Mediterranean Europe

Although Greek and Latin philosophy inform contemporary Western reflections on the relationship between nature and society and between natural and human-made norms, the concept of natural law has been used more as a legitimization of social norms than as a foundation for the protection of nature. This long-standing philosophical tradition has not provided the grounds for a Mediterranean philosophy of the environment. The adjective Mediterranean may be used as an interpretive environmental concept that refers to the management of specific environmental issues, such as the sharing of natural resources (coasts, seas, landscapes, species protection, etc.), that require joint policies among the countries facing the Mediterranean Sea. In this context a strategic common vision has led to the adoption of normative and economic measures in agreements of the Council of Europe.