Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Guidelines for an integrated approach to maritime policy: towards best practice in integrated maritime governance and stakeholder consultation
Date: 2008-06-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: coastal region, environmental protection, governance, maritime area, maritime surveillance, shipping policy, sustainable development

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 26.6.2008 
COM(2008) 395 final 

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

Guidelines for an Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy: 
Towards best practice in integrated maritime governance and stakeholder consultation 

(presented by the Commission) 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

5. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Trends towards integrated maritime policy-making .................................................... 4 

Needs and drivers for an integrated approach to maritime governance ....................... 6 

Guidelines for integrated governance frameworks for Europe’s seas and oceans ....... 9 

Developing a strategic approach to maritime policy at national level ......................... 9 

Governance frameworks for decision-making by public authorities at national 
level .............................................................................................................................. 9 

The role of coastal regions and other local decision-makers ..................................... 10 

Stakeholder participation in integrated maritime policy-making............................... 11 

More efficient links at regional sea basin level.......................................................... 11 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 12 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Guidelines for an Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy: 
Towards best practice in integrated maritime governance and stakeholder 
consultation 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The oceans and seas are extremely complex and influenced by many activities, 
interests  and  policies.  Not  surprisingly,  the  expertise  to  deal  with  the  multiple 
challenges  of  maritime  affairs,  and  also  the  powers  to  tackle  them,  are  spread 
between  numerous  public  and  private  players  at  different  levels  of  governance 
ranging from the United Nations to small coastal communities. 

Yet  the  world’s  oceans  and  seas  are  interlinked,  and  action  in  one  sea  or  one 
policy area with an impact on the sea may have positive or negative, intended or 
unintended  effects  on  other  seas  and  policy  areas.  Moreover,  the  ever  more 
intense use of the oceans and seas by sectors such as shipping, energy, tourism 
or  fisheries,  combined  with  climate  change,  have  added  to  the  pressure  on  the 
marine  environment.  Due  to  this  inextricable  interdependence,  a  holistic 
approach  is  the  best  way  to  handle  maritime  affairs.  An  increasing  number  of 
governments, in Europe and all over the world, are signing up to a new, cross-
cutting, integrated approach to governance of maritime affairs. 

This approach lies at the core of the Integrated Maritime Policy for the European 
Union  (the  “Blue  Paper”)  proposed  by  the  Commission  in  October  20071  and, 
since then, endorsed by the European Council and the European Parliament2. 

This  approach  is  also  driven  by  the  recognition  that  there  is  a  maritime 
dimension to virtually every major issue facing Europe today, including energy, 
climate  change,  environmental  protection  and  conservation,  research  and 
innovation,  competitiveness  and  job  creation,  international  trade,  transport  and 
logistics.  An  integrated  approach  at  every  level  is  therefore  a  basic  tool  for 
policy-making and implementation across sectors, different levels of governance 
and  borders,  allowing  systematic  identification  of  synergies  or  inefficiencies. 
This  not  only  provides  a  more  effective  means  of  achieving  coinciding  policy 
goals,  but  also  paves  the  way  for  developing  shared,  cross-cutting  tools  and  a 
common knowledge pool making for effective, cost-efficient solutions. 

1 
2 

COM(2007) 575. 
www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/97669.pdf; 
www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P6-TA-2008-
0213&language=EN&ring=A6-2008-0163. 

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In order to move towards a more integrated approach, in 2005 the Commission 
set up a Steering Group of Commissioners on Maritime Affairs together with an 
Interservice  Group  on  Maritime  Affairs,  which 
the  Commission 
Directorates-General  dealing  with  issues  related  to  the  seas  and  oceans.  More 
recently,  it  restructured  the  renamed  Directorate-General  for  Maritime  Affairs 
and  Fisheries  (DG  MARE)3  which,  with  a  coordination  unit,  three  units  in 
charge  of  the  different  European  sea  basins  and  one  dealing  with  the  external 
dimension  of  maritime  affairs,  is  now  equipped  for  permanent  internal 
coordination of maritime affairs. 

joins 

Yet the full potential for optimised policy-making will not be reaped unless the 
integrated approach permeates every level of government, all players involved, 
research  and  policy  advice  and  stakeholders’  activities.  This  depends  on 
cooperation between policy-makers and coordination of action taken at different 
levels  of  government.  Several  moves  towards  closer  integration  are  also  being 
taken  throughout  the  EU.  They  should  be  encouraged,  further  developed  and 
generally  applied.  This  is  why,  when  implementing  the  Action  Plan  on  an 
Integrated  Maritime  Policy,  the  Commission  will  promote  implementation  of 
EU law and an integrated approach to maritime affairs throughout the EU, fully 
complying with the subsidiarity principle and in line with the existing division 
of powers. 

