Abstract
Under the terms of the 1976 Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution, and the 1980 Protocol for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution from land-based sources, the coastal states of the region have to develop criteria and standards for various aspects of coastal water quality. These are being progressively developed within the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan, specifically within the Long-term Programme of Pollution Monitoring and Research in the Mediterranean Sea (MED POL Phase II).The impact of specific Mediterranean ecological conditions on health and related risks arising from specific uses of the sea, in relation to those risks arising from the same types of water use in regions with different conditions, and the effects of such differences on quality requirements, are discussed.The current situation in the Mediterranean region regarding national and international legislation for ensuring coastal water quality is described, together with the normal procedures for regional assessments of the situation with regard to specific pollutants and the formulation of proposed measures.The legal and technical problems involved in (a) the actual preparation of criteria and standards combining ecological and health requirements with political acceptability and (b) their adoption by Mediterranean states are described. These problems essentially arise out of the heterogeneous character of the states bordering the Mediterranean Sea, especially regarding the state of existing infrastructures for pollution prevention and control, including the availability of trained manpower and technical facilities, the degree of priority accorded to marine pollution within the overall framework of national requirements, the type of legal and administrative machinery for the enactment and enforcement of statutory provisions, and the implications of new or amended legislation vis-a-vis already-existing international obligations.
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