# EUR-Lex - 52013DC0279 - EN

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# 52013DC0279

**COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action Plan for a Maritime Strategy in the Atlantic area Delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth /* COM/2013/0279 final */**

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Action Plan for a Maritime Strategy in the
Atlantic area

Delivering smart, sustainable and
inclusive growth

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.           Introduction

The marine and maritime sectors that make up
the 'blue economy' have the potential to provide 7 million jobs in Europe by 2020. These jobs will be found not only in emerging sectors, such as offshore
renewable energy, but also through revitalising traditional maritime industries.
The Atlantic area can make a significant contribution to this 'blue growth'. At
the same time, the environmental and ecological stability of Europe's largest
and most important ecosystem needs to be safeguarded for future generations.

This Action Plan therefore sets out priorities
for research and investment to drive the ‘blue economy’ forwards in the
Atlantic area. The five Atlantic Member States[1]
and their regions can draw on the Action Plan to help create sustainable and
inclusive growth in coastal areas. The Action Plan builds on the Commission's Atlantic
Strategy[2],
and is the result of consultations conducted through the Atlantic Forum. The Forum
has enabled Member States, the European Parliament, regional and local authorities,
civil society and industry to contribute to the development of the Action Plan
and consider response to the challenges of delivering growth, reducing the Atlantic
area's carbon footprint, ensuring sustainable use of the sea's natural
resources, setting up effective responses to threats and emergencies and
implementing an ecosystem based management approach in Atlantic waters. The Forum
also drew on input from stakeholders through a series of workshops, an on-line
call for suggestions, and contributions provided by Member States and regional authorities.

The timing of the Action Plan fits well with
the development of the Common Strategic Framework (CSF) for the European
Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF)[3].
The thematic objectives of the CSF have broad relevance to the Atlantic
Strategy, notably:

–
supporting the shift towards a low-carbon
economy;

–
increasing the capacity for research and
innovation through education and training and bringing industry closer to
research; and

–
enhancing the competitiveness of Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs), such as those prevalent in the EU's tourism, fishing and
aquaculture industries.

The Action Plan is intended to have a strong
signalling effect for regions and the private sector. They should begin
consideration of where they could work together, including on a cross-border
basis, to implement the agreed priorities. The process of developing the Action
Plan, conducted in partnership with the five Atlantic Member States, has
encouraged stakeholders, including regions, port cities and the private sector,
to consider how they could take action to grow the blue economy and contribute
to sustainable development in the Atlantic area. This should help to attract
investment and private sector activity into the blue economy and, in doing so,
help to revitalise coastal regions in the Atlantic area.

Successful implementation of the Action Plan
needs to be underpinned by a combination of efforts in three areas to enable
the blue economy to reach its potential in the Atlantic area – targeted
investment, increasing research capacity and higher skills:

–
investment: investment will need to be targeted towards innovation,
technological capabilities and smart specialisation strategies with SMEs being
particularly important. Effective use of the European Structural and Investment
Funds (ESIF) in these areas is key to achieving the overarching objectives of
growth, competitiveness and jobs. Investment in infrastructure may also be
needed. For example, vessel technology and marine infrastructure such as ports
and marinas have an important role to play in supporting the blue economy. The
Atlantic Forum has identified their potential for providing new services, for
instance, to the growing cruise tourism market and to offer assembly and
maintenance stations for new offshore installations. The EU has already
provided considerable financial support to this process, including
complementary loan finance from the European Investment Bank. The ESIF will in
future allow greater coherence between EU funding mechanisms, though finance
for infrastructure or tourism investment will still need to come largely from
the private sector;

–
research: ocean governance, the sustainable exploitation and management of marine
resources, safety at sea, marine environmental protection (including the
designation of coastal and high-seas Marine Protected Areas) require not only
data and an understanding of how ecosystems function and interact, but also an
ability to model, forecast and predict.. This approach facilitates the
assessment and mitigation of risk. It encourages investment and reduces
operational costs. Ocean observation, mapping and forecasting are therefore critical
for the sustainable growth of economic activity in the Atlantic area and for
furthering our understanding of the oceanic processes in the Atlantic which play
an important role in determining our climate. Making this information widely
available is critical. There is growing evidence of the significant push to
innovation that better access to public sector information can provide.

