STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MEDITERRANEAN-BLACK SEA .doc

International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 1 Strategy for Sustainable Development in Mediterranean-Black Sea Area A system for environmental sustainability and shared prosperity FISPMED WORK PROPOSAL 1ST DRAFT of JANUARY 2008 International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 2 1. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN-BLACK SEA AREA WHY A MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGY? Premise The definition of sustainable development as a mean to “guarantee present needs without compromising the possibilities of future generations of getting the same”, is a conquest of the end of the past millennium. According to this proposition, sustainable development requires the achievement of a good quality of life, of peace and of a growing and right prosperity in a clean and safe environment. Nevertheless, it also needs of deep changes into the current development patterns and the socio-economic relations. Each environmental action, taken one by one, neither accomplishes the goal of sustainable development, nor can be simply bearer of prohibitions. The economic sustainability is a matter of a stable and lasting development which includes high levels of employment, low inflation rates and stability in international trade. Social sustainability deals with distributive equity, human and civil rights, migration and relationships among nations. With reference to the sustainable development of the Mediterranean-Black Sea area, multiples geopolitical and economic factors as well as the complex environmental issues must be taken into account. In fact, the Mediterranean-Black Sea area suffers of political instability, a difficult cultural situation, moderate economic development vs. a strong increase of foreign public debt in multiple countries, demographic pressures that increase migratory fluxes, the spreading of authoritarian ideologies, conflicts extension, religious fundamentalism, terrorism and the long-lasting conflict between Israel and Palestine. Although some countries have reached a successful socio-economic development and positive results in the process of democratization, instability in the area is increasing, even because of the worsening of the situation in the Balkans and the Middle East. Fundamentalism has generated terrorist acts at a local level as well as all over the world. The inner demographic pressures of the countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, together with those deriving from the sub-Saharian ones, have increased uncontrolled migratory phenomena. Finally, even if the Barcelona Process has furnished incentives for positive outcomes, thanks to the bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements, moderate socio-economic progresses have not produced significant results in the whole area. All these negative factors that concur to the chronicle instability caught the attention of the countries bordering the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea as well as those composing the European Community since the end of 80s, when the Mediterranean issues become a priority. As the Berlin Wall fell down and the Warsaw Pact was dissolved, the European Community (then European Union since 1992) shifted both its attention and its resources from the Southern countries of the Mediterranean toward East. Bilateral relationships with consequent investments in the Mediterranean can be seen as a function of the degree of proximity of the northern countries with respect to the southern ones. For instance, during 1993-1994 Sweden and Italy invested respectively the 1.1% and the 24.6% in the Mediterranean and the 11.2% vs. the 7.8% in the Eastern countries. International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 3 All the above mentioned geopolitical factors are interlaced together with the environmental ones and they determine a complex situation. The latter is worsened by the fact that many countries do not pursue homogenous and coherent policies with the goal of reaching sustainable development. Although therere considerable differences, the environmental factors characterizing the whole area can be listed as the following ones: -demographic increase: in 50 years it has determined almost the doubling of the population that is prevalently concentrated in the coastal zone; -pollution because of industrial waste (i.e. obsolete technologies used by a number of companies and firms) and waste disposal, especially all along the coastal areas near the big conurbations; -urbanization of a substantial part of the rural population, with a disproportioned increase of the urban areas; -augmentation of sea transports, especially of the oil ones, with creation of dangerous zones closed to the fixed routes and to the access areas of the ports; -increasing use of energy, as a consequence of the acceleration of growth in the southern countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, by deeply contributing to the pollution in the atmosphere; -rising use of water whereas there is a reduction of water reserves because of precipitation drops; -climate changes that will presumable provoke the elevation of the sea level, the acceleration of coastal erosion, the intrusion of sea water in the subsoil one, in the estuaries and in the river zones. Therefore, sustainable development is a global goal. