SPEECH/06/417
Joe Borg
Member of the European Commission responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Maritime Policy and the Outermost Regions
European Maritime Policy and the Regions conference Azores, 26 June 2006
President Barroso,
Mr President of the Regional Government of the Azores,
Minister, Members of Government and Regional Authorities,
Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this conference today, which, is undoubtedly one of the most important regional events to take place following the official publication of the Green Paper on a future European Maritime Policy. I am particularly delighted that it is taking place here in the Azores as it is a fitting reflection of the strong support we received from Portugal, and its regions, during the drafting phase of our Green Paper. For having taken the initiative to organise and host this important event, my thanks to Mr Carlos Cesar, President of the regional government.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On the 7th of June the Commission adopted a Green Paper on a future European maritime policy. In so doing, we have now launched what I hope will be a wide-ranging and open debate on how Europe should be managing its interaction with the oceans and seas that surround it.
In this context, it is no coincidence that my first visit following the adoption of the Green Paper is to the Azores, one of the outermost Regions of the Union. These Regions, being islands, other than for Guyana, are windows onto our oceans and seas. As such, they have much to contribute to, and benefit from, a future Maritime Policy.
We hope, the year long debate, launched with the adoption of the Green Paper will feed into an overall policy approach which will give us the guidance so that we will no longer look at Europe’s maritime heritage, economy and environment in a piecemeal fashion. Clearly these elements need to come together, if we are to achieve the two fundamental goals of building Europe’s competitiveness in the sphere of maritime affairs while preserving the resource base upon which it is built.
We will not succeed in this task without the benefit of Europe’s best minds and broad experience. Indeed, as we are navigating through somewhat uncharted waters, it is fitting that experts in the field assist us in our work. It is also fitting that the active participation of all interested parties is sought so as to ensure that the process is all-encompassing, coherent and consistent with our aims. It is precisely for these reasons that we have decided on such an unusually long consultation process.
The Green Paper is an invitation to all stakeholders,and first of all the maritime regions themselves, and of course, the outermost regions to seek out new ways to increase the economic and social benefits the seas have to offer. It is not merely about maintaining the status quo but enhancing ever further the benefits we derive from the oceans and seas while simultaneously respecting their fragility.
I feel that the Green Paper is not just a step in the right direction but is an achievement in itself. By its very launch and by recognising the strategic importance of the oceans and seas to Europe, we are promoting maritime regions. Not surprisingly then, its mobilising effect is already visible. Member States and regional authorities, stakeholder groups and international partners have already submitted numerous positive reactions and suggestions for a future all-encompassing maritime policy.
We all have a stake in this common European heritage that is the sea. Citizens, businesses, scientists, environmental organisations and fishermen must all become a part of a single movement to take a new fresh look at our oceans and seas.
However this consultation phase is not merely designed as a means to interact with our stakeholders – it also seeks to raise awareness of all things maritime. This conference here in Horta is perfectly poised to achieve this. One could expect nothing less from the Azores, and other outermost regions of Europe, located as they are at the heart of the oceans and seas.
Allow me now to turn to the Green Paper itself.
When we talk about a future, more integrated, maritime policy the question that immediately comes to mind is: What is new?
While every coastal nation has a variety of sectoral policies in place to manage different uses of the ocean such as shipping or fishing, it has only been in the last decade that some of them have undertaken concerted efforts to articulate and implement a more integrated vision for the governance of ocean areas under their jurisdiction. Portugal is one of these.
The Green Paper seeks to make these efforts more widespread. It calls for a collective and collaborative oceans strategy by decision-makers, at all levels and between the different maritime sectors and industries.
The Green Paper recognises the significant contribution of sea-based activities to the economy, covering a broad range of sectors such as shipping, and its ancillary services, shipbuilding, fisheries and aquaculture, offshore oil and gas, renewable energies and, last but not least, coastal and marine tourism. It also comes to the conclusion that the intense development of these activities is not only a challenge, but can also constitute a threat to the sustainable development and exploitation of sea resources and activities.
So firstly, what is new here, is the approach itself. We are proposing to no longer look at the oceans and seas on a purely sectoral basis, but as a whole, integrating the constraints with the opportunities available. In so doing, we feel able to look at the opportunities arising from new technologies and scientific knowledge, the new uses of the seas, such as blue biotechnology, deeper energy drilling, renewable energies and modern mariculture, in conjunction with the impact these will have on the resource base. We feel able, through this new approach, to understand and rise to the challenges facing the oceans such as climate change, coastal erosion and competing uses of the oceans and seas.
What is also new is the call to all of Europe’s maritime regions to come forward and have a say. In so doing, we hope to raise awareness of the very unique qualities of the maritime dimension in Europe – qualities that both those living in, and visiting, coastal and island regions benefit from daily. This is why I am here today. Indeed President Barroso’s participation clearly demonstrates the importance the Commission attaches to the role of outermost regions in the formulation of a Maritime Policy for the European Union.
