Exemplary cooperation in addressing contemporary challenges

After 50 years of existence, RAMOGE remains a unique model of regional cooperation and a benchmark in the Mediterranean, as it is the only agreement to combine both anti-pollution measures and biodiversity conservation. The Agreement has often been praised for its pragmatism and concrete results. In this respect, the existence of a permanent secretariat since its inception has enabled swift and effective action, as is also the case for the Pelagos and ACCOBAMS agreements for the protection of cetaceans, whose permanent secretariats are likewise based in Monaco, an international hub for ocean governance.

In the field of pollution control, RAMOGEPOL has strongly influenced the creation of a similar agreement between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, adopted in 2005, the Adriatic Contingency Plan. More broadly, synergies are occasionally developed, for example with Spain in monitoring Ostreopsis ovata, or with Lebanon and the countries of the Maghreb in the fight against marine litter.

Partnerships with other stakeholders have also been strengthened, notably through the signing in 2024 of a memorandum of understanding for joint action with the Pelagos Agreement, whose geographical scope is similar to that of RAMOGEPOL and whose origins date back to the early 1990s with RAMOGE’s involvement. Likewise, RAMOGE works closely with the activity centers of the Mediterranean Action Plan and the United Nations Environment Program (SPA/RAC, MED POL).

The Agreement’s current work program, now a benchmark in information and awareness for both recreational and professional sea users, includes activities addressing emerging challenges, such as monitoring sea turtle nesting, recreational fishing, collaborative governance of marine protected areas, and ongoing innovation, particularly in pollution response techniques.

RAMOGE thus continues to set the standard for effective regional cooperation, combining environmental protection, technological progress, and the engagement of local and international stakeholders to address the present and future challenges of the Mediterranean.

Guide on combating waste, developed as part of a RAMOGE cooperation with Lebanon, first and last pages, 2005. A.N.M., RAMOGE collection, 2025/36.

Signing of the memorandum of understanding between RAMOGE and Pelagos by Florent Champion, Executive Secretary of the RAMOGE Agreement, and Viola Cattani, Deputy Executive Secretary of Pelagos. In the background, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, whose foundation is also actively engaged in environmental protection and planetary health, alongside the Ambassadors of France and Italy to the Principality, Jean d’Haussonville and Giulio Alaimo. Photograph by Axel Bastello, March 22, 2024. A.P.M.

A hatchling loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) emerging from its nest on a beach in Fréjus. This species is nesting increasingly frequently on beaches within the RAMOGE area due to climate change. Photograph by Stéphane Jamme, RAMOGE Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea,” 2020. RAMOGE Archives.

Recreational fishing, from the shore or small boats, is increasingly practiced in the RAMOGE area. Although it is subject to regulations, enforcement remains limited, and both its impact and fishermen’s awareness of these regulations are still insufficiently understood. Photographs by Biagio Salerno and Didrik De Terwangne (Palermo and Byblos), RAMOGE Photography Competition “The Man and the Sea,” 2020. RAMOGE Archives.

Practical demonstration of a sampling kit by an ISPRA operator aboard the patrol vessel Vitamar III of the Monaco Maritime Affairs Directorate, as part of a training day in the Principality on marine pollutant sampling techniques, photograph, November 7, 2024. RAMOGE Archives.