–
higher skills:
shortage of a suitably-skilled workforce for
certain sectors of the marine and maritime industry must be tackled if the blue
economy is to reach its potential, both by upskilling the existing workforce
and by attracting young people into the sector. This is particularly the case
for emerging fields such as renewable energy, but is also true for more
traditional sectors such as shipbuilding, fisheries, aquaculture and seafood
processing, where innovation, specialisation and adaptation to new technologies
are needed to compete in the global market.

2.           Action plan

Discussions with Member States and feedback
from the Atlantic Forum have resulted in the following Action Plan, which
should be implemented through to 2020. These action areas are designed to meet
the challenges of the Atlantic strategy and deliver smart, sustainable and
socially inclusive growth and jobs. This Action Plan is not intended to be
exhaustive. It comprises an indicative set of action areas for research and
investment to tackle common challenges. Much is already being done by the
Member States in question, both individually and collectively, to develop their
marine and maritime economies. This Action Plan therefore identifies areas
where there is scope for additional collective work. Addressing these
priorities can promote innovation, contribute to the protection and improvement
of the Atlantic's marine and coastal environment, improve connectivity and
create synergies for a socially inclusive and sustainable model of regional
development.

This Action Plan is an invitation to the
private sector, researchers, regional and national public bodies and other
actors to start designing projects that respond to the priorities.

Priority 1: Promote entrepreneurship and
innovation

Specific objectives of this priority include:

–
sharing knowledge between higher education
organisations, companies and research centres

Increasing the capacity of the Atlantic area to
innovate through research and technology by encouraging:

(a)
networking and co-operative research between
research centres, higher education and business in the Member States;

(b)
transferring knowledge and insights, as well as
skills between higher education, business and research, including through
regional, national and cross-border maritime clusters and technology platforms.

–
enhancement of competitiveness and innovation
capacities in the maritime economy of the Atlantic area

Improving skills in traditional Atlantic
industries, such as shipbuilding, aquaculture and fisheries, as well as in the emerging
sectors of the blue economy by:

(a)
putting in place educational and training
measures, including cross-border programmes and mutual recognition of national
education and training programmes;

(b)
raising awareness of sea-related careers,
generating an enthusiasm for maritime culture and careers among young people
and addressing other barriers that discourage young people from embarking on a
maritime career[4];for
example through sail-training, advanced technology courses and other joint
Atlantic initiatives.

–
fostering adaptation and diversification of
economic activities by promoting the potential of the Atlantic area

Supporting the reform of the Common
Fisheries Policy and revitalising the EU's aquaculture industry
through:

(a)
developing improved multi-species modelling,
fishing gear and related techniques and technologies so as to minimise carbon
footprint, seabed damage, discards and by-catch;

(b)
sharing information on tools that improve
fisheries managers' understanding of the socio-economic and ecosystem impacts
of management measures;

(c)
carrying out research to improve the growth,
productivity, competitiveness and environmental sustainability of aquaculture
(including offshore aquaculture) and the industry's ability to respond to
market needs;

(d)
improving the market position of EU-sourced
fisheries and aquaculture products by improving processing, labelling,
traceability and certification.

Priority 2: Protect, secure and develop the
potential of the Atlantic marine and coastal environment

Specific objectives of this priority include:

–
improving maritime safety and security

Reinforcing the safety and security of
seafarers, coastal populations, property and ecosystems by:

(a)
evaluating and extending as necessary existing warning,
reporting and response mechanisms for invasive and harmful marine species and
foster exchanges of best practice on how to deal with such threats;

(b)
supporting initiatives undertaken by Member
States in the Atlantic, including risk assessments, coordinated response
mechanisms and investments in state-of-the-art equipment that contribute
appropriately to enhancing coordinated preparedness and responses to marine
threats, natural disasters, marine accidents, spills of oil and hazardous
material or trafficking[5];

(c)
developing, testing and deploying new
technologies to improve the inspection of vessels and enhance the safety and
security of ports and shipping by better integrating data from satellites and
from air, sea and land-based surveillance facilities and innovative in-situ instruments
to improve situational awareness in the maritime domain;

(d)
helping to deliver regional sea-basin-related
information services within the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE),
based on agreed EU-wide standards and experience gained by Member States in
pilot projects.

