OSPAR Ministerial Meeting 2010
Bergen, Norway, 20-24 September 2010
The Norwegian Ministry of the Environment hosted the 2010 Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR Commission (“the North-East Atlantic Environment Summit”) in Bergen, Norway. The 15 countries and the European Union that are Contracting Parties to the OSPAR Convention took groundbreaking actions for the protection of the marine environment and also celebrated important achievements towards securing the sustainable future of the North-East Atlantic.
Important issues subject to in-depth consideration included:
- Actions and measures for the protection of marine biodiversity, including taking forward a coherent and well-managed network of marine protected areas, including six marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction;
- Climate change and ocean acidification;
- Achieving good environmental status in the North-East Atlantic by 2020, by providing the regional platform for implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The North-East Atlantic Environment Summit also launched the Quality Status Report 2010, a major holistic assessment of the quality status of the North East Atlantic. The Quality Status Report 2010 examines all aspects of human influence on the sea, including contaminants, nutrient pollution and radioactive substances and the effects of human activities such as the offshore oil and gas industry, offshore wind farms, maritime transport, and fisheries. It will guide OSPAR’s work and strategies in the period to 2020.
The Ministers and representatives from the 16 OSPAR Contacting Parties (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Union) heralded the summit as a truly significant occasion.
During the Summit the 12th UNEP Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Actions Plans was also held on 20-22 September 2010 in Bergen, Norway. OSPAR welcomed the global marine community and the Regional Seas Conventions used the opportunity to contribute, in the International Year of Biodiversity, to the global discussions on marine conservation.
North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy
Summary Record OSPAR/MMC 2010 (Outcome of the Ministerial Meeting)