In accordance with Section 3.1 of the Blue Paper, this Communication proposes 
a  set  of  guidelines  aimed  at  encouraging  Member  States  and  other  players  to 
take steps towards adopting an integrated approach to sea-related affairs within 
their governance frameworks. 

2. 

TRENDS TOWARDS INTEGRATED MARITIME POLICY-MAKING  

The  Commission  decided  to  make  “the  particular  need  for  an  all-embracing 
maritime  policy”  one  of  its  strategic  objectives  for  2005-2009,  in  line  with  an 
international trend towards more integrated policy-making on maritime affairs. 

The Preamble to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea stated that “the 
problems of ocean space are closely inter-related and need to be considered as 
a  whole”.  In  2002,  the  Johannesburg  Plan  of  Implementation  of  the  World 
Summit on Sustainable Development concluded that “ensuring the sustainable 
development  of  the  oceans  requires  effective  coordination  and  cooperation”. 
“UN Oceans”4 was set up in 2003 to ensure closer coordination of UN activities, 
organisations  and  agencies  related  to  oceans  and  coasts,  to  define  joint  action 
and to promote integrated management. 

A  number  of  countries5  have  also  started  building  new  policy  frameworks  for 
sustainable  use  of  the  oceans  and  seas  that  embrace  every  aspect  of  maritime 

3 
4 
5 

ec.europa.eu/dgs/fisheries/organi/oganig_en.pdf. 
www.oceansatlas.org/www.un-oceans.org. 
http://ioc3.unesco.org/abelos/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=62 

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affairs  and  set  clear,  predetermined  goals,  taking  an  inter-sector  and  cross-
cutting approach. 

•  In the USA, a Committee on Oceans Policy has been set up in the Executive 
Office  of  the  President  to  implement  an  Ocean  Action  Plan  focusing,  inter 
alia, on closer coordination of policies6. 

•  In Australia, lead responsibility  for coordinating oceans policy lies with the 
Minister for the Environment and Heritage, while the National Oceans Office 
coordinates efforts to deliver oceans policy initiatives7. 

•  Canada’s  Oceans  Act,  Strategy  and  Action  Plan  provide  the  framework  for 
ocean-related  programmes  and  policies.  They  are  led  by  the  Minister  of 
Fisheries  and  Oceans  and  actively  involve  government  bodies,  NGOs  and 
citizens8. 

•  Japan’s  “Basic  Act  on  Oceans  Policy”  of  2007  provides  for  an  integrated 
approach to maritime affairs. It established a “Maritime Policy Headquarters” 
under the responsibility of the Prime Minister. The Chief  Cabinet Secretary 
and  a  newly  assigned  Minister  for  Ocean  Policy  will  serve  as  Headquarters 
Deputy Chiefs. An Ocean Action plan has been adopted9. 

•  Norway  presented  a  Maritime  Strategy  in  October  2007.  The  work  is 
coordinated by a network of State Secretaries, led by the State Secretary for 
Transport10. 

