Oran, April 27: The countries of the western Mediterranean Monday called for a comprehensive plan for combatting environmental blight and climate change in the region.
The meeting of the so-called 5+5 countries on the western Mediterranean rim brought together the environment ministers of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania from Africa, and from Europe, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal. Malta is also a member of the informal group but was not in attendance.
“This meeting brought our views together. The ministers of 5+5 member countries are committed to work together on a comprehensive plan for the Mediterranean,” said Cherif Rahmani, head of the environment ministry of Algeria, which hosted the meeting in the western city of Oran.
“We need a common view, a common plan to fight against global warming,” he said at a press briefing.
The consensus reached at this first ministerial meeting on the environment “is a first step towards the future,” added Helena Espinosa Mangana, the representative of Spain which was co-host of the gathering.
The ministers agreed to a partnership between their energy sectors to create a pollution alert system in order to protect the marine environment.
They also called for making adaptation to climate change a priority in the region’s development and to design programmes to support the countries which are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to the Oran Declaration document.
Regarding renewable energy, the ministers were in favour of a transfer of technologies to the countries of the southern Mediterranean rim.
The next ministerial meeting is scheduled for 2011 in Portugal.
—Agencies