S.L. 549.62 Art. 5Regional cooperation.

(1) In developing the marine strategy, the competent authority shall take due account of the fact that Malta’s marine waters form an integral part of the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion within the marine region of the Mediterranean Sea.

(2) The competent authority shall ensure cooperation with EU Member States sharing the same marine subregion to ensure that, the measures required to achieve the objectives of these regulations, in particular the different elements of the marine strategies referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b), are coherent and coordinated across the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion, in accordance with the following plan of action towards a common approach:

(a) preparation:

(i) an initial assessment, to be completed by 15 July 2012 of the current environmental status of the waters concerned and the environmental impact of human activities thereon, in accordance with regulation 6;

(ii) a determination, to be established by 15 July 2012 of good environmental status for the waters concerned, in accordance with regulation 7;

(iii) establishment, by 15 July 2012, of a series of environmental targets and associated indicators, in accordance with regulation 8(1);

(iv) establishment and implementation, by 15 July 2014 except where otherwise specified in the relevant Community legislation, of a monitoring programme for ongoing assessment and regular updating of targets, in accordance with regulation 9(1);

(b) programme of measures:

(i) development, by 2015 at the latest, of a programme of measures designed to achieve or maintain good environmental status, in accordance with regulation 10(1), (2), (3) and (4);

(ii) entry into operation of the programme provided for in sub-paragraph (i), by 2016 at the latest, in accordance with regulation 10(11).

(3) In the event that the status of the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea subregion is so critical as to necessitate urgent action, Malta will work together with the EU Member States having borders on the same marine subregion to devise a plan of action in accordance with regulation 4(1), which includes an earlier entry into operation of programmes of measures as well as possible stricter protective measures, provided that this does not prevent good environmental status from being achieved or maintained in another marine region or subregion.

(4) In order to achieve the coordination referred to in sub-regulation (2), the competent authority shall, where practical and appropriate, use existing regional institutional cooperation structures, and as far as possible, build upon relevant existing programmes and activities developed in the framework of structures stemming from international agreements including those under the Convention for the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean Sea.

(5) For the purpose of establishing and implementing the marine strategy, the competent authority shall make every effort, using relevant international forums, including mechanisms, structures and building upon relevant existing programmes and activities developed in the framework of the Convention for the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean Sea, to coordinate actions with third countries having sovereignty or jurisdiction over waters in the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea marine subregion.