The  principles,  objectives  and  modalities  of  all  these  maritime  policies  are 
largely  similar.  All  these  countries  recognise  the  major  contribution  made  by 
sea-based  activities  to  their  economy.  They  all  acknowledge  that  the  intensive 
development  of  these  activities  poses  a  challenge  to  sustainable  development 
and use of their sea resources. And they have all decided to develop an overall 
policy that allows a comprehensive, coordinated approach, ensuring sustainable 
development of the different sea resources and activities. 

for  example 

The  Impact  Assessment11  prepared  prior  to  the  Blue  Paper  on  an  Integrated 
Maritime  Policy  for  the  European  Union  drew  some  basic  lessons  from  this 
experience, 
to 
that  coordination 
centralisation. Yet to ensure that everyone involved signs up to the process, an 
active  catalyst  is  needed  to  further  coordination  and  holistic  thinking.  Also, 
science  and  data  resources  have  to  be  brought  together  to  give  the  policy  a 
sound basis for strategic and forward-looking decision-making. 

is  generally  preferred 

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11 

ocean.ceq.gov/. 
www.environment.gov.au/coasts/oceans-policy/index.html. 
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans-habitat/oceans/ri-rs/cos-soc/index_e.asp. 
www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/kaiyou/konkyo5.pdf 
www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/nhd/Press-Centre/Press-releases/2007/--Norwegian-maritime-
industry-is-to-be-t-2.html?id=482329. 
SEC(2007) 1280. 

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The  main  problems  found  to  slow  down  implementation  of  an  integrated 
approach,  apart  from  financial  constraints,  are  generally  lack  of  collaboration 
and of coordination structures between the players concerned and the long time 
it  takes  for  administrations  and  stakeholders  to  internalise  fully  integrated 
thinking.  Therefore,  clear  communication  about  the  policy  and  dialogue  is 
essential. 

Many EU Member States apply or are moving towards an integrated approach to 
policy,  such  as  France,  Germany,  Portugal,  the  Netherlands  and  Slovenia12. 
Some  have  entrusted  maritime  affairs  to  a  particular  ministry,  such  as  Greece 
and recently Spain, or are progressively applying holistic thinking in the form of 
thematic  strategies,  such  as  the  UK  and  Sweden  (on  sustainability  and 
environmental protection) or Ireland (marine science strategy). 

Despite  the  lack  of  formal  structures,  the  EU  institutions  organised  their 
responses  to  the  Green  Paper  consultation  on  a  maritime  policy  for  the  EU 
holistically13.  The  Finnish  Presidency  organised  a  consultation  cutting  across 
various  Council  formations  in  the  “Friends  of  the  Presidency”  group.  The 
German  Presidency  organised  a  high-level  conference  covering  the  whole 
spectrum of maritime affairs and the Portuguese Presidency held a first informal 
ministerial  meeting  dealing  with  maritime  policy  in  the  broadest  sense.  Under 
the  Portuguese  Presidency,  the  Commission’s  proposal  for  an  Integrated 
Maritime Policy was also discussed in the General and External Affairs Council, 
given its horizontal and across-the-board remit. 

The European Parliament produced its Opinion on the Green Paper on maritime 
policy  after  “enhanced  cooperation”  between  five  committees.  The  Committee 
of  the  Regions’  opinion  was  prepared  by  the  Sustainable  Development 
Committee, which has a broad, non-sectoral mandate. 

3. 

NEEDS  AND  DRIVERS  FOR  AN  INTEGRATED  APPROACH  TO  MARITIME 
GOVERNANCE  

In  Europe,  maritime  affairs  have  traditionally  been  dealt  with  by  a  number  of 
separate  sectoral  policies.  Such  compartmentalisation  of  maritime  governance 
continues  to  predominate  the  different  levels  of  power  at  international, 
European, national, regional and local levels. 

The move towards a more integrated approach to maritime affairs in the EU is 
not  being  taken  just  because  this  is  the  trend  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  nor 
because it is the natural evolution of the governance framework in the prevailing 
context of sustainable development. 

12 

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in 

the 

Presented 
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/focal-points-meeting_en.html. 
ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/post_green_en.html 
Committee of the Regions: No 93; Economic and Social Committee Opinion: No 147). 

