Work in Parliament (PA-UfM) ROME: Maria da Graça Carvalho calls for a common baseline for negotiation from the two shores of the Mediterranean in order to build a sustainable world for the future generations
Today, in the 7th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, Maria da Graça Carvalho made an intervention in the Session concerning the Environment Protection Policies in the Mediterranean.
Maria da Graça Carvalho declared that the two shores of the Mediterranean "share common challenges in terms of environment, energy, climate change and sustainable development". Therefore "we urgently need a common plan to tackle issues such as the protection of the marine environment, the preservation of biodiversity, the improvement of air quality in urban regions, the availability and quality of water, the management of waste, the fight against climate change and the enhancement of energy security".
Ms Carvalho added that "in the immediate future two issues will be of utmost urgency: energy and climate change. In the energy area, diversification is the key word. On both sides of the Mediterranean, we need to diversify our sources of energy and this area has a huge potential for renewable energy. Joint initiatives to promote innovative projects for the production of clean energy together with the establishment of a true Mediterranean energy market with energy interconnections - north south but also south south - will improve energy security and create new sources of economic growth".
Yet, for Ms Carvalho, in the area of Climate change, 2011 will be a "crucial year". "We are approaching the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and there should be a new international agreement. The Mediterranean region will be one of the most affected in the world by the climate change phenomena. This will see an increase of the extension of the deserted areas with all the attendant adverse effects. Urgent action is required in terms of mitigation, adaptation, transfer of technology, capacity building of public administration, civil society and NGOs but also in terms of education, collaboration in research projects and creating networks between Universities".
Maria da Graça Carvalho takes part of the 46 delegation of MEPs headed by Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. The summit will bring together MEPs with parliamentarians from the EU's Mediterranean neighbours.