping with the Council’s pioneering role in the common management of European affairs. This policy must be framed at both governmental and parliamentary level and should complement the policy practised towards the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
With regard to demography, migration and efforts to combat intolerance:
7/ They consider that the countries of the northern shore have now completed the period of demographic transition resulting, inter alia, in the ageing of the population and a falling birth-rate, whereas the period of transition is in progress in the countries of the southern shore, with the opposite consequences. These consequences have socio-economic, environmental and cultural implications affecting the whole of Europe owing to the interdependence of its relations with the countries of the southern shore.
8/ They believe that demographic and migratory trends in countries of the southern Mediterranean shore are likely, by the 2020s, to give rise to social and political problems for countries of both the southern and the northern shores of the Mediterranean Basin, and even for Europe as a whole; they accordingly welcome the Council of Europe’s work in this field, and in particular that of the Conference on Demographic Problems in the Mediterranean Basin (Palma de Mallorca, 1996).
9/ They recall the importance of the proposal put forward at the 3rd Conference in Taormina in April 1993 for setting up a "European Migrations Foundation" and wish that this project be put into effect.
10/ They support the Council of Europe's Campaign against Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism and Intolerance which, through its actions, facilitates the social integration of immigrant populations in the host countries, as well as exchanges and the cultural enrichment of European societies.
11/ They welcome the offer from the Region of Apulia to host a Mediterranean meeting on this theme in 1996 and believe, in particular, that it would be advisable:
- to identify the respective roles:
. of local and regional authorities in receiving immigrants and furthering their social integration, while respecting their identity and in a spirit of tolerance and intercultural dialogue;
. of non-governmental organisations and their dialogue with local and regional elected representatives, with special reference to associations representing migrant populations;
. of the media and its responsibility in the fight against intolerance and racism and the necessity for a professional code of ethics in this field.
- and to take measures to increase resources aimed at the promotion of multi-cultural activities and, in particular, support for associations working in this field.
With regard to the management of water resources:
12/ They note that the considerable difference in the state of water resources is an important factor for imbalance between the north and the south of the Mediterranean Basin.
13/ Moreover, the demographic growth and rapid urbanisation in the southern Mediterranean countries will, in the fairly near future, mean that some of them will have completely used up their conventional resources. This will necessitate recourse to unconventional resources such as fossil water, desalinated sea and brackish water, and treated waste water, as part of a strict approach to an integrated water resource management.
14/ An integrated water resource management, which is a fundamental component of sustainable development, requires us to evaluate and take account of the effects in water resources of our choice of economic, environmental, agricultural and energy policies.
15/ They are convinced of the need to develop co-operation between local and regional authorities and bodies responsible for resource management and utilisation, and welcome the initiatives already being carried out in this field by the members of the Mediterranean Water Institute.
With regard to forest management:
16/ They note that the degradation of the Mediterranean forest, primarily through fires on the northern side of the basin and through deforestation on the southern side, is one of the region’s main environmental problems, because it often results in soil erosion, or indeed the desertification of the land.
17/ They notice that the socio-economic and climatic evolution of the Mediterranean countries is causing changes in the environment and the landscapes and is tending to encourage forest and soil degradation.
18/ They notice that traditional cultivation of trees such as the olive-tree are of great value to the environment and useful for conserving biodiversity, and they consider that greater attention should be paid not only to ecological and landscape interests but also the economic value of the Mediterranean forest systems.
19/ They are in favour of the setting up ofa network of forestry study centres and administrative departments responsible for forests with a view to pooling their work and experience;
20/ They propose the adoption of co-operation agreements in the area of combating forest fires with a view to making technical equipment and specialised staff available, and providing staff training.
They request that the Council of Europe:
21/ Approves a Mediterranean co-operation programme dealing, in accordance with the Organisation's role, with respect for human rights and the rule of law and the establishment of democratic and pluralist institutions.
22/ Creates an appropriate political and legal framework to encourage, in view of the interdependence of Mediterranean relations, in particular in the field of migration phenomena and their close link to the local dimension, the introduction of co-operation programmes in the field of development, aimed, in particular, at local and regional authorities in the host countries and their opposite numbers in the countries of origin.
23/ Reinforces the Mediterranean dimension of the dialogue being conducted by the Council of Europe's North/South Centre, notably by opening a Liaison Bureau in Limassol (Cyprus) to maintain links with the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This office would, inter alia gather information on the various co-operation schemes which currently exist in the Mediterranean area, and disseminate it amongst local and regional authorities.
