The global economic crisis has left scars on most countries around the world - countries in Europe and the Mediterranean basin are no exception. Spain is experiencing record levels of unemployment, rising cost of basic foods such as rice, bread and cooking oils has worsened Egypt's food crisis for the poor and inflation runs ramped in several other North African and Southern European countries, just to mention a few examples. Ironically, the countries that had the least to do with the onset of the crisis have felt its tyranny the most. Hence, as the wake of the crisis seems to be subsiding, it is time to critically evaluate how we can best proceed from here. How do we decrease the vulnerability of countries in the Euro-Mediterranean basin to such global economic shocks and, at the same time, set forth prosperous economic agendas that do not miss out on global opportunities?

Within this thought line, numerous proposed strategies exist that seek to achieve better global market positioning for the region. However, common for these and other promising proposals is that they are hugely underdeveloped; the how and what of realistic business and economic opportunities and stability remains unresolved. In this special issue of IJEMS we invite you to submit your intelligent thoughts on how the countries within the Euro-Mediterranean region can better protect themselves against global volatility and at the same time prosper through coherent and sustainable business agendas. Which business routes should we pursue, either independently or as a region, in order to secure a more stable global market position and our long term prosperity?

The Mediterranean Basin forms a unique ecosystem. Throughout the human history the basin has always been among the most anthropogenically shaped regions worldwide. This inevitable interaction between nature and humans has shaped up the landscapes and gave birth to unique Mediterranean cultures. However, by the growth of population and economic development, pressures of civilization begun to threaten the future of this fragile ecosystem. Unfortunately, the obvious and immediate need for environmental protection is often hindered by the differences in policies dictated by the Mediterranean countries.

In this special issue, impacts of natural processes (atmospheric transport, sea currents and tides, climate change) and results of human activities (land based atmospheric and water pollutants, agriculture, pesticides, persistent and newly emerging pollutants, municipal sludge treatment and management, health aspects, energy demand, freshwater resources, maritime transport, industrialization, and other issues) on the region will be evaluated from the natural, technological, socio-economic and legislative prospective.

To present the current status of environment in the Mediterranean, and to raise the awareness about the related environmental issues, as well as about possible solutions we would like to invite interested scientists and experts to contribute papers to this special issue of IJEMS dedicated to the Mediterranean environment.