The Mediterranean Sea is complex in its ecology and its social dimensions. Twenty-one countries border the basin of this heavily used and highly valued sea. The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) provides a critical framework for setting standards and targets acceptable to all the Contracting Parties, as well as for sharing necessary information. As Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, the Mediterranean countries, together with the European Union, are determined to meet the challenges of protecting the marine and coastal environment of the Mediterranean while boosting regional and national plans to achieve sustainable development.