Since January 1st, 2006 the Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production (CP/RAC) appointed Dr. Virginia Alzina as the new Director to guide the Center´s overall mission, strategy and programs. This new appointment arrives during a restructuring process of CP/RAC which will become the tool for MAP to integrate environmental management issues and pollution prevention measures in the industry, service and agricultural sectors. In particular CP-RAC will focus on the major challenges arising from the Land Based Sources Protocol and its application trough the Strategic Action Programme and the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development.

The professional and academic experiences of Dr. Alzina reflect a wide-ranging abilities, real world experience and interests that place her in a favourable position to be the Director of CP-RAC. During the last 9 years Dr. Alzina was an Environmental Protection Specialist at the Interamerican Development Bank in WashingtonDC. Previously she worked promoting small and medium enterprise development in Latin America and Africa at the United Nations Secretariat in the Department for Development Support and Management Services in New York. She also worked for a Spanish NGO helping developing countries of Latin America. countries of Latin America.

The new CP/RAC Director, Ms. Virginia Alzina

She has a PhD in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering with a specialization inAir andWater Quality Management,Hazardous Waste Management and Pollution Control from the School of Engineering and Applied Science of George Washington University (USA), a M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University (USA), and a graduate degree on Political Science from Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca (Spain).

Last, 8-11 November 2005 has held in Portoroz (Slovenia) the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties. More than 120 people representatives from the Contracting Parties, United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, convention secretariats, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and MAP units attended the mentioned meeting.

During the meeting the proposal recommendations for the biennium 2006-2007 were approved. In concrete and for the Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production, the approved recommendations were the following ones:

II.A.3 Cleaner Production

 Recommendations to the Contracting Parties:

 To submit information on:

• The specific needs of countries to improve the application of cleaner production and complementary approaches (Life Cycle Assessment, eco- efficiency, eco-labelling, EMAS, etc.) in their industries and other sectors (agriculture, services).
• The activities carried out to promote and implement cleaner production in the country, including the materials prepared by the Secretariat (CP/RAC).
• The links existing between centres, institutes, universities and industry.

1. To promote the inclusion of environmental awareness programmes at all educational levels related in particular to cleaner production.
2. To promote research and development in cleaner production among universities in the region.
3. To include in environmental legislation mechanisms which allow industry to comply with the legislation through the implementation of cleaner production principles.
4. To encourage technical and financial support and, in particular, soft loans with low interest rates for companies and institutions wishing to introduce BATs and BEPs.

Request the Secretariat (CP/RAC):

1. To continue holding seminars and preparing studies, guidelines and databases on issues of interest to the Mediterranean region regarding pollution prevention in economic activities.
2. To broaden the current scope of the activities of CP/RAC to include other areas in relation to cleaner production.
3. To involve academics and industrialists in CP/RAC activities wherever appropriate.
4. To provide information on success stories and good practices in the field of cleaner production for dissemination to a wide range of stakeholders in Mediterranean countries and to assist countries in capacity building and the dissemination of success stories to the public and private sectors relating to the introduction of BATs and BEPs.
5. To catalyse and facilitate the mobilization of funds to support specific cleaner production activities based on partnerships with countries.
6. To facilitate communication between companies which have already experienced the benefits of cleaner production and those which have not.
7. To promote more expertise on cleaner production in Mediterranean countries.
8. To strengthen cooperation between NGOs, through the CP/RAC Focal Points and the Secretariat, for the dissemination of information on BATs and BEPs.
9. To strengthen links and partnership with regional and, particularly, national centres and institutions.
10. To work with the European Commission to strengthen cooperation, particularly with the countries of the South, in order to support them in their environmental upgrading strategies, especially in the industrial and tourist sectors.