–
exploring and protecting marine waters and
coastal zones

Developing a European Atlantic ocean
observing and predictive capability, based on existing structures, platforms
and mechanisms to support the implementation of EU policies, reduce costs for
industry, public authorities and research institutions, stimulate innovation
and reduce uncertainty in the behaviour of the Atlantic ocean and the impact of
climate change by:

(a)
using existing systems and mechanisms to develop
and maintain a sustainable integrated programme for surveying and observing the
coasts, seabed and water column, covering the waters of EU Member States,
Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories from the coasts to the
deep ocean;

(b)
developing new instruments and platforms for
ocean observation and ecosystem monitoring (including seabed mapping) that
increase the number of parameters that can be measured automatically, lower the
costs of observation and accelerate the dissemination of data to users;

(c)
contributing to a more effective stewardship,
cataloguing and distribution of interoperable marine data and a
multi-resolution seabed map through contributions to a European Marine
Observation and Data Network;

(d)
developing a network of coastal oceanographic
forecasting systems (including risk assessments) that build on the Copernicus
marine service.

Contributing to the development of tools and
strategies to address global climate change issues, including mitigation
and adaptation strategies by:

(a)
supporting an assessment of the carbon footprint
of the blue economy in the Atlantic area;

(b)
develop a platform for exchanging best practice
on emissions reduction and energy efficiency;

(c)
developing co-operative partnerships to identify
and monitor the impacts of global climate change on marine activities,
ecosystems and coastal communities in the Atlantic area, including developing
better predictive and risk assessment capabilities.

Supporting marine environmental protection and
efforts to achieve "good environmental status" of Atlantic
waters by 2020[6]
by:

(a)
continuing to build on national plans, OSPAR
processes and Natura 2000 sites to help develop a coherent network of Marine
Protected Areas for Europe's Atlantic coast by agreeing on good practices and
shared evaluation processes that could also benefit Macaronesia and the Outermost
Regions in the Caribbean;

(b)
encouraging further cooperation between Member
States, including through OSPAR, for example on coordinated and integrated
monitoring programmes and joint action to restore ecosystems.

Assessing the social and economic value and
functioning of the Atlantic's ecosystems and biodiversity in order to
support decision-making.

Contributing to Member States maritime spatial
planning and integrated coastal management processes, for example by
sharing best practice and facilitating cross-border coordination.

–
sustainable management of marine resources

Developing a better understanding of the
technical feasibility, economic viability and environmental impact of mining
for minerals in the Atlantic Ocean, and develop and test innovative mining
technologies.

Laying the foundations for a sustainable,
high-value-added European marine biotechnology industry by:

(a)
exploring the seafloor and assessing its genetic
make-up, biodiversity and potential for providing material for the
biotechnology industry, taking account of applicable international law and the
need to protect the marine environment;

(b)
strengthening links between research and
industry in the Atlantic area in order to develop biobanks and identify markets
for innovative marine bioproducts (biomedicine, tissue engineering,
pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes) and focusing research on delivering
industrial processes for manufacturing them.

–
exploitation of the renewable energy
potential of the Atlantic area's marine and coastal environment

Considering ways to accelerate the deployment
of sustainable offshore renewable energy by:

(a)
encouraging assessment and mapping of the
potential of the European Atlantic Ocean's energy resource and determining how
to mitigate the environmental and navigational impact of the construction,
operation and decommissioning of installations as part of regional Smart
Specialisation Strategies for offshore renewable energy;

(b)
contributing to a European electricity
transmission system that allows the balancing of loads between national systems
and provides better links between offshore and onshore energies;

(c)
promoting research, development and
demonstration of technologies for the construction and maintenance of renewable
energy installations for offshore wind, wave, tidal and biomass energies
including integration with desalination plants and multipurpose offshore
platforms;

(d)
encouraging the harnessing of the special
geological, oceanographic and meteorological conditions of the Outermost
Regions of the Atlantic in order to help them achieve energy self-sufficiency
and meet carbon emission reduction targets.