(EP  Opinion:  No  484;  Opinion  of 

High-Level 

Group, 

Points 

Focal 

22.4.2008, 

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More  than  that,  it  is  a  clear  response  to  achieve  greater  coherence  between 
different policy areas and approaches, taking particular account of: 

•  the  need  to  avoid  duplication  of  regulatory  powers  of  different  national  or 
regional authorities in the Member States and to replace overlap and double-
track decision-making by a one-stop-shop approach in each Member State; 

•  the  acknowledged  need  for  coordinated  planning  of  competing  maritime 
activities  and  for  strategic  management  of  maritime  areas  (maritime  spatial 
planning); 

•  the  need  for  better  coordination  between  the  different  Sectoral  Social 
Dialogue Committees at European level who are involved in maritime issues; 

•  the adoption and implementation of the ecosystem approach and the Marine 

Strategy Framework Directive; 

•  the  need  to  develop  an  interface  between  science  and  policy  and  to  ensure 

that marine science is able to inform maritime policy;  

•  the  need  for  reliable  and  comparable  statistics  to  inform  maritime  policy 

making on all levels; 

•  and, last but not least, the need to facilitate closer coordination on maritime 

surveillance between, and within, Member States. 

(1) 

(2) 

Predictability of the decision-making process is essential for all maritime 
stakeholders.  Purely  sectoral  maritime  governance  where  different 
decision-makers  may  adopt  differing  approaches  vis-à-vis,  for  instance, 
the maritime industries, including ports and shipping, is not conducive to 
the business-friendly environment that the EU is seeking with the Lisbon 
Strategy  on  growth  and  jobs.  In  this  sense,  joined-up  governance  of 
maritime  affairs  also  means  developing  a  one-stop-shop  system  for 
maritime activities at Member State level. 

There has been a rapid increase in sea-related activities – no longer just 
fisheries  or  shipping,  but  also  offshore  energy,  including  renewables, 
maritime  tourism  (recreational  boating  and  cruise  ships),  mariculture 
amongst others. In marine protected areas, activities can be regulated or 
banned in relation to the conservation objectives. With such competition 
for space in Europe’s increasingly crowded coastal waters, there is clear 
potential  for  conflicts  of  use.  Development  and  use  of  specific  marine 
planning tools at the appropriate levels is therefore widely recognised as 
necessary in order to harmonise, prioritise and manage the uses made of 
seas, oceans and coastal areas. These planning tools, in turn, can only be 
built on an integrated approach to maritime governance. 

(3) 

European  Sectoral  Social  Dialogue  Committees  tend  to  take  a  narrow 
sectoral  approach  to  the  issues  affecting  their  sector.  In  order  to  widen 
their  view,  and  to  encourage  them  to  follow  a  more  holistic  approach, 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

there  is  a  need  to  put  in  place  mechanisms  to  encourage  cross-sectoral 
discussions in the area of maritime activities, such as dedicated meetings 
of the Social Dialogue Liaison Forum; 

The  ecosystem  approach,  enshrined  in  the  recently  adopted  Marine 
Strategy  Framework  Directive,  brings  with  it  particular  challenges. 
Decision-making may no longer be organised exclusively along the lines 
of traditional sectoral policies, but needs to reflect the large, transfrontier 
marine  ecosystems  which  must  be  preserved  in  order  to  maintain  the 
resource  base  of  all  maritime  activities.  Within  this  context  of  marine 
environmental protection, it is therefore necessary also to think in terms 
of maritime basins and the marine regions and sub-regions provided for 
in the Directive. 

The Commission’s vision for Europe’s oceans and seas is one based on 
excellence in scientific research, technology and innovation. This vision 
is  shared  and  supported  by  all  other  EU  institutions  and  the  European 
marine and maritime science and technology communities, encouraging 
a European Strategy for Marine and Maritime research. One key goal of 
this  new  strategy  will  be  to  assist  the  integrated  maritime  policy  by 
creating the conditions for improving the interface between science and 
policy. This interface will achieve a two-fold objective: let science better 
inform policy and let policy strategically orient science towards Europe’s 
main  challenges  and  societal  needs.  A  dialogue  between  scientific 
communities  and  policy  is  therefore  both  a  driver  and  a  response  to  an 
integrated, 
to  maritime 
governance. 

interdisciplinary  and 

informed  approach 

Eurostat has started a cross-sectoral work programme on socio-economic 
statistics  covering  maritime  sectors  and  coastal  regions;  Member  States 
have an interest to work with Eurostat towards comparable and reliable 
statistics; 

