On December 6, at the COP in Istanbul, the Conference of Parties of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean adopted a regional plan to manage marine litter.

What is the problem
Every year an amount of 10 million tons of litter is estimated to end up in the world's oceans and seas. The consequences for human health, the environment and the economy are devastating. The root of the problem is land-based activities, although low levels of government investment are also a factor.

What will this plan do
The regional plan is a local effort to minimise marine litter presence and its impacts. It aims to prevent litter from entering the marine environment, remove existing litter where possible, using environmentally respectful methods, and to increase knowledge about the problem.
The actions outlined in the plan can also help EU Member States meet their obligation to achieve 'good environmental status' by 2020, under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

What does EU say about this
The plan adoption was welcomed by EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, who underlined its significance towards reaching the marine debris goals by 2025 as promised by the World Leaders at the Rio+20 summit last year and stated his hope other regional sea conventions to follow.

Is there anything citizens can do
The European Commission is currently asking citizens for opinions on how to solve the marine litter problem in Europe. The consultation is open until 18 December, at EC environment consultations.

(Article’s Source)