A package of proposals for an all-embracing EU maritime policy will focus not only on strengthening the global competitiveness of Europe's maritime industries and protecting the marine environment, but will also seek to respond to key challenges such as climate change, energy security, migration and drug trafficking, said Commission President Barroso at a conference on Europe's future maritime policy in Bremen on 2 May.
He said that an integrated approach to maritime policy could help ease the consequences of climate change, such as rising sea levels and increasingly violent storms, through research and investments in coastal regions. The future policy could also support the development of new sea-based energy sources – such as methane hydrates from the seabed – "opening up possibilities that could dwarf all reserves of oil and gas known today" and providing "huge employment opportunities in the coastal regions and beyond".
The proposals, due to be presented by the Commission in October 2007 once the consultation process is over, will, for the first time, gather under a single heading sectors that are currently treated separately despite their interconnections and possible conflicts of interests: fisheries, shipbuilding, port activities, tourism, coastal management, marine research, environmental protection and maritime safety to name just a few.
"The emerging EU maritime policy is a perfect example of how the European project is moving forward. The sea unites us. This is the type of project we need in the debate on the future of Europe. It is specific enough to engage people in a real debate. It is political. It gives new perspectives for sustainable growth and employment. And it is evident that European cooperation is necessary to take it forward," said Barroso.
