What do you hope will be the main outcomes of next week's EU Maritime Day in Malta?
The European Maritime Day is always a popular event – we are expecting between 800 and 1,000 participants this year - and I am delighted that we are hosting the event in Valletta. The audience will be made up of leading experts with an extensive knowledge on maritime policy issues and we are very much looking forward to welcoming this year's stakeholders who have scheduled a range of workshops on relevant topics. This invariably makes for a lively and engaging debate on the key issues which are affecting the maritime sector and is an invaluable networking opportunity for participants who are all encouraged to share best practice, innovations and new ideas.
This year the focus is on blue growth and how the maritime sector can continue to be a driver for growth and jobs. A particular emphasis will be placed on coastal development and sustainable maritime tourism which is the largest economic activity within the maritime sector.
The conference is a European event open to everyone, co-organised on a yearly basis by the European Commission and a Member State of the EU. This year I am delighted to be working in partnership with the Maltese Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business as well as the Maltese Ministry for Tourism. All (non-EU) Southern Mediterranean countries have been invited to participate although the emphasis is not on the participation of each Member State but rather on European maritime policies.
Next week's Maritime Days in Valletta will be the first since the adoption last November by EU maritime ministers of the Limassol Declaration on a Marine and Maritime Agenda for Growth and Jobs, which updated the EU Integrated Maritime Policy of 2007. What have been the main steps forward so far?
The Commission and Member States have started to implement the Declaration,which intends to boost the maritime economy towards seven million jobs by 2020. In close partnership with Member States we have recently adopted an action plan for the Atlantic Ocean area which identifies a number of actions for collective work between the Member States concerned, be it in the field of oceanic research or improving skills, education and training for a new generation to take up employment in the blue economy. The Commission has also adopted Strategic Guidelines on Aquaculture which will help coordinate efforts across all Member States to boost the development of EU aquaculture.
The Commission has adopted a revision of the Leadership 2020 strategy to support sustainable growth, high value jobs and address the societal challenges that the shipbuilding and maritime industry currently faces. Moreover, we have also adopted a proposal for a Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Management.
An example of our engagement with the (non-EU) South Mediterranean Partnership states was the 12th Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and Investment (FEMIP) Conference entitled “Mediterranean Blue Economy: Enhancing Marine and Maritime Cooperation” held in Athens just last month, which was organised in collaboration with the European Investment Bank and the International Maritime Organisation as a follow-up to the Limassol Declaration. In the course of 2013, the Commission will initiate work on the development of maritime clusters, networking across training institutes in the region and the setting-up of a Virtual Knowledge Centre.
What are the main goals of the Blue Economy concept enshrined in the Declaration and how far do you think some of these goals might be compromised (in particular those relating to aquaculture and coastal tourism) by the impacts of climate change on coastal areas as well as on EU seas and marine biodiversity?
The overarching objective is to create sustainable jobs. We need an economy that creates jobs but that does not compromise the rights of future generations to enjoy the benefits of the marine and coastal environment.
Uncertainty is the main challenge to understanding the potential impact of climate change. Whilst we know that the planet on the whole will be warmer and the ocean more acidic, we do not know what this means for individual regions in terms of temperature, rainfall or extreme events. We expect that the abundance and diversity of marine species will change but we do not know how this will affect the blue economy. We are aiming to help those concerned with planning public or private investments to deal with these changes by reducing uncertainty though our "Marine Knowledge 2020" initiative.
At the same time the blue economy can help to reduce the impact of climate change. Offshore renewable energy – with wind, tide or wave – can contribute to reducing Europe's carbon footprint. Shifting traffic from road or rail to the sea can also have a significant impact.
What are the main future marine and maritime research lines proposed by the Commission for Horizon 2020, the new financial instrument for innovation and research? How much was allocated by the European Council under the recently adopted Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020 and was this figure the same or different to what the Commission had proposed?
Research relevant to marine and maritime issues will be supported through many of the societal challenges of Horizon 2020. The wide breadth of these issues ranges from food security to sustainable agriculture, to marine and maritime research and to the bioeconomy. We will also support research into clean and efficient energy, green and integrated transport, climate action, and resource efficiency. This will be underpinned by more generic research on enabling technologies – information technology, biotechnology etc.
An enhanced coordination between the different societal challenges and enabling technologies on marine and maritime-related topics will ensure that insights from one research area benefit others. Priority will be given to research that supports blue growth.
The Commission requested €80 billion for Horizon 2020 although it is difficult to estimate the final figure proposed by the Council since it formed part of a wider package with other items. Nevertheless, it is fair to say the final figure will be below what the Commission proposed even if higher than the present level.
In your speech to the FEMIP conference you stated that (the Mediterranean) “also faces serious environmental challenges, because it is a closed sea. The Mediterranean ecosystems are influenced by the high pressure that they have from developing economic activities and multiple sources of pollution from both land and sea”. What is EU's involvement with such regional issues?
