Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development follow-up:
main indicators

Introduction

The “indicator fact-sheets”, drawn up in the framework of the monitoring of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD), are intended to supply a first answer to the question: « Are the Mediterranean countries progressing towards sustainable development? ».

They concern the 34 priority indicators chosen by the MSSD to monitor the progress made by the Mediterranean countries concerning the main objectives defined for 9 priority issues:

1. Improving integrated water resource and water demand management;
2. Ensuring sustainable management of energy and mitigating of and adapting to the effects of climate change;
3. Ensuring sustainable mobility through the appropriate management of transport;
4. Promoting sustainable tourism;
5. Promoting sustainable agricultural and rural development;
6. Promoting sustainable urban development;
7. Promoting sustainable management of the sea and coastal zones and taking urgent action to put an end to the degradation of coastal zones;
8. Strengthening solidarity, commitment and financing for a sustainable development at regional, national and local levels;
9. Strengthening human resources and involving actors: Research, training, education, awareness raising, capacity building and participation.

They also concern composite indicators such as the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Ecological Footprint in order to show the overall progress observed in terms of sustainable development.

Each issue is the object of a general presentation that emphasises the high stakes in the Mediterranean that are connected with it.

The indicators in this provisional version are those for which a sufficient amount of data is available from international sources. Some of them could only be illustrated with case studies. The files are classified with the indicator number (1 to 34) and with its code.

A final version will be disseminated in October 2007 and will be accessible on the Plan Bleu website (www.planbleu.org )

Note: The boundaries, colours, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of Plan Bleu concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

Geographical framework

This report concerns 22 countries or entities around the Mediterranean:

Taking into account recent evolution in the Balkans, the figures for Serbia-Montenegro (CS) are presented in most of the files.

The analyses refer to the groups traditionally used by Plan Bleu:

• The Northern Mediterranean Countries (NMC) grouping together 12 countries and entities (AL, BA, CY, ES, FR, GR, HR, IT, MC, ME, MT and SI).
• The Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries (SEMC) grouping together 10 countries and entities (DZ, EG, Il, LB, LY, MA, PS, SY, TN and TR).
• The Mediterranean countries of the EU-15 group together 4 countries (ES, FR, GR, IT). Cyprus and Malta have been members of the EU since 2004.