Finally, maritime surveillance is of the highest importance for safe use of 
Europe’s  maritime  areas.  Improving  cooperation,  coordination  and,  at 
times,  even  the  coherence  of  maritime  surveillance  agencies,  and  the 
interoperability  of  their  surveillance  systems  at  European  level,  also 
requires  a  more  integrated  approach  to  maritime  governance  at  the 
appropriate  levels.  Without  this  integrated  approach  it  will  not  be 
feasible  to  coordinate  different  sectoral  offshore  activities  (on  fisheries, 
criminal  activities,  port  security,  pollution,  rescue  and  safety,  border 
control,  etc.)  nor  to  generate  synergies  between  them.  Similarly,  at 
European  level,  the  European  network  for  maritime  surveillance  called 
for  in  the  Blue  Paper  will  require  new,  more  integrated  governance 
mechanisms. 

All 
the  points  made  above  are  prerequisites  for  efficient,  sustainable 
management of Europe’s maritime assets and act as drivers for a coherent and 
more integrated framework for governance of maritime affairs. 

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4. 

GUIDELINES  FOR  INTEGRATED  GOVERNANCE  FRAMEWORKS  FOR  EUROPE’S 
SEAS AND OCEANS 

4.1. 

Developing a strategic approach to maritime policy at national level 

Member States should develop their own national integrated maritime policies. 

As  was  made  clear  in  the  Commission’s  proposal  for  an  Integrated  Maritime 
Policy for the EU, one size does not fit all: there are different, equally suitable 
ways  to  make  an  integrated  approach  to  maritime  affairs  work.  A  number  of 
Member  States  are  developing  their  own  new  approaches,  in  accordance  with 
their  legal  frameworks  and  with  their  economic,  social,  political,  cultural  and 
environmental  context.  These  different  approaches  are  actually  necessary  in 
order  to  adapt  to  the  specific  challenges  in  different  sea  basins  and  to  align 
seamlessly with structures and traditions in the Member States. 

The guidelines set out below are therefore not in any way meant to call on 
Member  States  to  adopt  any  single  system  of  maritime  governance.  They 
are  designed  to  encourage  them  to  draw  up  their  own  national  integrated 
maritime  policies,  in  close  collaboration  with  their  maritime  stakeholders, 
and  to  enhance  and  facilitate  cooperation  at  all  levels  of  maritime 
governance, including at European level.  

Each  government  will  have  its  own  specific  priorities  for  its  maritime  policy. 
Yet  different  government  entities  should  work  towards  shared  goals.  To  this 
end,  a  strategic  plan  should  set  out  the  policy’s  overarching  vision,  goals  and 
path to implementation, guiding the different public departments involved. Such 
a plan should explain the benefits and results that this integrated approach will 
deliver. 

These  national  integrated  maritime  policies  will  differ  from  each  other, 
depending  on  their  different  constitutional,  geophysical,  economic,  social, 
cultural and environmental contexts, but should take into account the European 
vision for the oceans and seas endorsed by the European Council in December 
2007. 

National  integrated  maritime  policies  should  therefore  be  based  on  the 
recognition that all matters relating to the sea are interlinked and should be dealt 
with as a whole. 

Just  like  the  EU’s  Integrated  Maritime  Policy,  integrated  national  policies 
should  also  be  guided  by  the  principles  of  subsidiarity,  competitiveness  and 
economic development, the ecosystem approach and the principle of stakeholder 
participation. 

4.2. 

Governance  frameworks  for  decision-making  by  public  authorities  at 
national level 

Member  States  should  consider  creating  internal  coordinating  structures  for 
maritime affairs within their government frameworks.  

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These structures should include a mechanism providing political guidance at the 
highest  level.  Some  Member  States  have  established  an  inter-ministerial 
committee as their lead structure for coordinating maritime affairs. 

Responsibility  to  act  as  political  leader  and  as  a  catalyst  for  the  integrated 
approach at political level should be clearly assigned. This function must have 
sufficient weight to be able to structure the dialogue between sectoral interests. 

In addition, parliaments’ central role in defining the public interest makes their 
engagement  in  support  of  a  holistic,  overarching  approach  to  maritime  affairs 
essential14. 

