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Regional approach to maritime Policy
20.05.2008, 17:08
First annual ‘European Maritime Day' was launched on 20 May. On 19 and 20 May the European Commission had organised a maritime policy stakeholder conference in Brussels, which focused on the regional approach to implementation of the integrated European Maritime Policy, launched by the Commission in October 2007.
Fokion Fotiadis, the director general of DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Commission, was the chair of this conference. Many national and European professionals involved in implementing the maritime strategy attended this two-day conference. Joe Borg, EU Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Secretary of State for European affairs, Radovan Zerjab, Slovenian Transport Minister, and Joao Mira Gomes, Portuguese Secretary of State for national defence and maritime affairs, also participated.
The conference was addressed by national and regional industry representatives, who gave their views on five topics - 'The Maritime Industries Forum as an example of overarching non-regional and regional aspects'; 'Ideas for continued stakeholder dialogue and for Maritime Day 2009'; 'What challenges for the regional implementation of maritime policy?'; 'What role for the regions in the Maritime Strategy Directive?'; and 'Life on the Coast' with tangible examples from Brittany, Scotland and Schleswig-Holstein. Michel Delebarre, Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions, Patrick Verhoeven, Mayor of Dunkerque, and Claudio Martini, Secretary General of ESPO (European Sea Ports Organisation) and President of the CPMR (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions) also took part in the discussion. The European Maritime Day idea was launched in December 2007 with the aim of highlighting the importance of seas and oceans, and giving maritime industries greater visibility and greater recognition. At the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the presidents of the EP, the Commission and the Council will sign a joint tripartite statement on the issue and several other initiatives are being organised across Europe.
Source: www.ec.europa.eu