This pioneering effort aims to reduce stress on coastal and marine ecosystems. The programme’s framework was agreed upon at the 23rd meeting of the Barcelona Convention in Portorož, and later received formal endorsement at the Danube River Commission in Vienna. It brings together the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, the Black Sea Commission, and the UN’s Mediterranean Action Plan, focusing on environmental monitoring and impact mitigation. Mitja Bricelj, a prominent figure in Slovenia’s water diplomacy, has been instrumental in this initiative.
Additionally, at the Portorož meeting, 21 parties consented to establish a Regional Climate Change Centre in Turkey and pledged towards a swifter green transition. This marks Slovenia’s second two-year tenure at the helm of the Barcelona Convention.