The sea, an example of governance in Europe
“Your views, the views of coastal regions, will be critical because in order for a new maritime policy to be accepted it must be the result of clear demand. You are the source of inspiration for the project. You are the cause and the main reason to embark on this process and you are the ones who will benefit from a future maritime policy.
Your ambition will determine how ambitious the policy is.” It was with these words that Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs addressed the participants of the seminar “The Governance of the Future European Maritime Policy: Which Role for the Regions?” organised by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) in Livorno on 6 November 2006 at the invitation of the President of Tuscany and of the CPMR, Mr Claudio Martini.
The aim of the seminar, which witnessed participation from 18 countries, was to feed into the debate following the publication of the Green Paper “Towards a Future Maritime Policy for the Union: A European Vision for the Oceans and Seas”, published by the European Commission on 7 June 2006, by identifying the possible place and role of the Regions in a series by maritime policies such as fisheries, maritime transport, research, ports, marine environment, coastal management, etc...
“The majority of maritime problems,” stated Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of Brittany, “overlap on a territory and at a level which is often intermediate between local and national levels. On the other hand, the Regions, as Regional Authorities, are omitted from the Green Paper.” Indeed, the chapter on Maritime Governance mentions “the social partners”, “the competent authorities, whether at EC, national, or local level”, but never “regional authorities”! “Certainly,” continued Le Drian speaking on behalf of the CPMR, “the EU is a Union of States, but the principle of subsidiarity should have found a role in the Green Paper.” The CPMR recalled that the Breton President has published his response to the Green Paper.
Claudio Martini raised with Commissioner Borg the importance of sea areas as a relevant level of governance for the application of the European Maritime Policy. “The Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Atlantic Arc, the North Sea, the Black Sea, how can an integrated maritime policy”, said Mr Martini, “be created without posing the question of the most relevant area for its delivery?
The eco-systemic approach developed by the DG Environment, Motorways of the Sea, the new neighbourhood policy, as well as ERDF objective 3 introduces cooperation by sea area.
The Green Paper could also have introduced them!” There were a lot of elected officials among the numerous participants: Mr Uwe Döring, Rapporteur on the Green Paper for the Committee of the Regions, Mr Giuseppe Bertolucci, Minister for the Budget, Planning and Maritime Policy, Tuscany (Italy), Mrs Josette Sportiello, Member of the Regional Council in charge of the Sea, Provence Cote d’Azur (France), as well as Mr Francisco Gonzalez Buendia, Regional Minister for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructures, Asturias, (Spain). The Aturias have established the first EU/State/Region tripartite contract as a future tool for the European Maritime Policy.
Indeed, the European Commissions 2001 White Paper on Governance foresaw these types of contracts in domains closely linked to regions. Thanks to the progress of Asturias, tripartite contracts could subsequently come into force; in the delivery of an integrated maritime policy at regional level. The Asturian experience could then be extended to other pioneering Regions.
With regards to this, Joe Borg has shown a certain interest as cooperation among all the involved players is fundamental in a new maritime policy. “I am convinced,” said the Maltese Commissioner, “that the Regions have to play an important role in this cooperation. And this seminar is an excellent opportunity for me to collect and share the ideas of regional authorities.”
The Mayor of Livorno Mr Alessandro Cosimin, and the President of Livorno Province, Mr Giorgio Kutufà, have also contributed to the debates by highlighting the maritime experience of the Livorno coast to the Commissioner.
(CRPM)