Borg task force sets sail towards

By Martin Banks

Date: 24/02/05

THE European Commission will next week (2 March) launch a task force led by fisheries chief Joe Borg to investigate the possibility of setting up the European Union's first-ever maritime policy.

At present, maritime issues cut across several sectors. The task force of seven commissioners will look into the feasibility of bringing them all together in one policy.

After a wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders, the group is expected to publish a green paper early next year.

The move is a joint initiative between Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who included maritime affairs in his recently announced five-year work programme, and Borg, the Maltese commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs. The six other commissioners expected to be involved are Günter Verheugen (enterprise and industry), Jacques Barrot (transport), Andris Piebalgs (energy), Danuta Hübner (regional policy), Stavros Dimas (environment) and Janez Potocnik (research).

Borg said the group's first task would be to launch a public consultation with the European Parliament, member states, environmental groups, maritime regions and the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR).

He said: "The first basic question to be addressed is whether the EU actually needs a maritime policy and, if so, what shape and form it should take. Will it be a comprehensive, all-encompassing policy which covers all areas related to the sea and oceans? Or will it be a more limited policy which, say, focuses just on making better use of maritime resources?"

Patrick Anvroin, CPMR director, said that his organisation has set up a group of 50 regions to help the Commission study the importance of sea activities in terms of growth and employment, and practical EU instruments needed in fields like maritime transport, research and sustainable development.

"The first results of this mobilisation will be available next year, in time to contribute to the green paper," he said.

Borg said that important work relating to maritime affairs had been done, or was being done, by various Commission services.

"It will be my task to ensure that through this task force we can build upon this valuable work and place it in a solid and coherent policy framework."

Borg said that without wishing to pre-judge anything, he was "personally convinced" the EU needed a maritime policy. "We need a much more integrated and co-ordinated approach to maritime affairs than is currently the case," he said.

The commissioner admitted that one of the main challenges in developing a maritime policy would be "to use new modes of governance for a policy that cuts across many different sectors". But Borg indicated that maritime-related decisions should not have a negative impact on one sector or another but take a balanced approach.

A task force was launched on 2 March 2005, led by EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg, to investigate the possibility of setting up the European Union's first-ever maritime policy. Until then, maritime issues cut across several sectors. The task force of seven Commissioners planned to look into the feasibility of bringing them all together in one policy. After a wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders, the group was expected to publish a green paper early in 2006.