Priority 3: Improve accessibility and
connectivity

Specific objectives of this priority include:

–
promoting cooperation between ports

Facilitating the development of ports as
hubs of the blue economy by:

(a)
facilitating upgrades of infrastructure to
improve connectivity with the hinterland, enhance intermodality and promote
fast turnaround of ships through measures such as provision of shore side
electricity, equipping ports with liquefied natural gas refuelling capacity and
tackling administrative bottlenecks;

(b)
enabling ports to diversify into new business
activities such as the maintenance of offshore renewable energy installations
or tourism;

(c)
analysing and promoting port networks and
short-sea shipping routes between European ports, within archipelagos and to
the coast of Africa through initiatives such as Motorways of the Sea to
increase seaborne traffic.

Priority 4: Create a socially inclusive and
sustainable model of regional development

Specific objectives of this priority include:

–
fostering better knowledge of social
challenges in the Atlantic area

Exchanging best practice on enhancing the health,
social inclusion and well-being of coastal populations and developing
appropriate and usable marine socio-economic indicators to measure, compare and
follow trends in the development of the blue economy;

–
preserving and promoting the Atlantic's cultural heritage

Combating seasonality and improving prospects
for SMEs through diversification of maritime and coastal tourism
products and development of niche markets by investing in:

(a)
marine sport, marinas and nautical leisure
activities;

(b)
port services, including those for cruise
passengers;

(c)
identifying and promoting cultural and natural
attractions of the Atlantic seaboard such as artisanal fishing, local cuisine
and maritime heritage;

(d)
protecting and restoring tourist attractions,
including coastal and underwater cultural attractions and maritime heritage sites,
with archaeological, ecological or historical value[7].

3.           IMPLEMENTATION

3.1.        Funding channels

The timing of this Action Plan will enable
Member States to take account of the priorities identified in their Partnership
Agreements with the Commission that are to be negotiated before the end of
2013.

–
The 2014-2020 Partnership Agreements for the ESIF
are an important funding channel that Member States can use, where appropriate,
to implement the priorities of the Action Plan. Partnership Agreements should
take into account relevant sea-basin strategies, such as the Atlantic Strategy,
when identifying priority areas for cooperation. They provide an opportunity to
identify the main development needs and development potential of the blue
economy in the Atlantic Member States and their coastal regions. They also
allow Member States to put in place arrangements that will ensure coordination
between ESIF and other funding sources. National authorities in Member States
responsible for the negotiation of Partnership Agreements and the authorities responsible
for drawing up operational programmes therefore have an important role to play
in in the implementation process of the Action Plan over the coming months. The
Action Plan can also be a source of inspiration to those drawing up operational
programmes at national and regional level, subject to the needs of the
programme area.

–
Furthermore, the Action Plan will serve to guide
the Commission itself in implementing directly managed funds, including Horizon
2020, LIFE+, COSME and the directly managed elements of the European Maritime
and Fisheries Fund. Indeed, Horizon 2020 will be a key support to the implementation of the Action Plan and is
already considering "blue growth" as one of its focus areas for
research in the coming years. It can support the blue growth agenda to explore
and maximise the potential of the diversity of marine life, to harvest deep-sea
resources in a sustainable way and develop new ocean observation technologies.
This will help boost the marine and maritime economy and the marine environment
by accelerating the transfer of research and innovation into the economy.

–
Well-targeted public investment can and should trigger
private investment and business initiatives. Member States may also wish to
approach the private sector in order to explore complementary involvement and
finance.

