European Community's Programme in Marine Resources Development
Authors: Lenoble J.P. , Jarmache E. 
Published: October 2008

The European Community launched already several researches Programmed in the different fields of social and industrial Activities. The Fourth Framework Programmed is divided into 4 Main activities comporting a total of 18 programmed. These Programmed are dealing with general topics as information and Communication, industrial technologies, environment, life Sciences and technologies, energy, transport and socioeconomic Research. One line is devoted to marine sciences and Technology, but offshore activities could also be included in The other topics as offshore oil & gas in energy, ship building And harbor in transport, aquiculture and alchemies in life Sciences and technology, etc. In order to maintain a coherent Approach toward onshore activities, the European maritime Industries met intensively from 1991 to 1994 and Recotnrnended a series of proposal for Research and Development of marine resources. The methodology and Content of these proposals is exposed.

THE 4th FRAMEWORK RDT PROGRAMME

The European Union launched during 1994 its Fourth Framework Programmed for Cummunity Research and Technology Development (RTD Framework-IV) 1. The Programme extends over a five years period from 1994 to 1998. However its implementation is going late as the review Of the first proposals for research projects will start only During the first half of 1995.

Framework-IV will receive a total founding of 12300 million Of Issus. Its is divided in four main activities them selves distributed in 18 specific programmed (Table 1). The first Activity comprises the first fifteen specific programmed. The Second is related to international co-operation (programmed 16), The third to dissemination and exploitation of results (Programmed 17) and the fourth to training and mobility of Researchers (programmed 18). Eleven specific programmed of the first activity have been opened to third parties that passed a special agreement of matured advantage with the EuropeanUnion. This includes not wordy other European countries but also countries as Australia and-more recently Canada.

The sea is not forgotten with the Marine Science and Technology programmed (MAST III) which receive a budget of 228 Mucus. However its reappearance in Framework-IV was disputed for a time. The MAST pilot phase stated in 1989 (54 Muss) and MAST II extended from 1990 to 1994 withal 114 Mucus budget. But during the preliminary phase of predation Of the 4th Framework programmed, it was considered that marine research was not a topic in itself and should be Included in more general subjects. One of the main criticisms Was that MAST II was too much oriented toward cognitive Sciences and was not sufficient y taking socio-economic Concerns into consideration.

THE MARITIME INDUSTRIES FORUM

This situation determined some of the officials of the Commission of the European Communities to encourage the European maritime industries to react. A Communication on The challenges for the maritime industriesâ??, adopted the 20 September 1991, proposed to the representatives of the European maritime industries the creation of a DiscussionForum with all parties concerned in order to favor a global And horizontal approach.

The brief of the Forum was to identify the priority areas.