Every two years the MEDPOL Focal Points meet to review the activities carried out during the biennium (2018-2019) and the status of implementation of the three pollution related Protocols under MED POL programme responsibility.

Much attention was given during the meeting to ensure better harmonisation of data collection for monitoring and assessment. At the meeting, Contracting Parties committed to upload NBB/PRTR data by September 2019, including submission of marine pollution data of relevance to populate the H2020 indicators. They also committed to further work to finalise national monitoring programmes under IMAP for reporting to the 21^st Barcelona Conference of the Parties COP to be held in Naples 2-5 December 2019, strengthening IMAP implementation, increasing monitoring stations and reporting quality data.

Contracting Parties committed to provide additional sources of data and information for the Mid-Term Evaluation Reports of Regional Plans by September 2019, for analysis by the Secretariat by October 2019 in preparation for presentation at COP.

The meeting agreed on Data Dictionaries and Data Standards, Guidance Factsheets relating to IMAP Common Indicators, a selection of indicator species for monitoring the ingestion of marine litter by marine organisms and proposed methodologies for GES-integrated assessment based on DPSIR to be submitted to EcAp for further consideration and action. 

The meeting recommended Contracting Parties test the methodologies in an integrated manner for Pollution, Biodiversity and Coast and Hydrography Clusters of IMAP with the aim to present related findings to the meeting of CORMON.

The meeting reviewed and agreed on the proposed schemes for database QA and QC for data relating to pollution. The meeting reviewed and introduced changes to Practical Implementation Guidelines on PRTR and Legal Template on PRTR. The meeting acknowledged the need for some Contracting Parties to upgrade laboratory techniques and equipment toward the implementation of IMAP and to include civil society and MAP partners.