24/ Promotes the role of the Council of Europe's North/South Centre in the Mediterranean Basin, in particular in the fields of education and economics, as well as in the establishment of programmes aiming at mutual comprehension between different cultures and between countries having disparate levels of development.
25/ In the field of water resource management, encourages and supports bilateral and multilateral exchanges, particularly at local and regional authority level, dealing with:
- the transfer of knowledge and exchange of experience;
- training programmes for decision-makers and managers;
- information and awareness-raising for local councillors and user representatives;
- awareness-raising and education for users to enable them to participate in the management of their own resources, in particular through the medium of non-governmental organisations.
26/ Implements a co-operation programme establishing a common European strategy to combat forest fires in order to develop an action plan and measures to prevent and extinguish forest fires and rehabilitate forests.
27/ Encourages the exchange of experience and forestry techniques between specialists and managers, who are primarily local and regional authorities, and promote co-operation in this field with the countries of the southern side of the Mediterranean.
They request that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe:
28/ Adopts the draft Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation in the form of an open convention, thus enabling any interested non-member Mediterranean countries to accede to it.
They call on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe to:
29/ Set up permanent structures to maintain links with their partners on the southern shore of the Mediterranean with a view to intensifying co-operation in the fields of parliamentary and local democracy and inter-regional partnership.
They call on the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) to:
30/ Pay particular attention to the situation in the Mediterranean region at their next meeting in Cyprus in 1997, which will deal with water resource management, and to incorporate forestry policies in to its work programme.
They call on the Mediterranean regions to:
31/ Implement the proposals appearing in this declaration, if possible by pooling their experiences in order to develop projects of co-operation.
They call on the European Union to:
32/ Invite the Council of Europe to take part in the Euro-Mediterranean Conference to be held in Barcelona on 27-28 November 1995 and to involve it in the activities of the Union’s bodies with a view to implementing the programme of co-operation to be adopted, particularly in the areas mentioned in paragraph 19 above, and as far as sustainable development in the Mediterranean Basin is concerned.
33/ They take note of the decision made in Taormina at the 3rd Conference and welcome the invitation from the Region of Languedoc-Roussillon to hold the 5th Conference in Montpellier in 1997.
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
AS/LOC/PABSEC (1996) 4
FIRST INTER-PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE
ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
OF THE BLACK SEA
ISTANBUL, 10-12 July 1996
FINAL DECLARATION
The participants in the Conference on the Environmental Protection of the Black Sea (Istanbul, 10-12 July 1996), including members of 25 national parliaments, were gathered on the joint initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC). At this first interparliamentary conference, the participants examined reports presented by experts on the following subjects :
a) the present environmental situation in the Black Sea Basin aggravated by an ecosystem which, in itself, is particularly fragile;
b) the sources of pollution to the Black Sea, namely : rivers, direct discharges of industrial and domestic effluents, solid waste disposal and dumping, pollution arising from normal operations of and accidents by ships, atmospherically transported contaminants;
c) measures to be taken (technological, political, legislative and economic); and
d) the raising of public awareness and the need to take measures to ensure public participation.
The participants underlined that the protection of the Black Sea Basin which covers seventeen States, six of which are Black Sea coastal States and which together have a population of 160 million inhabitants, is a European responsibility of the first order.
The participants, following consideration of the alarming degradation of the Black Sea environment, its biodiversity, landscape, fish stocks, touristic resources and the health of many of its coastal populations, resolved the following :
Concerning the general state of the Black Sea
1. To express the need for urgent action to protect and restore the marine and coastal environment of the Black Sea and to inform the appropriate assemblies of all constituent countries of this need for urgent action.
2. That efforts should be maintained and further enhanced to scientifically assess the nature of the problems affecting the Black Sea and the straits of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, their causes - including increasing pollution from land-based sources, rivers and dense shipping, particularly of ships carrying dangerous cargoes and the possible risk of pollution, caused on the one hand by collisions or shipwrecks and, on the other by discharges of various kinds - as well as their effects and social and economic implications. Given the alarming degree of the pollution in the Black Sea, it is imperative that the Black Sea countries promote a program of comprehensive scientific study of these factors using agreed common methodologies. In this connection, due regard should also be given to the Draft Black Sea Action Plan. The participants recognised the important contribution of the scientific institutions of the Black Sea countries which remain active despite the financial difficulties experienced by them. They also recognised the efforts of international organisations in providing necessary outside support to the scientific institutions in the Black Sea countries but feel that this work should be sustained in the future in order to continuously monitor the state of the environment of the Black Sea Basin.
