Fifty years after the signing of the Ramoge Agreement, Monaco is celebrating a pioneering environmental partnership that helped place Mediterranean protection at the centre of international cooperation long before ecology became a global priority…
Signed in 1976 by France, Italy and Monaco under the impetus of Prince Rainier III, the agreement united the three nations in a shared commitment to combat marine pollution and preserve biodiversity along the coastline stretching from Saint-Raphaël to Genoa via Monaco.
At a time when environmental awareness remained limited, the initiative was considered remarkably visionary. Inspired by growing concern over pollution in the Mediterranean, the agreement quickly became a model of scientific and political collaboration. Over the decades, Ramoge has supported concrete actions including water quality monitoring, floating waste inventories, coastal management strategies and anti-pollution policies, helping to improve wastewater treatment and marine protection across the region.
Today, the agreement remains unique as the only sub-regional Mediterranean cooperation framework combining biodiversity protection with anti-pollution measures. Throughout 2026, Monaco will mark the anniversary with exhibitions, institutional events and a commemorative stamp, alongside a major anti-pollution exercise involving French, Italian and Monegasque authorities.
The celebrations will also highlight future initiatives, including a new deep-sea scientific exploration mission across the Mediterranean and the publication of an updated guide dedicated to protecting Posidonia seagrass meadows, considered vital to the health of the Mediterranean ecosystem.
Image: Naja Bertolt Jensen