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approved by 189 countries in September 2000 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation adopted in 2002 by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, emphasize the urgent need for greater commitment to reduce inequalities and assist poor countries in their development process. The need to change unsustainable production and consumption patterns as it has also been stated by the Marrakech process- , to protect and manage natural resources in a sustainable way for the social and economic development, for the safeguard of the health and with the aim to integrate efficiently the sustainable development goal within the globalization process, are clearly stressed among the objectives of the above mentioned documents. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSDD) also invokes coordination among regional as well as national strategies, while the international prescriptions must be adapted to the local circumstances and to the specific conditions of the eco-regions. Despite the progress made, there is a latent, but growing awareness from end to end of the Mediterranean-Black Sea area, that current development trends are not still sustainable. Mediterranean and Black Sea inhabitants know that they cannot any more keep using resources, building up coastal areas and developing industries, especially the tourist ones, without an adequate and integrated planning, a reduction of the gap between north and south and adequate political reforms. The Mediterranean partners have already made many progresses in this direction, thanks to the Barcelona Declaration and the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD). The Strategy represents an excellent opportunity for these partners to make substantial progresses toward sustainable development, as based on genuine partnership and cooperation. The Strategy requires actions aimed at pursuing sustainable development goals with a view to strengthening peace, stability and prosperity, by taking into account threats and weaknesses as well as strengths and opportunities of the area. It also stresses the need to reduce the gap between developed and developing countries. International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 4 Therefore, the challenge for all Mediterranean countries is to use this Strategy as a mean and an opportunity to implement coordinated actions and reach joint progresses in the fields of economic, human development and of the environmental and cultural protection. 2. TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: THE NEED AND THE WAY FORWARD The solution of Mediterranean-Black Sea environmental problems represents the base for the development of the region: this is why it is indispensable to put an end to the deterioration of the environment which is responsible for the economic and social costs increase. The region also needs to redirect its development to meet the economic and social needs, which are considerable in its south-east part, by definitively limiting and banking the process of deterioration of the environment. Therefore, the Strategy focuses mainly on the integration of environmental issues into key economic development sectors, while giving due consideration to the socio-cultural dimensions. As a basis for building up a dynamic regional progress of sustainable development, the Strategy outlines the main needs and challenges in the region, before going on to identify the four major objectives and define the sets of actions to be carried out in seven priority fields of action. 2.1. Sustainable development, an essential need to face development challenges in the Mediterranean- Black Sea area In general terms, the environmental challenge is one of most critical ones. Due to the environmental degradation, the Mediterranean-Black Sea area can loose its main resources, especially the agricultural and tourist ones that are those which make it a unique place. Continued poor management of the already scarce natural resources, like water, agricultural lands, energy and coastal zones, will compromise economic development, the quality of life and social stability. Endogenous and exogenous population dynamics, unemployment, social issues, lack of attention and laziness in entrepreneurial activities complete this framework. Besides, the globalization process might worsen and accelerate the negative trends without an efficient regional cooperation and better patterns of governance. The environmental challenge In the last decades, environmental deterioration has accelerated, by setting in motion irreversible trends like: The loss of valuable agricultural lands due to urbanization and salination. More than 80% of arid and dry areas are affected by desertification, while consequences will be exacerbated by the impact of climatic changes. The exploitation of water resources that are already threatened by depletion and degradation. The worsening of urban life and health standards due to traffic congestion, noise, bad air quality and the rapid growth of waste generation. Contamination of coastal areas and sea, edification and/or erosion of coastlines, depletion of fish resources. The loss of unique landscapes and biodiversity; highly populated coastal lands vs. inland abandoned ones, caused by over-exploitation vs. abandonment of territories. International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 5 The exposition of the region to flooding, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, fires and ecological imbalances which have a direct and immediate impact on the livelihood and the welfare of a large proportion of population. Despite the difficult to assign specific values, the costs of environmental degradation are evidently significant. The potential increase of environmental pressures on coastal regions over the coming 20 years is considerable, particularly in the tourist areas where more than 137 million of visitors are foreseen. Nevertheless it has