1. Introduction to the Green Paper by the European Commission
On 7 June 2006, M.Borg, the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, presented the Green Paper defining the outlines of a future Community maritime policy. The Green Paper comes after the European Commission decided to launch a consultation on the future of European seas in 2005.
In line with the Lisbon Strategy, the Green Paper entitled « Towards a future Maritime Policy for the Union: a European vision for the oceans and seas » is meant to favour economic and social growth together with the sustainable maritime development and the protection of marine and maritime resources. It thus attests the aim of the European Commission to exploit synergies between the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
By leading a cross-cutting approach, the Green Paper highlights the interactions and the interrelationships between the various European maritime activities and identifies sources of competitiveness.
Five areas for discussion are described :
- 1. Retaining Europe’s Leadership in Sustainable Maritime Development. This chapter identifies the needs for maritime sectors in a globalising world and insists on the necessity to maintain economic growth and to favour sustainable development. The section takes into account the new challenges the maritime world faces as the global warming or in the energy field.
- 2. Maximising Quality of life in Coastal regions. In this chapter, the concern about quality of life or the benefits from maritime tourism on local economies are raised.
- 3. Providing the tools to manage our Relations with the Oceans. Those tools would gather various data related to marine and maritime activities and would thereby allow to get a thorough knowledge of European seas and oceans.
- 4. Governance. The chapter enunciates general principles encouraging local, national and regional co-operations. It also considers the external dimension like the interdependence with the global world, the multiple realities and diversities that affect European seas and oceans.
- 5. Reclaiming Europe’s Maritime Heritage and Reaffirming Europe’s Maritime Identity. The last section wonders about how to value Europe’s maritime heritage and insists on the possible contribution of Education.
Following the release of the Green Paper, the European Commission called on stakeholders to express the views and to participate in the development of a cross-cutting vision of the oceans and seas. They had until 30 June 2007 to provide the Commission with their comments on the issues raised.
By the end of 2007, the Commission will have completed the process by issuing a communication containing its proposals for the future.
2. Arc Manche and the Green Paper
In recent years in particular, the Arc Manche Assembly endeavoured to produce the Channel area strategic vision, to lobby the European Commission to widen cross-border maritime co-operation over the whole coastal area of the Channel (the European Regional Policy Co-operation Objective), and to actively participate in the debate launched by the European Commission on the development of an integrated European maritime policy.
The participation of Arc Manche in the consultation has involved an initial contribution sent to the Maritime Policy Task Force in December 2005, followed by the involvement of the Assembly in numerous European meetings, and the organisation of a Conference in Rouen on 29 March 2007 on the importance of having an integrated maritime policy for the Channel area.
The special situation of the Channel which appears to be a strategic maritime transport channel for the European Union as well as a marine basin for multiple and sometimes conflicting uses, offers real opportunities but also risks that must be considered and acted on in partnership.
Throughout the consultation period on the Green Paper, the main stakeholders in the Channel area have actively addressed the questions put forward by the Green Paper. In most of the regional and local authorities in the Channel area, consultations or seminars have been organised at a regional level on one or more regionally relevant aspects of the Green Paper.
Throughout the consultation period on the Green Paper, the main stakeholders in the Channel area have actively addressed the questions put forward by the Green Paper. In most of the regional and local authorities in the Channel area, consultations or seminars have been organised at a regional level on one or more regionally relevant aspects of the Green Paper.
The territories along the Channel are indeed concerned with the maritime. Many aspects of maritime activities have impact on the territories boarding the Channel: transport; maritime safety; management of fishing resources; coastal economic activities; tourism; research; professional training; patrimony; environment; climate; economic, environmental and social management of the coast.
Therefore, the main stakeholders in the Channel area insisted on expressing their claims, expectations and feelings about the future of the Channel basin and were pleased at the European Commission’s proposal, not only because of the relevance of the questions put forward, but also because of the open method suggested, which favours localised sharing of thoughts and points of view.
3. Related links
For further information on the Green Paper, please refer to the links below :
The Green Paper issued by the European Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/pdf/com_2006_0275_en_part2.pdf
The Website for Maritime Affairs at the European Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/index_fr.html
SCADPlus, the information service that summarizes the Union’s legislation:
4. Download work papers
Position of the Channel Arc Manche Assembly on the Green Paper « Towards a Maritime Policy for the Union : A European Vision of the Oceans and Seas »
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Acts of the French-British Conference Arc Manche 2007 ( 29 March 2007, Rouen, France )
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