The objectives of the present Conference are to discuss results on flux estimations (nutrients and other contaminants) and impacts of anthropogenic pressures on Southern European coastal lagoon systems and their watersheds, both at the level of specific site investigations as well as at more regional scales; to identify information gaps and requirements for the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and for the IGBP Core Action: Land-Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) flux assessment in the Mediterranean region; discuss the setting up of a cluster of networks that could respond to these needs, and the possibility of using EU funding instruments, or national programmes, to finance specific activities (FP6, European Land-Ocean Interaction Studies (ELOISE) cluster, Networks of Excellence, Integrated Projects).