The expert mission on the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Strategy and associated rolling plan for the Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designations was funded by the Greek Government.

A renowned Greek expert on marine biodiversity, Professor Panayotis Panayotidis from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, has visited Malta during the first week of December 2008 to assist MEPA officials with the finalisation of the draft National Marine Protected Areas Strategy for the Maltese Islands.

The mission focused on the technical aspects of the EU requirements concerning the implementation of the marine Natura 2000 protected area network.  The expert highlighted the need to provide a general framework for the local interpretation of the marine habitat types present in the Maltese Islands, and also the need for greater synergy between the implementation of the WFD and the Habitats Directive.

The total budget for this mission was € 5,460 provided in full by the Greek Embassy in Malta.

Within MEPA, the project was coordinated by the Ecosystems Management Unit with assistance from the EU and Multilateral Affairs Unit.