The EU is a party, as are several Member States along with East and South Mediterranean (non-EU) states to the Barcelona Convention for Protection Against Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (1976). The Commission remains fully committed to the implementation of this Convention and its Protocols, which it supports in many substantive ways. The Commission sees the Convention as a valuable partner in its efforts to assist Member States in implementing key policies for sea and coast, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the future Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal management, and for efficient cooperation with our Mediterranean neighbours for the benefit of the marine and coastal environment of the region.
The EU has traditionally played a very active role in the Barcelona Convention and will continue to do so. My Directorate General is working closely with the other relevant Commission services to develop an EU position for the Convention's next Conference of the Parties. We are also considering our input in the prior meeting in Valletta (10-12 June) of its advisory body, the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development, depending on the topics that will be discussed.
In the same speech in Athens you said that “The Mediterranean is also an important transit corridor for shipping with 30% of the world seaborne trade channelled through it, including 20% of the world's seaborne oil traffic.” What more needs to be done to reduce the risks of major accidents?
Mediterranean coastal States need to fulfil their obligations under the framework of the International Maritime Organisation and the Barcelona Convention, notably its Offshore Protocol. The European Maritime Safety Agency already provides a set of services to EU Member States – for instance through CleanSeaNet that allows for oil spill and vessel detection by satellite and the provision of oil recovery vessels and equipment. Support to Southern Mediterranean partners is also possible under the agency's new mandate. Unfortunately due to time constraints, I will not be able to visit the Malta-based headquarters of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) – one of the Regional Activity Centres of the UN Environment Programme's Mediterranean Action Plan which supports the implementation of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols.
The Commission has recently proposed maritime spatial planning legislation. Many Member States, such as Malta, have not yet implemented maritime spatial plans and have failed to comply with international obligations on the protection of the marine environment by means of marine protected areas. How is the Commission hoping to ensure that Member States safeguard vulnerable marine species and habitats, while implementing spatial plans?
Maritime Spatial Planning is in Malta a crucial instrument for the development of coastal and maritime economic activities, including tourism. Maritime space, and human uses of it, must be managed coherently, precisely to allow for the best possible co-existence of activities, and to minimise impacts on the marine environment. The value of Maritime Spatial Planning lies not in merely managing space – it is such an important tool because it ensures that all uses and activities are taken into account, instead of only developing one to the detriment of others. It is about coexistence and coordination, not about adding new rules. Uncoordinated management of sea space in Europe can indeed often be detrimental to investments in sustainable tourism.
Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Management will boost the spatial development of all maritime sectors while giving operators the certainty of what economic development is possible and where, as well as what procedures are necessary to get permits and licensing. Maritime Spatial Planning helps ensure maximum compatibility with marine ecosystems, especially in the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, which are essential for natural resources but also to boost local tourism. Integrated coastal management is also essential to ensure the sustainability of coastal development. It can reduce the increase in built-up areas on the coast by one third and minimize habitat degradation – both contribute to improve the touristic appeal of coastal areas.
What is the current state of play on the integration of the EU Maritime Surveillance? And on the revised Common Fisheries Policy? What would you like to see achieved on each by the end of your mandate as Commissioner next year?
One of the cornerstones of the integration of maritime surveillance is information sharing. The work on the definition and establishment of the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) for the surveillance of the EU maritime domain is progressing well. All Member States have expressed their full support to the Commission through several Council conclusions, expert meetings and pilot projects. The adoption of a White Paper on the CISE is planned for beginning of 2014 which should pave the way for CISE to be operational by 2020.
In terms of the proposed reform on the Common Fisheries Policy we are continuing to work with the Irish Presidency, the Council and the Parliament. It is a priority for the Commission to find an agreement and the talks will continue in the next meeting of the Council.
The objective of the reformed fisheries policy is to end overfishing and make fishing sustainable - environmentally, economically and socially. The new policy aims to bring fish stocks back to sustainable levels by setting fishing opportunities based on scientific advice, to provide EU citizens with a stable, secure and healthy food supply for the long term, and to bring new prosperity to the fishing sector, end dependence on subsidies and create new opportunities for jobs and growth in coastal areas
What are the next steps on the EU's support for a new implementing agreement of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) which would address both the conservation and the sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions?
Together with many other States, the EU has been pushing for a new implementing agreement of the Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This has been our position since the establishment of the United Nations Working Group in 2006 on this issue.
A significant step forward was taken by the international community, championed by the EU and other partners, at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last June. EA commitment was made by participating countries to address the issue as a matter of urgency with a view to taking a decision on negotiations on an implementing agreement under UNCLOS before the end of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly (i.e. by 2014).
Although a crucial milestone, this was only a partial success given that the EU and a large number of other countries were hoping that, much like the launch of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement negotiations at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, (the UN Conference on Environment and Development) the Rio+ 20 Conference would herald the start of the negotiations on the much sought after new agreement.
It is still our firm belief that such an agreement should address the establishment of marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We believe it is important that any agreement also focuses on the use of environmental impact assessments, the question of access rights to marine genetic resources and the distribution of the benefits derived from them.
We will therefore be fully involved in the sixth meeting of the Working Group being held in August 2013. It is my hope that the meeting will recommend to the UN General Assembly that we should now be moving to the next phase of discussions and prepare for the start of negotiations.