–
In addition, the European Investment Bank Group (EIB
Group[8])
stands ready to mobilise its financing tools and expertise in support of
suitable projects in order to further the Action Plan's priorities. The EIB can
extend support to both public and private sector activities in the form of
lending, blending[9]
and technical advice. It offers a variety of financing instruments, ranging
from investment loans for both direct and indirect financing to equity funds
via the EIF, in order to support activities across a range of sizes.

In the context of budgetary restraint and the
need for authorities in the Atlantic area to consider a range of development
priorities it should be stressed that the process of implementing the Action
Plan remains voluntary, but should be in line with the implementing priorities
set out in the Partnership Agreements of the five Member States concerned. All
projects that are submitted to relevant authorities in response to the Action
Plan will need to comply with the criteria established in relevant funding
regulations. Under the shared management of EU funds, the decision on whether
or not to take up a specific project will be taken by the competent managing
authority.

3.2.        Intelligent collaboration

The Action Plan identifies opportunities for Member
States, regional and local authorities and EU institutions to work together
where necessary to meet the challenge of sustainable growth. But such
collective work is not, of course, the only way in which the Action Plan can be
implemented. Specific actions and projects at national, regional and local
level can also play an important part in delivering on the Action Plan. Where
appropriate, cooperation between different country-specific programmes should
be fostered.

Working together in a targeted way can bring a
range of additional benefits, not least in sharing information, sharing costs,
sharing results and sharing best practice, as well as generating ideas for
further areas of collaboration. More specifically, Member States and regions can
work with the support of different funding sources to develop joint projects or
other approaches.

The Horizon 2020 programme and other EU
programmes and funding instruments can support cooperation in research by
facilitating projects proposed by consortia of public and private institutions.
For example, these projects can test different solutions to common problems or
compare the performance of different technologies. France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom are already participating in a number of joint
projects, research networks, technology platforms, and a joint programming initiative
on Healthy Seas and Oceans. These mechanisms offer a way for Member States to
work together in ways that can be reinforced by Horizon 2020. Establishing an
intra-European coordination and cooperation could also be the foundation of enhanced
transatlantic research cooperation.

Joint projects and actions are not restricted
to research. European Territorial Cooperation (for example through the Atlantic
Area Programme), which will be funded through the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF), provides a mechanism for neighbouring regions and cities from
different EU Member States to work together and learn from each other through
projects that explore options to cooperate on common challenges. The Erasmus
for All programme will provide opportunities for partnerships in education and
training

Working together can also involve collaborative
actions to exchange information and good practice. Initiatives such as
Copernicus[10],
or "Marine Knowledge 2020"[11]
can provide a framework. For instance, understanding how neighbouring countries
or regions with similar oceanographic or meteorological conditions tackle
coastal erosion can help drive operational efficiency. Knowing what has worked
and what has not worked elsewhere can prevent the same mistakes being made
twice. Good practice can be exchanged through dedicated workshops, staff
exchanges or internet fora.

3.3.        Support

In order to implement the Action Plan
successfully at national and regional level, an appropriate implementation
mechanism would enhance the engagement of national, regional and local actors
and enable progress to be monitored. The Atlantic Forum has provided useful
lessons in organising dialogue and coordination. To move forward with
implementation, it will be important to continue that dialogue with Member States and regions, including the private sector. Implementing the Action Plan will
not only depend on the public sector, it will also depend on the extent to
which the private sector becomes involved.

Any implementation mechanism should be light,
tightly-focused and draw on good practices that have been successful in other
sea-basin strategies by:

–
providing political commitment and oversight;

–
raising awareness of the Action Plan and its
objectives;

–
promoting private sector buy-in;

–
providing an evaluation and assessment of
progress.

It could also:

–
give guidance to stakeholders and potential
project promoters;

–
enable cooperation across the Atlantic area;

–
liaise with managing authorities of EU funding
programmes;

–
bring together possible project partners to
develop activities that would respond to the priorities set out in the Action
Plan;

–
identify potential funding sources for projects
at both EU and national level.

The implementation mechanism for the Action
Plan should be defined in consultation with Member States and stakeholders before
the end of 2013. In order to encourage further networking and exchanges of best
practice in project development and implementation, the Commission may organise
Atlantic stakeholder conferences.

