Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Contributions can be sent to European Commission - Maritime Policy Task Force "Maritime Policy Green Paper", J-99 7/12, B-1049 Brussels

e-mail:  ec-maritime-green-paper@ec.europa.eu
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs

Any European will remember learning about the great voyages of discovery which opened the eyes of our forebears to the vastness of our planet, to the diversity of its cultures and the richness of its resources. Most of these voyages were made by sea.

Most of them required for their success openness to new ideas, meticulous planning, courage and determination. As time went by, they not only opened up previously uncharted areas of the globe, they also generated new technologies such as the chronometer to allow for the exact calculation of longitude and the steam turbine to bring independence from the tyranny of prevailing winds.

Many Europeans have always lived beside or close to the sea. It has provided them with a living as fishers and mariners, it has given them health and enjoyment, new horizons to dream of and a rich vocabulary of words and metaphors to be used in literature and their daily lives. It has been seen as a source of romance, but also of separation, unknown perils and grief. It has provided us with a constant challenge and a deep yearning to understand it better.

Europe is surrounded by many islands and by four seas: the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the North Sea and the Black Sea; and by two oceans: the Atlantic and the Arctic. This Continent is a peninsula with thousands of kilometres of coast - longer than that of other large land masses such as the United States or the Russian Federation. This geographical reality means that over two thirds of the Union's borders are coastal and that the maritime spaces under the jurisdiction of its Member States are larger than their terrestrial territory. Through its outermost regions, in addition to the Atlantic Ocean, Europe is also present in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Their maritime stakes are many and concern the EU as a whole.

Europe's geography, therefore, has always been one of the primary reasons for Europe's special relationship with the oceans. From the earliest times, the oceans have played a leading role in the development of European culture, identity and history.

This is no less the case today. As the EU seeks to revitalise its economy, it is important to recognise the economic potential of her maritime dimension. Between 3 and 5% of Europe's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to be generated by marine based industries and services, without including the value of raw materials, such as oil, gas or fish. The maritime regions account for over 40% of GDP.

Despite this, our citizens are not always well-informed of the importance of the oceans and seas in their lives. They know how crucial water is, but may not make the link with most of its being recycled from the oceans as rain or snow. They worry about climate change, but may not always see the key role of the oceans in modulating it. They benefit from their ability to buy cheap products from around the world, without realising how complex web of logistics is which brings them to us.

Sustainable development is at the heart of the EU agenda. Its challenge is to ensure mutual reinforcement of economic growth, social welfare and environmental protection.

The EU now has the opportunity to apply sustainable development to the oceans. To do this, it can build on the strengths which have always underpinned its maritime leadership: knowledge of the oceans, extensive experience and an ability to seize new challenges, and combine these with its strong commitment to the protection of the resource base.

Oceans and seas cannot be managed without cooperation with third countries and in multilateral fora. EU policy aimed at the oceans must be developed within that international context.

If Europe is to rise to the challenge of finding a better relationship with the oceans it is not only industry which will need to innovate. So too will policy-makers. We should consider a new approach to oceans and seas management that no longer looks only at what humans can extract from the oceans and seas, nor one that looks at the oceans and seas on a purely sectoral basis, but one that looks at them as a whole.

So far our policies on maritime transport, industry, coastal regions, offshore energy, fisheries, the marine environment and other relevant areas have been developed separately. Of course we have tried to ensure that their impact on each other was taken into account. But no one was looking at the broader links between them. No one was examining in a systematic manner how these policies could be combined to reinforce each other.

Fragmentation can result in the adoption of conflicting measures, which in turn have negative consequences on the marine environment or may impose disproportionate constraints on competing maritime activities. Moreover, fragmentation of decisionmaking makes it difficult to comprehend the potential impact of one set of activities upon another. It prevents us from exploring untapped synergies between different maritime sectors.

It is now time to bring all these elements together and forge a new vision for the management of our relations with the oceans. This will require new ways of designing and implementing policies at the EU, national and local levels, as well as at international level through the external dimension of our internal policies.

This Green Paper aims to launch a debate about a future Maritime Policy for the EU that treats the oceans and seas in a holistic way. It will underline that our continued enjoyment of the benefits that they provide will only be possible through a profound  respect for them at a time when their resources are threatened by severe pressures and our increasing technological ability to exploit them. The accelerated reduction of marine biodiversity due notably to pollution, impacts of climate change and overfishing are warning signals that we cannot ignore.

The Green Paper builds upon existing EU policies and initiatives and dovetails with the Lisbon Strategy. It seeks to strike the right balance between the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The Green Paper also hopes to contribute to a new awareness among Europeans of the greatness of their maritime heritage, the importance of the oceans in their lives and their continued potential to provide us with increased wellbeing and economic opportunity.

Principles of good governance suggest the need for a European maritime policy that embraces all aspects of the oceans and seas. This policy should be integrated, intersectoral and multidisciplinary, and not a mere collection of vertical sectoral policies.

It should look at the oceans and seas based on sound knowledge of how they work and how the sustainability of their environment and ecosystems may be preserved. It should aim to provide answers as to how decision-making and the conciliation of competing interests in marine and coastal areas can result in a climate more conducive to investment and to the development of sustainable economic activities.

To achieve this, it is necessary to increase cooperation and to promote effective coordination and integration of ocean and sea-related policies at all levels.

Underlying principles

In its strategic objectives for 2005-2009, the European Commission declared "the particular need for an all-embracing maritime policy aimed at developing a thriving maritime economy, in an environmentally sustainable manner. Such a policy should be supported by excellence in marine scientific research, technology and innovation".The Commission believes that in pursuing this vision, our approach should restfirmly on twin pillars.

First, it should be anchored within the Lisbon Strategy, stimulating growth and more and better jobs within the Union. Continued investments in knowledge and skills are key factors for maintaining competitiveness and ensuring quality jobs. The EU's integrated approach to industrial policy emphasises that Europe's future lies in bringing new, high quality products and services to the world market for which customers are prepared to pay a premium.

Second, we must maintain and improve the status of the resource upon which all maritime activities are based: the ocean itself. To do this, ecosystem-based   management, built on scientific knowledge, is essential. The Commission has completed the groundwork for this by putting forward its Thematic Strategy for the Marine Environment.

While using these pillars as the basis for our new maritime policy may seem simple enough, two characteristics of the marine environment need to be borne in mind.

First, the global nature of the oceans. This leads to both complementarity and competition between nations. To regulate maritime activities in the interest of worldwide sustainable development necessitates developing universally applicable rules. Yet each part of the oceans and seas is different and may require its own more specific rules and administration. This apparent contradiction illustrates why the global nature of the oceans is such a challenge to policy-makers.

The second challenge to maritime good governance, which is directly linked to the first, is that of the multiple actors involved. Multiple sectoral policies have emerged and exist at all levels of government: EU, national, regional, and local4. Action proposals may be most appropriately taken up by different actors in different agencies and different countries or by international organisations. In the interest of keeping decisions at a level closest to the stakeholders, action at EU level should be undertaken only where it contributes value-added to the activities of others.