Blue Mediterranean Partnership

The Mediterranean Sea is home to extraordinary marine biodiversity and is a vital source of economic activity for its surrounding countries. Although it represents less than 1% of the global ocean, it contributes around 20% of the global Gross Marine Product.

However, this natural capital is under increasing pressure from:

• climate change
• pollution, including marine litter and untreated wastewater
• overexploitation of marine resources
• biodiversity loss and habitat degradation

Without urgent investment in marine protection and restoration, the region’s economic and social development will be at risk.

The BMP aims to attract and facilitate investments and leverage resources to enable Sustainable Blue Economy practices in the Mediterranean region.

Its main objectives are to:

• Support Sustainable Blue Economy investments that crowd in public and private sector finance;
• Enhance capacity for sustainable and innovative blue economy practices, and in the design and delivery of projects;
• Create and reinforce enabling environments for Sustainable Blue Economy investments through the support and development of strategies, policies and regulatory frameworks.

The BMP is a multi-stakeholder initiative made up of:

• Implementing Partners: Multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and international organisations that implement projects in line with BMP principles.Currently, these include: the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the EBRD, the EIB, and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW).
• Beneficiary Countries: Mediterranean countries that have signed a Statement of Intent to participate in the BMP and benefit from financing, technical assistance and policy support. Currently, these include: Morocco, Egypt and Jordan.
• Donors: Governments, international or intergovernmental organisations, and other public and private entities that provide financial contributions to the BMP Fund(s).To date, more than €20 million have been pledged, with contributions from Germany, Sweden, the European Commission, France and Spain.

The BMP’s operational framework consists of four key components:

BMP Steering Committee: This consultative forum brings together representatives from each donor, beneficiary countries and implementing partners. The committee provides strategic direction, approves the annual work plan and reviews results.

BMP Secretariat: Hosted by the EBRD, the Secretariat coordinates partner engagement, consolidates project opportunities, manages donor relations and supports reporting and communications.

BMP Fund(s): Multi-donor funds administered by the EBRD to support technical assistance and investments through grants, concessional loans, guarantees, and equity.

Cooperation Platform: A coordination mechanism between Implementing Partners to align investment pipelines and share information.

• UfM Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Blue Economy (2021)
• Roadmap to set the path towards the implementation of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy (2024)
• UfM Ministerial Conference on Blue Economy (2015)
• UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy
• Mediterranean Blue Economy Stakeholder Platform
• UfM Stakeholder Conference on Sustainable Blue Economy (2017 ; 2024)
• Publication – Towards a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region (2024 ; 2021)
• UfM Blue Finance Conference – Investing in a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Mediterranean (2022)