5 June 2025, Barcelona – On World Environment Day, the Union for the Mediterraean underscores the need for urgent action to tackle the threats posed by plastic pollution in the region. Although the Mediterranean Sea represents less than 1% of the world’s ocean area, it is home to almost 20% of all known marine species, making it a one of the most important marine biodiversity hotspots globally. It is also home to one of the largest concentrations of marine plastic pollution in the world with some 730 tonnes of plastic waste released into the sea daily. If plastic production continues to grow at a rate of 4% annually and waste management is not radically improved, the leakage of plastic into the sea could double by 2040 and there could even be more plastic than fish by 2050.

The UfM has long been a proponent of sustainable blue economy initiatives that foster socioeconomic development by using marine resources responsibly. The Blue Mediterranean Partnership (BMP), a multi-donor fund promoted by the UfM that mobilises investments in sustainable blue economy projects in the Southern Mediterranean and Red Sea areas, is a flagship initiaive in this domain, with announcements regarding its progress expected next week at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice. Other related UfM priority areas include maritime clusters, decarbonisation, marine biodiversity, blue jobs, or renewable energy, among others, for which more than €500M euros have been mobilised since the first UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy in 2015.