Prince Albert II inaugurated a new exhibition at the Interior Ministry on Friday 26th June, titled ‘Preserving the Mediterranean: Ramoge, a pioneering agreement for 50 years’. Curated by the National Archives of Monaco and the Ramoge Secretariat, the exhibition commemorates half a century of environmental cooperation between France, Monaco, and Italy.

The exhibition is open to the public free of charge until 30th October 2026. It is hosted in a space of deep symbolic significance, as it serves as the venue where the Ramoge Commission has gathered annually for the past 45 years. The selection of this location underscores the historic importance of the agreement, which was signed on 10th May 1976 in the Palace’s Throne Room—a unique occurrence in Monaco’s modern history for an accord of this nature. The initiative was born under the impetus of Prince Rainier III, who aimed to establish a pilot zone for the protection of the marine environment and coastline, initially spanning from Saint-Raphaël to Genoa, and later expanded from the mouth of the Rhône to the mouth of the Magra.

Uncovering the archival record

Curated by Michaël Bloche—Director of the National Archives of Monaco—the exhibition is the result of intensive research that draws upon a vast array of historical sources. The displays feature previously unseen documents from the Ramoge Agreement fund—deposited at the National Archives of Monaco in 2025—alongside contributions from the Prince’s Government, the Palace Archives, and the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco. Further insights are provided by French and Italian diplomatic archives, the Oceanographic Institute, the Scientific Centre of Monaco, and historical press coverage from publications such as Nice-Matin and Il Secolo XIX.

Bloche said the agreement remains as relevant today as it was when it was signed 50 years ago. “It is still at the vanguard 50 years after its signing; it is the only agreement at the Mediterranean level to include both an anti-pollution component and a biodiversity preservation component.”

50 years of evolution

The exhibition follows a chrono-thematic path, documenting how the accord has continuously adapted to environmental challenges through photographs, educational content, testimonies, and moving images. The narrative begins with the project’s 1970s inception and the early maritime campaigns of the 1980s. It then highlights the 1991 Haven oil tanker disaster, a tragedy that prompted the 1993 creation of the Ramogepol plan to coordinate multinational anti-pollution responses. The exhibition moves on to the 2003 revision, which expanded the mission to include integrated coastal and biodiversity preservation, before concluding with the deep-sea exploration campaigns conducted from 2015 to the present day.

Sustaining a legacy of cooperation

The exhibition also highlights the continued role of the Ramoge Agreement as Monaco, France and Italy work together to tackle shared environmental challenges in the Mediterranean. More than five decades after it was signed, the agreement continues to coordinate joint action on issues ranging from marine pollution to biodiversity conservation.

Florent Champion, Executive Secretary of the Ramoge Agreement, said its longevity stems from active collaboration rather than simply having an agreement on paper. “It is a cooperation which is alive, and that is important because it is not enough to just create an institutional agreement with three countries; one must also know how to make it live.”

See also: 

Fifty years on: Monaco honours the Ramoge Agreement’s environmental legacy

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Main photo: Michaël Bloche, Director of the National Archives, presents the exhibition to Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco / Photo credits: Stéphane Danna, Government Communications Department