Initiative "Horizon 2020:working to together to de-pollute the Mediterranean"
To eliminate pollution of the Mediterranean Sea in 15 years. This is the objective of the initiative 'Horizon' 2020 presented in the meeting of high level held, within the framework of the Euromediterranean Partnership, the last 19th December 2005, at the Palace of Congresses of Barcelona The initiative was presented by the European commissioner of Environment, Mr. Stravros Dimas, with the support of the Spanish and Catalan authorities. The "Horizon 2020" initiative does not try to create new political processes and institutions.It tries to support and to combine efforts with the already existing initiatives in the region and give them a new impulse to depollute the Mediterranean. The main objective of the initiative will be to attack the main pollution problems mainly industrial emissions, municipal wastes and urban wastewaters. For it, it will be worked hand by hand with The Mediterranean Action Plan, its programs and institutions for the implantation of the Barcelona Convention. The "Horizon 2020" initiative wants to be a vehicle to assure the greater possible participation of all actors working on the protection of the environment in the Mediterranean region. It is plannedthat shortly the European Commission presents a roadmap with the following steps for its attainment. For further information: http://www.iisd.ca/ymb/horizon2020/
Methodological guideline for the preparation of a system of prevention and control of pollution
During the year 2005, the RAC/CP developed a Methodological guideline for the preparation of a system of prevention and control of pollution based on Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP). The guideline attempts to facilitate Mediterranean countries to introduce those mechanisms as components of their legal and institutional frameworks for controlling pollution from industrial activities and thus achieving a progressive reduction of their environmental impacts. The guideline focuses on five Mediterranean countries - namely, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Slovenia and Syria - that were selected according to their specific interest in creating an adequate framework for the introduction of BATs and BEPs as effective tools for improving the environmental performance of their industrial sector. The document sets up a methodology for defining the industrial sectors to be involved in the system as well as the BATs and BEPs to be applied by those sectors. Likewise, it proposes measures for adapting the existing institutional and legal frameworks to the new system and for monitoring its implementation. In order to endow the methodology proposed by the guideline with a Mediterranean approach, in the first phase of the project a national expert from each targeted country reported on the industrial activity, the main pollution problems associated, and the legal and institutional frameworks for preventing and controlling that pollution. Basing on the information provided by the experts, a diagnosis of the main common trends presented by those countries was prepared and analysed for the preparation of the methodology. It is foreseen that this guideline will be ready during the first semester of 2006. For further information, please contact to the RAC/CP: cleanpro@cprac.org
New publications available
Pollution prevention in the pulp and paper industry: study (paper + CD form) and leaflet containing the study. English, French and Spanish. Pollution prevention in the metal machining sector: study (paper + CD form) and leaflet containing the study. English, French and Spanish. Med Clean files 69-76: 8 new case studies for consultation on RAC/CP web site (www.cema-sa.org). English, French and Spanish. 4 new case studies (numbers 77- 80) will be soon available. CPNews number 19 and 20: for consultation on RAC/CP web site (www.cema-sa.org). English, French and Spanish. Database of cleaner technologies for the tanningr sector: for consultation on RAC/CP web site (www.cema-sa.org). English, French and Spanish.     5th issue of RAC/CP Annual Technical Publication - Mediterranean Enterprises and Sustainability. Articles in English / French as available; abstract in French / English as available, and Spanish. Soon available.   Please contact us for a complete list of publications. Copies may be obtained upon request to cleanpro@cprac.org , tel.: +34 93 415 11 12, fax: +34 93 237 02 86.
New RAC/CP National Focal Points official nominations
The Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production (RAC/CP) would like to inform about the latest official nominations of RAC/CP National Focal Points. Mr Goran Romac, at the Croatian Cleaner Production Centre (Cro CPC)has been nominated as Focal Point for Croatia. Mr Maysoun Nabil, Coordinator for Egyptian Pollution Abatement Project (EPAP II), Industrial unit of the EEAA, has been nominated as National Focal Point for Egypt. Ms. Hanan El Hadary, last NFP for Egypt has been nominated as the new National Director of the Cleaner Production Centre in Egypt. Ms Rola El Sheikh, at the Service of Technology and Environment of the Ministry of Environment, has been nominated as Focal Point forLebanon. Mr Yahia Sabhi, at the Service Partenariat avec les Opérateurs Economiques et les organisations non Gouvernementales of the Secrétariat d'état chargé de l'environnement, has been nominated as Focal Point forMorocco. Ms Jelena Knezevic, MAP Focal Point is the new CP/RAC operational Focal Point for Serbia and Montenegro. This is the first time that this country participates in our Focal Points network. Mr Andrea Vettori, at the DG Environment -Unit G.2 - Environment and Industry, has been nominated as Focal Point for European Community. RAC/CP would like to welcome and congratulate the new members of our network that will doubtless continue the task of their predecessors in view of encouraging and promoting the adoption of pollution prevention opportunities in the industries of the Mediterranean basin.   New official nominations of the Directors of the Regional Activity Centres The Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production (RAC/CP) would like to inform about the latest official nominations of RAC Directors. Mr Abderrahmen Gannoun has been nominated as new Director of the Regional Activity Centre for the Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), sited in Tunis (Tunisia) Mr. Sergio Illuminato has been nominated as the new Director of the INFO/RAC sited in Rome (Italy) Mr. Frédéric Hébert has been nominated as the new Director of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) sited in Malta (Malta)  Ms. Virginia Alzina has been nominated as the new Director of the Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production (RAC/CP) sited in Barcelona (Spain).  We would like to congratulate the new Directors for their new appointments and we hope that new generation of directors will bring energies to continue the work initiated by their predecessors.  Previous Issues e-mail Spanish  -  French  -  English Subscribe unsubscribe cleanpro@cprac.org