The 2026–2027 Work Plan of the European project “Water and Environment Support – Biodiversity and Climate Action (WES-BCA)” was approved during the 2nd Steering Committee Meeting (SCM), dedicated to the monitoring of activities in the Southern Neighbourhood region.
The project involves eight countries of the Middle East and North Africa and has a budget of 7 million euros for the period November 2024 – November 2027. The initiative aims to strengthen environmental protection, water resources management and climate resilience in the Mediterranean, while at the same time promoting common policies in partner countries and in the main regional frameworks, including the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Barcelona Convention.
During the meeting, the main interventions planned for the next two-year period were confirmed, which concern plastic pollution, biodiversity protection and water resources management, both conventional and non-conventional. The programme includes training activities, workshops, study visits, webinars, consultations, surveys and awareness campaigns.
Despite the complexity of the regional context, project activities continue without significant interruptions. The CEO of LDK Consultants S.A. and Project Director, Stavros Damianidis, underlined how the work of the expert team, in synergy with the Focal Points, carries out work that ensures regional integration.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Environment and Water Ministries of the partner countries, the European Commission (DG MENA and DG ENV), EU Delegations, institutional partners including the Union for the Mediterranean and the Barcelona Convention, as well as the main stakeholders and the project team. The participants expressed full support for the continuation and strengthening of the initiative.
Among the interventions, the Coordinator of UNEP/MAP, Tatjana Hema, highlighted the growing cooperation between UNEP/MAP and the WES-BCA project, describing it as contributing to tackling some of the Mediterranean’s most pressing environmental challenges. She noted that several of the project’s initiatives also closely contribute to UNEP/MAP policy and regulatory frameworks, particularly efforts to curb plastic pollution and marine litter while advancing more integrated and efficient water management across the region.
Tatjana Hema expressed UNEP/MAP’s appreciation for the work undertaken by the EU-funded WES-BCA and for its important role in the region in strengthening country capacities in their efforts to deliver an ambitious environmental agenda and UNEP/MAP commitment for joint work and maximized synergies.
The WES-BCA project represents the continuation of the previous WES programme and has the objective of supporting the transition towards a more sustainable management of environmental resources in the Mediterranean, strengthening climate, water and biodiversity policies in partner countries.