The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) convened an Intergovernmental Meeting on the Protection of the Mediterranean (Barcelona, 28 January - 4 February 1975), which was attended by representatives of 16 States bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The meeting discussed the various measures necessary for the prevention and control of pollution of the Mediterranean Sea, and concluded by adopting an Action Plan consisting of three substantive components: - Integrated planning of the development and management of the resources of the Mediterranean Basin (management component); - Co-ordinated programme for research, monitoring, exchange of information, assessment of the state of pollution and protection measures (assessment component); - Framework convention and related protocols with their technical annexes for the protection of the Mediterranean environment (legal component). All components of the Action Plan are inter-dependent and provide a framework for comprehensive action to promote both the protection and the continued development of the Mediterranean ecoregion. No component is an end in itself. The Action Plan is intended to assist the Mediterranean Governments in formulating their national policies related to the continuous development and protection of the Mediterranean area and to improve their ability to identify various options for alternative patterns of development and to make choices for appropriate allocations of resources.