Making the most of our seas

Date: 04/05/06

The European Community has, for the past 50 years, provided a model for strengthening the bonds between people. It has consistently sought to develop constructive and useful means of working together to manage our resources, from coal and steel to the setting up of an internal market and a European space in which we all can live, work and grow in peace and security.

With coastlines running virtually uninterrupted from the Aegean Sea across the Mediterranean along the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea to the Baltic, the sea represents a crucial asset for the prosperity and well-being of European citizens. From the earliest times, the oceans and seas have played a leading role in the development of European culture, identity and history and continue to do so.

The EU has already many important policies related to sea activities - enterprise, shipping, environment, energy, research, tourism, fisheries and aquaculture. In the framework of the revised Lisbon Agenda, there is great potential for expanding and diversifying these activities so as to create job opportunities and increase the well-being of people. This, however, will depend on our ability to adopt a more holistic approach to managing these activities and to ensure their sustainability by providing the necessary protection for the resource base - the marine environment.

The mandate of the task-force of commissioners, which I chair, was therefore to examine all economic activities which are linked to or have an impact on the oceans and seas, as well as all the policies dealing with them, with a view to finding better ways to derive greater benefit from them, in an environmentally sustainable manner. The necessary political guidance to achieve this was ensured by this steering group of commissioners.

The Green Paper, whose publication is scheduled for 7 June, will guide our common reflection on this issue. It follows extensive consultation with member states, of course, and also with a wide range of European interest groups, politicians and non-governmental organisations. It takes account of all that is currently being done in sea-related activities, at EU level - but under separate policy areas.

It also identifies the potential benefits to be gained from setting up a policy framework and environment that would encourage stakeholders - in both the public and private sectors - to innovate in, develop and diversify their sea-related activities, in a sustainable manner.

What is important now is to ensure that European stakeholders have the opportunity to react to the proposals and ideas set out in the Green Paper and help shape future EU policy in this field.

Stakeholders will have more than a year - till the end of July 2007 - to respond. The length of the consultation process bears witness to the importance we attach to their involvement in helping identify the best way ahead.

A whole range of events have already been organised to provide the opportunities to respond. As any maritime policy has, by definition, international ramifications, some of the events will take place outside Europe so as to interact with our international partners. I certainly intend to participate in as many as I can. Commission President José Manuel Barroso will take part in the launch of the Green Paper and the other commissioners from the steering group will also contribute to the communication and consultation on a maritime policy for the Union.

I look forward to a successful and productive consultation process as a first and crucial step towards providing the environment that will enable the EU to make the most from our seas.

The European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg sets out his ideas on a future EU maritime policy.
Article is part of a European Voice Special Report, 'EU maritime policy'.

European Commission: DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Maritime Affairs https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/home_en

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