Malta at the forefront of maritime initiatives

Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Leo Brincat said that Malta remains a leader in maritime initiatives in the Mediterranean region.

Brincat was addressing the Healthy Oceans – Productive Ecosystems (HOPE) Conference in Brussels. He said that while there are concerns over fragmented

Brincat said that there are concerns over fragmented efforts and pushed for pro-active cooperation between all the stakeholders in the region, including EU countries and others outside the Union.

The minister called for dynamic partnerships between North African countries as well as the Middle East so that goals can be more easily achieved, within the context of the Mediterranean.

Brincat said that Malta was taking an active part in preserving ecosystems in light of the Barcelona Convention and was in the process of revising the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development.

The environmental aspect must not be considered in isolation, according to Brincat, or there is the risk of overlooking other issues in the maritime context such as security, jurisdiction and research. It is for this reason that an inter-ministerial committee was set up to handle maritime issues.

Brincat said that an analysis of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is currently underway and once the directive is implemented, it will strengthen the country’s environmental status as it pertains to the sea and establish suitable goals for Maltese seas and their surroundings.