MEPIELAN Centre generates a Foundation Discussion Document for the “Mediterranean Accession Agenda to the Aarhus Convention” (February 2022)

MEPIELAN Centre, advancing its research activities in pursuance of the enhancement of its international role, generated a Foundation Discussion Document (FDD) for the “Mediterranean Accession Agenda to the Aarhus Convention” on February 2022. This FDD constitutes the research component of a project implementing the MSSD (Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development 2016-2025) Flagship Initiative on Environmental Governance to encourage the accession to, and implementation of the Aarhus Convention in all Mediterranean countries and promote stakeholder engagement, and, thus, make more effective and efficient the implementation, compliance and enforcement of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols. This Research Project was undertaken in 2020 by MEPIELAN/Panteion University with the support of the MIO-ECSDE through the European Union (EU) Life Programme and the EU Water and Environment Support (WES) Regional Project. During this process, the UNECE-Aarhus Convention and UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention Secretariats provided cooperation. MEPIELAN Centre developed a foundational study on the legal, governance and policy aspects for the appropriate construction of an accession process of the Mediterranean non-Parties to the Aarhus Convention regime (the Southern Mediterranean countries), unveiling and evaluating the insights, benefits, opportunities and challenges for the acceding states.
In this vein, it specifically explores and showcases:

• The diverse fields of universality of the Aarhus Convention’s principles associated with relevant international treaty/Conventional regimes, global declarative instruments and modern constitutions of Mediterranean States.
• The challenging legal and governance architecture of its international common interest regime, evaluating its structural, process and participatory aspects, the effectiveness of its operation, as well as the key benefits for a country’s participation
• The normative function of its interlinkages with various international institutional structures (International Finance Institutions (IFIS), ICAO) and processes (international trade negotiations, international technological processes {GMOs, Geo-engineering}, protection of environmental human rights defenders)
• The extensive and regionally-expansive instrumental interlinkages related to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the implementation of the Aarhus Convention regime.
• The capacity building to advance participatory governance related to the enhancement of transboundary environmental decision-making process, the strengthening of negotiating capacities for promoting the Aarhus Convention’s principles in international fora and the special role of Aarhus Centres to build governance-by-dialogue
• Architecture and Management of Accession for Countries outside the ECE Region and, how to negotiate creatively and effectively the accession to the Aarhus Convention, building a multilateral structured approach and platform complementing the existing management and practice of its accession procedure.

Scientific Coordinator and Editor: Evangelos Raftopoulos, Professor Emeritus, Director, MEPIELAN Centre

• Authors:

Evangelos Raftopoulos, Professor Emeritus, Director, MEPIELAN Centre
Elli Louka, International Expert, MEPIELAN Academic Fellow
Socrates Zachos, MEPIELAN Research Fellow
George Raftopoulos, MEPIELAN Research Fellow

For more details see MEPIELAN Centre >> PUBLICATIONS >> FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS

About the author

MEPIELAN Centre

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MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.

Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.

MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).

On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable

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