The Mediterranean region is of fundamental importance to Europe given its strategic position. The responsibility for its
overall ecosystem integrity is shared by European Union Member States (EU-MS) and other Mediterranean countries. A juxtaposition
of overlapping governance instruments occurred recently in the region, with the implementation of both the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive (MSFD) for EU-MS and the Ecosystem Approach Strategy (ECAP) for all Mediterranean countries, including EU-MS. Both
MSFD and ECAP are structured around vision-driven processes to achieve Good Environmental Status and a Healthy Environment,
respectively. These processes have clear ecosystem-based, integrated policy objectives to guarantee the preservation and integrity of
Mediterranean marine ecosystem goods and services. However, adoption of these instruments, especially those related to the new EUMS
directives on marine policy, could result in a governance gap in addition to the well-known economic gap between the EU and the
non-EU political blocs. We identify two complementary requirements for effective implementation of both MSFD and ECAP that
could work together to reduce this gap, to ensure a better alignment between MSFD and ECAP and better planning for stakeholder
engagement. These are key issues for the future success of these instruments in a Mediterranean region where discrepancies between
societal and ecological objectives may pose a challenge to these processes