Horizon 2020: Helping protect the Mediterranean Sea from pollution

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank today are presenting the results of a study on potential investments addressing pollution hotspots in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The study, undertaken as part of the Commission's Horizon 2020 Initiative designed to tackle the major sources of Mediterranean pollution by the year 2020, recognises the need for a programme to help the countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean reduce the pollution they release into the sea. The decline of the Mediterranean threatens the health of the 143 million people living on its shore and jeopardises the long-term development of key economic sectors such as fishing and tourism. The proposed Mediterranean Hot Spot Investment Programme (MeHSIP) and the Horizon 2020 initiative are part of the European Union's cooperation with the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries involved in the Barcelona Process and covered by the EU's Neighbourhood Policy.

The EIB will now proceed in finalising a list of projects under the Mediterranean Hotspot Investment Programme based on the 44 projects already identified in seven Mediterranean countries. Among the criteria for determining the potential investment in projects are the projects' importance for the country or the Mediterranean region, how significantly they reduce pollution, the sustainability of the operations, and the loan repayment capacity of the projects' promoters and the amounts required from donors.

The MeHSIP will also contribute to closer collaboration between the European Investment Bank and other donors and initiatives in the region designed to integrate the environment in different sector policies in the Mediterranean.