The SafeMed Project is a response to the interest of the European Union (EU) to develop Euro-Mediterranean co-operation in the field of maritime safety and security, prevention of pollution from ships and marine environmental issues by providing technical advice and support to the non-EU Mediterranean countries identified in the 1995 Barcelona Process. The objective is to mitigate the existing imbalance in the application of maritime legislation in the region between the EU Member States and the Mediterranean partner countries through promoting a coherent, effective and uniform implementation of the relevant international conventions and rules aimed at better protecting the marine environment in the Mediterranean region by preventing pollution from ships.