31 May to 02 June 2021, the MOIG Director was invited by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Centre for the Mediterranean See (REMPEC) to the 14th Meeting of the focal points held remotely.

The main objectives of this meeting were :

1. To examine the implementation of the Programme of Work of REMPEC since the Thirteenth Meeting of the Focal Points of REMPEC (Floriana, Malta, 11-13 June 2019);
2. To discuss and agree upon the proposed Programme of Work of REMPEC for the biennium 2022-2023, prior to its submission, for approval by the next Meeting of the UNEP/MAP Focal Points (Athens, Greece, 14-17 September 2021), and for adoption by the Twenty-Second Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP 22, Antalya, Turkey, 07-10 December 2021).

The event gathered over 70 participants from the Mediterranean Coastal States, the European Union, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the governmental and non-governmental organizations, the industry and associations to address a wide range of technical and strategic decisions issues.

A number of items of interest to MOIG were presented discussed during the meeting, in particular a series of manuals for response to spills of oils, condensates and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) in the Mediterranean Sea as well as the development of strategies for enhancing regional cooperation for responding to oil and HNS spills.

The Management Committee would like to thank REMPEC for its kind invitation.