Monaco has strengthened its commitment to sustainable cruising by becoming an official partner of the revised Charte Croisière Durable Méditerranée 2025. The Principality formally signed on to the tougher new framework during the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, part of the UN Ocean Conference.
The charter was signed on Saturday, June 7, by Monaco’s Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, Céline Caron-Dagioni, and France’s Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot. Originally launched in 2022 by France alongside international cruise operators, the charter set higher-than-regulatory standards to limit the industry’s environmental impact along the French Mediterranean coast — one of the busiest cruise regions in the world.
The 2025 revision not only reinforces these ambitions but opens the door to new partners. Monaco’s involvement is seen as a key milestone in building a coordinated approach to more sustainable cruising across the region.
Caron-Dagioni welcomed the development, saying: “By signing the Cruise Sustainability Charter today, Monaco is formalising an approach we already apply in practice. Our regulations are among the strictest in Europe, but we believe in collective action. We applaud France’s initiative and hope more coastal states will follow.”
The updated charter includes 20 new or reinforced commitments, covering biodiversity protection, the reduction of air and marine pollution, noise and light pollution, waste management, and greater transparency. Among the notable measures are mandatory shore power connection for cruise ships at port to cut air emissions, tighter limits on scrubber use and wastewater discharges, improved whale protection through routing and monitoring, and curbs on water use in drought-affected areas. The charter also promotes the use of low-emission transport for excursions and encourages cruise companies to avoid overcrowding popular tourist sites.
France’s Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot praised Monaco’s participation: “With Monaco on board, this initiative gains new visibility and credibility. Our aim is for more states to adopt this model and help transform the cruise industry globally.”
Already, over half of French Mediterranean cruise calls are covered by the 2025 charter, with compliance to be verified through independent audits.
For Monaco, the agreement reflects its long-standing environmental leadership in maritime affairs — and underlines its belief that collaboration is essential to safeguarding the Mediterranean for future generations.
