INTERMEPA Members focus on fight against plastic pollution

Athens, 8 June 2018

Celebrating 12 years of existence, the Steering Committee of INTERMEPA, the International Marine Environment Protection Association, convened in Athens yesterday, 7 June, on the occasion of Posidonia 2018. Present Members of the Committee were Warwick Norman, Chairman of AUSMEPA, George Tsavliris, Chairman of CYMEPA, Dr. George Gratsos and Capt. Dimitris Mitsatsos, Chairman and Director General of HELMEPA respectively, Joseph Hughes and Carleen Lyden-Walker, Chairman and Executive Director of NAMEPA respectively and Sadan Kaptanoglu, Chairperson of TURMEPA. HELMEPA’s BoD Treasurer Nicolas Bafaloukos and Legal Advisor Nicolas Gerassimou together with Christiana Prekezes, Executive Coordinator and Costas Triantafillou, Assistant Executive Coordinator, were also in attendance.

Opening the meeting, the Chairman wished all member MEPAs a happy 12th anniversary and called on each Association to present the activities carried out during the past biennium. Ideas towards strengthening the cooperation between MEPAs were also exchanged while Mr. Bafaloukos informed the Committee on the developments pertaining to the newly founded United Arab Emirates MEPA (UAEMEPA).

Following the proposal of INTERMEPA’s Vice Chairperson, Ms Kaptanoglu to adopt a common bi-annual theme, the SC unanimously accepted the idea of HELMEPA’s Executive Coordinator that all MEPAs streamline their activities around the topic “Beat Plastic Pollution”, inspired by the focus of this year’s “World Oceans Day”, celebrated today, 8 June.

In compliance with the provisions of INTERMEPA’s Constitution, the members of the Committee unanimously agreed that Mr. Norman and Ms Kaptanoglu continue to serve for a further two-year term as Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, respectively. They both thanked the Committee for renewing their trust in them and closed the meeting wishing them all every success in their future endeavors.

SOURCE INTERMEPA