Regions have already shown that they have a particular interest in the unfolding of this maritime policy. They have shown this, both at an individual level and collectively, namely through the Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe - the CPMR - whose leaders present here, I salute. Given your close proximity to the realities of the maritime economy as regional and coastal entities, you are well-placed to influence our debate.
Outermost regions support many of the economic interests that are connected with a maritime strategy: be they in fisheries, aquaculture, transport, tourism and energy. The list of economic interests is long and will become even longer, given the rapid pace of technological developments. But aside from these, there is also the enormous potential for economic growth and job creation that coastal areas represent.
This is one of the more challenging areas in the Green Paper and a third example of what is new therein. We propose to look at various tools such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management, spatial offshore planning and European financial instruments so as to improve the possibilities for job creation and to stimulate growth over the long term. We are talking of a vision of the maritime sector that will take us well into the future and not serve solely for the here and now.
I would like at this juncture to look briefly at some of the sectors that stand to benefit most from the new thinking enshrined in the Green Paper.
The European fisheries sector for one, is important economically and socially - providing a healthy and valuable contribution to our diets. The same also applies to aquaculture, which is an industry with tremendous growth potential.
The development of coastal and marine tourism is also a source of income and jobs that the Community has to actively maintain and develop. The growth forecast for this sector is of 3% a year for the period 2005-2009. Coastal and marine tourism is an increasingly important economic sector in its own right, as it is a significant contributor to many EU member states’ GDP. Well-regulated – but not over-regulated – coastal and marine tourism can be a major contributor to the economy as a whole, and to coastal and island areas in particular.
Transport is another important example. European maritime regions, and in particular the outermost regions, are connected to other regions and other continents by global maritime traffic. The strategic importance of the 1,200 or so European ports is constantly increasing as an impressive 90% of foreign trade and 40% of the internal trade of the EU is carried out by sea. This explains why the European Union is making considerable efforts to develop seaports and policies to promote short sea shipping, with all the attendant environmental benefits that may accrue.
Outermost regions, in particular the Azores, are also home to important marine biology research and creative technological innovations in ocean monitoring. These activities are scientific activities but they are also about innovation. And this is a critical goal of the European Commission. This is why in the Commission’s Strategic Objectives for 2005-09, marine related science and research constitute one of the main pillars for a future European maritime policy. Scientific research and technology are needed not only to maintain the European lead in innovative products, but also to make informed policy choices and prevent the degradation of the marine environment.
There is another aspect of the future European maritime policy that I should underline once again and that is the dimension afforded by island and outermost regions. These areas are by definition, the most maritime regions of the Union. Heavily dependent on the sea, they define their very existence by their relation to the sea and their geographical location gives the Union its global dimension. The size of their Exclusive Economic Zones makes European member states global leaders in terms of the maritime areas under their jurisdiction. Here in the Azores, this aspect becomes so very obvious to us. Yet with this realisation comes also a greater responsibility for the Union in assuring the protection of this resource.
In this context, the possibility, offered by Article 76 of the Montego Bay Convention on the delimitation of the limits of the continental shelf is being addressed by a number of European Member States. I know that this project is of great importance for the Azores. Its development should enhance international co-operation among scientists, develop new marine research and development projects and enrich the data available for a better knowledge-driven maritime economy.
Islands and their corresponding maritime areas, illustrate the need for a far-reaching European maritime policy, not solely for the benefit of Europeans, but for the global community at large. Cognisant of this, the Green Paper opens up the possibility for us to work and co-operate with third countries. It facilitates the development of our external policies. And finally it allows us to build bridges between all four corners of the globe in much the same way that our oceans and seas - by their very nature – link us to one another.
Island regions are in the front line when it comes to facing threats from the sea, whether natural or man-made. In this regard, the Green Paper also proposes the consideration of new tools for better surveillance and monitoring. Enhancing co-operation at sea between Member States may also provide a better means of confronting these threats.
Before concluding my intervention, I must highlight one thing which is possibly the most important element that underpins all that we are seeking to achieve the need to preserve our oceans and seas. A healthy marine environment is a sine qua non to realising the full potential of the oceans and seas, and it is only through the preservation of this resource that we can hope to benefit from it in the future. With this in mind, the Commission has adopted a Thematic Strategy for the Marine Environment which will constitute the environmental pillar of a future maritime policy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The execution of an integrated approach to maritime affairs will to a large extent depend on national, regional and local players, acting in a concerted and co-ordinated way. Thus, the presence here in this room, of representatives from the European, member state and regional levels, is very encouraging. The fact that, in such a forum, we can have a frank and open debate is also most welcome.
I am confident that together we will be able to construct an ever closer Maritime Europe.
Thank you.