been planned to redouble the volume of transports, to increase the energetic infrastructures, while the uncontrolled urban development will have to satisfy the requirements of more than 33 million persons. Continuous growth of unsustainable production and consumption patterns is likely to increase deterioration of the environmental costs. According to the World Bank, the amount of these costs is more or less the 3-5% of the GDP. Environment should not be considered as an additional constraint, but as a driving force, an asset and an incentive. Mediterranean and Black Sea inhabitants are now much more aware of the threats to their environment and to their unique natural and cultural heritage. Important political initiatives which have been adopted in almost all the countries of the area are useful to demonstrate that solution for specific problems of the different Mediterranean-Black Sea areas can be found. Nevertheless, such efforts are not sufficient to reverse current unsustainable development trends. Unless significant changes are made, the Mediterranean-Black Sea area the worlds leading tourist region- could jeopardize its major assets, by generating additional economic constraints and a deterioration of living standards. The demographic, economic, social and cultural challenges There is a stark contrast in the demographic situation between northern and southern countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea area. Northern Mediterranean countries face with the problem of an ageing population; on the contrary, population growth is still a major issue in southern and eastern countries, with an expected increase of 90 million people by 2025. However, a spectacular fall in fertility rates over the past ten years is now resulting in a demographic transition in these countries. Although Mediterranean-Black Sea area is traditionally a region of trade and transit, it has only occasionally succeeded in being competitive on international markets. Despite the success of some dynamic growth poles and clusters, too often its enterprises which are prevalently small and medium sizes lack of dynamism and competitiveness. They have not generally stood out in terms of innovation, as they were based for too long on a rent economy fostered by a mining-like exploitation of the regions geographical position and natural resources. A dramatic problem of labour market integration exists, particularly among youth. The north is not able to absorb the considerable pressure for emigration from southern and eastern Mediterranean countries which are faced by the need to create over 30 million new jobs by 2025. Unlike in comparable regions in other parts of the world, these countries have not yet managed to take off economically and average GDP per capita in purchasing power parity of several for them is still one-fifth of the level in Mediterranean EU-Black Sea countries. Most Mediterranean-Black Sea country economies, which have been insufficiently dynamic for the last 20 or 30 years, if compared with other regions of the world, are experiencing difficult employment situations, with unemployment rates ranging generally between 8 and 25 per cent. Poverty is tightly connected to the employment situation, as well as changes which marginalize categories of society, such as the rapid transformation of rural sectors, agricultural and handicraft. International Federation for Sustainable Development and Fight to Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea FISPMED office: Stazione Marittima, Fabbricato 255 30135 Venice Tel.0039.3455401704- fax. 0039.3455016429 info- 6 Social issues are, also, a major concern, particularly in southern and eastern Mediterranean-Black sea countries. Despite the progress, they are still backward in terms of literacy and gender equality. Poverty, especially in rural areas, is still a dominant problem in many countries, despite there is a relatively little extreme poverty. The situation is aggravated by iniquitous wealth distribution. Populations of many southern or eastern Mediterranean countries suffer, also, from insufficient access to drinking water and sanitation. Situation among countries with regard to their cultural capacity is extremely unequal, although it is partly hidden by the lack of cultural indicators that are surely more difficult to be individuated and developed than for other sectors. The Strategy work has contributed to point out both the broad handicaps and elements of diversity that need to be respected insofar as they demonstrate the will to reaffirm natural diversity in a context of globalization, and promote unique Mediterranean culture as a basic economic and social asset. The challenges of globalization, regional cooperation and governance Globalization challenge requires widespread regional cooperation, political stability, efficient governance and social protection. Unfortunately, Mediterranean and Black Sea countries suffer from an unbalanced situation. Integration into EU has considerably improved the political and economic situation of Mediterranean EU member state (Spain, Portugal, Greece and now Slovenia, Malta Cyprus and Romania). Further enlargement of the EU, with the possible membership of other Eastern Adriatic countries and Turkey, would reinforce this trend and it would lead to greater convergence in terms of politics as well as economic and environmental policies. Mediterranean EU countries are facing globalization challenges with the strong support coming from the European Union. Mediterranean and southern and eastern Black Sea countries, which are obviously dealing with the same issues, do not benefit from such dynamic regional cooperation. Situation is worsened by inadequate levels of nort