With COP24 of the Barcelona Convention taking place in Cairo from 2-5 December 2025, Seas At Risk has signed a collective call to protect the Mediterranean.

We join many other civil society actors, scientists, and committed organisations to address the ministries and offices of Mediterranean countries. Together, we are calling for strong decisions in the face of worsening plastic pollution.

While international negotiations on the global plastics treaty are struggling to progress, it is essential for the Mediterranean region—one of the most polluted seas in the world—to take the lead and adopt ambitious measures.

This letter calls on Ministers to adopt an action plan structured around six key commitments:

  1. Officially recognise the plastic crisis as a regional environmental emergency.
  2. Express unwavering support for the future international treaty against plastic pollution.
  3. Adopt binding reduction targets, including lowering the use of virgin plastics and reducing plastic discharges into the sea by at least 50% by 2030.
  4. Establish a regional transparency and monitoring mechanism, with a shared database and annual publication of results.
  5. Create a dedicated Mediterranean fund for prevention, cleanup, and support for the most vulnerable territories.
  6. Integrate the fight against plastic pollution into all sectoral public policies: tourism, fishing, maritime transport, industry, urban planning, and health.

This call reaffirms a shared conviction: the Mediterranean needs immediate and ambitious decisions to remain a living, clean, and sustainable sea.

Read the full letter here or click the image below.

Posted on: 3 December 2025