Brussels, 13/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - The 4th Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference on water began in Barcelona on Tuesday 13 April. It is hoped that the conference will result in the adoption of a Strategy for Water in the Mediterranean (SWM), a first draft of which was prepared at the previous meeting in Jordan in December 2008. The stated aim of the conference is to agree a long-term plan for water as an environmental, economic and social instrument in the Mediterranean region. The Spanish Presidency of the EU, under the aegis of which the meeting is taking place, says that the strategy will create “a common political, methodological, and financing framework to facilitate the implementation of regional policies in the water field”. On Tuesday, AFP reported that adoption of the text of the strategy had been put in danger, however, by reference to the Palestinian Territories which Israel opposed.
The conference will also provide an excellent opportunity to study options for dealing with common water problems, such as, for example, the effects of climate change or extreme phenomena, such as droughts or floods Other issues to be taken into account in the Mediterranean region are rapid population growth, socio-economic differences, water pollution, pressure on natural eco-systems and loss of bio-diversity. The strategy which it is hoped will be adopted in Barcelona will be presented during a Euro-Mediterranean conference on the environment which is scheduled to take place in Dubrovnik on 21-22 April, then at the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference on agriculture, which will be held in Egypt on 15-16 June. Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) heads of state and government will also discuss this issue at a summit scheduled for Barcelona on 7 June, said the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. (F.B./transl.rt)