3. That if appropriate measures - including the obligation to make and environmental impact assessments - are not taken in the regional planning, industrial policy and environmental policy, the region's economic development may well increase pollution of industrial origin and have as a consequence unsatisfactory development of the coastal zone.
Concerning the urgent need for international co-operation and action
4. To bring to the attention of all relevant instances the international nature of the Black Sea's environmental problems and the need for actions to be taken as part of a globally and mutually supportive approach with other regions of the world. In particular, it was recognized that a large fraction of the pollution entering the Black Sea, notably that of nitrogen and phosphorus is brought from major international rivers, notably the Danube and the Dnieper, and that these rivers drain substantial areas of thirteen countries, spanning about one-third of the total area of Europe.
5. That, in view of the large number of countries contributing to the environmental problems of the Black Sea Basin, a basin-wide forum should be established. This should enable an active and action-oriented dialogue to take place between all countries upon which the future environmental and economic sustainability of the Black Sea depend.
6. That co-operation with the Mediterranean countries should be furthered in order to exchange information and experience concerning the protection of the marine and coastal environment.
7. In view of the global importance of the Black Sea's biodiversity and landscape to encourage the widest possible international support to the measures deemed necessary to restore and protect it.
8. To encourage the governments of the countries in the Black Sea Basin to support on-going programmes for international co-operation in the Black Sea, notably the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC), the Secretariat of the Commission of the Bucharest Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Istanbul Commission) and BSEC. In the case of the Istanbul Commission, the relevant participants were encouraged to request their governments to honour the commitments made for the formation of the Secretariat during the ratification of the Convention itself.
9. To support NGO participation in national and international actions.
Concerning the needs for improved and harmonised legislation
10. Whilst accepting that political, cultural and social circumstances require legislation to be adapted to the needs of each country, to recognise the need for common environmental quality objectives for the Black Sea.
11. To propose the necessary amendments to national laws in order to achieve the agreed quality objectives.
12. To promote the adoption and accelerate the enforcement of the relevant international agreements such as :
- Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Bucharest, 1992),
- Ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea (Odessa, 1993),
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 1973/78),
- Council of Europe Convention on Civil Liability for Damage resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment (Lugano, 1993),
- Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979).
13. With a view to achieving sustainable development, to establish the legal framework for the implementation of the precautionary principle, the polluter-pays principle, introduction of user fees for environmental goods and services, promoting the transparency of, and access to, information, and to enhance public participation.
Regarding the specific actions proposed in the Draft Black Sea Strategic Action Plan
14. Having received the draft text of the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan (prepared by government and independent experts of the six Black Sea coastal countries with the support of the GEF Black Sea Environmental Programme), to promote an active inter-sectoral dialogue in the region on the aims and contents of the Draft Action Plan in order that the final draft reflects the widest possible views of the Black Sea countries. This process will culminate in a Ministerial Conference scheduled for 30-31 October 1996.
15. That active assistance should be given to the development of National Black Sea Strategic Action Plans in order to enable each Black Sea country to make appropriate and sustainable use of its coastal and marine resources and to actively contribute to the common objective of restoring and protecting the Black Sea. These Action Plans should be adopted by July 1997.
16. To work together to complete and enhance the protocols to the Bucharest Convention, particularly on Biodiversity and Landscape, Dumping, and the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste.
17. To study the proposal for establishing a Black Sea Environmental Fund to be partly financed through the region-wide application of agreed economic instruments.
Regarding the role of PABSEC and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and their future co-operation
18. That there is a need for, on the one hand, legislative initiatives taken by national parliaments and, on the other, for development of interparliamentary dialogue which aims at encouraging, supporting and developing intergovernmental co-operation.
19. That the joint initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC) in organising the Conference, is a highly welcome contribution to solving the environmental problems of the Black Sea Basin.
20. To fully acknowledge the important role played by the international organisations and institutions (World Bank, UNEP, EBRD, European Union ...) engaged in safeguarding the Black Sea and to encourage them to continue their efforts to promote the sustainable development of the region.
21. To welcome the support of organisations representing other public and private sectors.
22. To encourage future joint activities between the relevant international organisations and institutions, including regular dialogues, in order to monitor the implementation of the actions included in this Declaration and the implementation of conventions and policy declarations including the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan.
23. To proclaim 1998 as the "Year for the conservation of the Mediterranean and Black Sea Systems" in order to create awareness at all levels of the problems of these two seas, to mobilise the ecological conscience of the peoples of European countries and of countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
24. To request the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC) to examine this Declaration in order to follow it up in accordance with their respective procedure and practice.
Adopted on 12 July 1996 in Istanbul.
Appendix 5
Appendix 6