4.           taking stock of progress

In order to maintain momentum over the period
2014-2020, it will be important to understand how the implementation of the
Action Plan is contributing to achieving the EU's wider jobs, growth and
sustainability objectives. We will want to understand, for example, whether we
have been able to deliver a truly predictive capacity for the major risks and
changes to the dynamics of the North Atlantic's circulation system; the extent
to which critical areas of the Atlantic seafloor have been mapped; whether the
Action Plan has supported the development of a range of new and innovative
products and services; and improved the operational and risk management
environment for offshore industries. We will also want to understand the extent
to which socially inclusive growth has been achieved, skills needs have been
addressed and whether an ecosystem based management approach in the Atlantic
area has been implemented. We will also want to be able to draw lessons that
can be applied to other sea basins.

Monitoring progress should not create any new
reporting requirements. Instead, existing baseline information would be used in
order to build a picture of how the Atlantic area is changing as a result of
implementation of the Action Plan, and other factors. The Commission will begin work rapidly
with the five Atlantic Member States to define and agree a methodology for
preparing this stocktaking.

As innovation and technology progress, the
Action Plan may need to be adapted and further developed. The Commission will closely
monitor the implementation of the Action Plan, draw lessons learned and assess
progress made. It will prepare a mid-term review of the implementation of the
Action Plan before the end of 2017. An independent evaluation of a sample of
completed projects will feed into the review, which will be discussed with Member States and other stakeholders.

5.           Internationalisation of
the Atlantic Strategy

The Atlantic Ocean is not confined to Europe. It is a shared resource and unified system linking the continent of Europe with
Africa and America. All coastal states have a common interest and
responsibility for ensuring good ocean governance, including through UNCLOS[12], the IMO[13] and the International Seabed Authority.

The economic value of the Atlantic Ocean is
enormous for the countries located on its shores. The Commission believes that
over time, the Action Plan could create a solid foundation for cooperation with
other Atlantic nations. The potential for joint work,
for example in oceanographic research and observation, is clear. There is
already the prospect of real engagement from the US and Canada to establish a transatlantic research alliance, to deepen our common understanding
of the Atlantic ecosystem and its potential to support the blue economy. Developing
this transatlantic research alliance would take place step by step, following a
stock-taking exercise and agreeing on the most promising areas for cooperation.
It is possible that other Atlantic nations would also be willing to discuss
engagement on either research or other issues. The
Commission and Member States should jointly consider what steps can be taken to
engage international partners in the phased development of the Atlantic
Strategy.

6.           Conclusion

The Commission invites the European Parliament and
the Council to endorse the Action Plan and the orientation set out in this
Communication.

[1]               France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

[2]               COM 782/2011 of 21 November 2011.

[3]               The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the
European Social Funds (ESF), the European Agricultural and Rural Development
Fund (EARDF) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

[4]               a number of recommendations on this issue were
delivered to the Commission on 9 June 2011 by The Task Force on Maritime Employment
and Competitiveness..

[5]               Existing initiatives include the Maritime Analysis
and Operations Centre - Narcotics (MAOC-N) and the European Border Surveillance
System (EUROSUR) coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of
Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the EU
(Frontex).

[6]               As set out in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(2008/56/EC)

[7]               following as appropriate the principles of the 2001
UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage;

[8]               European Investment Bank (EIB) and European
Investment Fund (EIF)

[9]               Blending: EIB loan finance to complement grant
support from either EU or other public sources

[10]             Copernicus, formerly Global Monitoring for Environment
and Security (or GMES) is a European satellite system for monitoring the Earth
(http://copernicus.eu)

[11]             Marine Knowledge 2020 is an EU project bringing
together marine data from different sources with the aim of helping industry,
public authorities and researchers find the data and make more effective use of
them to develop new products and services as well as improving our understanding
of how the seas behave (http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/marine_knowledge_2020/index_en.htm)

[12]             The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

[13]             The International Maritime
Organisation