On 23 June 2026, Croatia informed the Council (Environment) of the outcomes of the MED9 Environment Ministers' meeting held 18–19 May 2026 in Šibenik, Croatia, which focused on water supply resilience and marine environment protection. The MED9 group, comprising Cyprus, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Slovenia, met under Croatia's 2026 presidency with the motto 'For a more secure, resilient and sustainable Mediterranean'. Ministers and European Commission representatives discussed strengthening resilience to climate pressures, improving water supply systems, and protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.
Key agreed actions include reducing water losses, strengthening critical water infrastructure, accelerating digital transformation for monitoring, prediction, and response, and scaling up ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions. The ministers endorsed an integrated 'source to sea' approach linking river basin management with marine protection, including implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. They called for harmonised monitoring systems, comparable methodologies, and cooperation on marine pollution, including microplastics. The meeting also stressed the need for adequate EU financial support, including under the EU Water Resilience Strategy. An integrated microplastic monitoring system was presented by the Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute and Innovamare.
The information was provided as an 'Any Other Business' item for the Council (Environment) meeting scheduled for 25 June 2026. No prior coverage of this file exists in the last 180 days.