Monaco’s Ambassador to Spain, Jean-Luc Van Klaveren, took the opportunity of the reception offered to celebrate the anniversary of the enthronement of Prince Albert II to emphasise the commitment of the Principality to the preservation of the marine environment.

“The preservation of marine ecosystems has been part of our history since 1911, when Prince Albert I created the Oceanographic Institute,” thediplomatinspain.com webste reported the ambassador as saying.

Toasting the close ties between Monaco and Spain and their respective royal families, Mr Van Klaveren announced that, as of 2020, Monaco will forbid kitchen utensils made of plastic, as it did on January 1, 2017, with plastic bags.

He added out that Monaco – whose sovereign waters are 36 times more extensive than its territory and whose coast has two protected areas – “always looks to the sea as part of its historical and cultural tradition”.