Public  administration,  too,  should  reflect  the  integrated  approach  set  out  at 
political level, with each Member State making organisational arrangements that 
fit  in  with  its  administrative  traditions.  In  existing  practice  in  some  Member 
States,  inter-ministerial  committees  are  usually  supported  by  a  coordinating 
office or agency, directed by a high-level official, with the task of making sure 
that  decisions  taken  by  the  inter-ministerial  committee  are  implemented.  This 
implies  that  the  director  of  the  coordinating  office  or  agency  must  hold  a 
considerable level of authority. The integrated approach should also strengthen 
the coordination and reporting necessary in the context of the implementation of 
Community  law  in  Member  States,  thus  reducing  the  number  of  infringement 
procedures in relation to maritime affairs. 

4.3. 

The role of coastal regions and other local decision-makers 

Sub-national levels of decision-making – regional and local levels – have a role 
to play. 

Coastal regions not only benefit from an integrated approach to maritime policy, 
but also run the largest risks in the absence of coherent sea-related policies. In 
view  of  their  close  relationship  with  the  sea,  several  coastal  regions  are 
developing  their  own  integrated  strategies,  tailored  to  their  specific  needs. 
Within  Member  States,  they  may  often  be  responsible  for  Integrated  Coastal 
Zone Management or to regulate the spatial deployment of economic activities. 
As they often have unique know-how and insights and represent key interests in 
maritime  issues,  they  have  a  role  to  play  in  the  development  of  integrated 
policy-making,  in  accordance  with  the  specific  responsibilities  that  the  regions 
have for maritime affairs in each Member State. 

Where appropriate, and depending on  the constitutional  powers of  these levels 
of  decision-making,  it  could  also  be  useful  to  develop  regional  integrated 
maritime policies in line with the relevant national and EU policies. 

14 

Parliaments’ responses to the Green Paper: the Lower and Upper German Chambers: No 309 and 
129; Swedish Parliament: No 254, ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/post_green_en.html. 

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4.4. 

Stakeholder participation in integrated maritime policy-making 

Active participation by maritime stakeholders in integrated national, regional or 
local maritime policies is highly recommended.  

The European vision for the oceans and seas, as set out in the Blue Paper on an 
Integrated Maritime Policy, is not only directed to national governments but also 
extends  to  all  stakeholders,  in  particular  to  all  those  with  a  specific  interest  in 
maritime affairs. These stakeholders were the driving force behind the year-long 
consultation  organised  by  the  Commission  following  publication  of  the  Green 
Paper  on  a  future  maritime  policy  for  the  Union.  They  include  the  many 
industries  and  services  which  depend  on  the  sea  for  their  economic  activities, 
social  partners,  environmental  and  other  NGOs,  academic  and  research 
institutions and maritime heritage organisations, among many others. 

The  Commission  recently  declared,  during  celebrations  of  the  first,  newly 
established  European  Maritime  Day  on  20  May,  that  participation  by 
stakeholders  in  implementation  of  the  European  Union’s  integrated  maritime 
policy is a major priority. 

Economic operators should adopt an integrated approach by forming “maritime 
clusters”  which,  in  turn,  can  cooperate  with  other  stakeholders  by  setting  up 
civil society fora and networks of maritime stakeholders. 

Member  States  developing  their  own  national  integrated  maritime  policies  are 
recommended  to  promote  and  facilitate  appropriate  stakeholder  structures, 
allowing broad participation by stakeholders in governance of maritime affairs, 
taking  measures  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  social  partners  and  ensuring  a 
transparent decision-making process. 

4.5.  More efficient links at regional sea basin level 

During  the  consultation  period,  it  became  evident  that  many  aspects  of  an 
integrated  maritime  policy  can  best  be  addressed  at  regional  sea  basin  level. 
Also, the entry into force of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive makes it 
necessary  for  Member  States  and  the  Commission  to  cooperate  more  at  this 
level and to make best use, where appropriate, of the added value provided by 
the multilateral regional seas conventions, such as HELCOM15, OSPAR16 or the 
Barcelona17 and Bucharest Conventions18. 

In response to the request made by the European Council on 14 December 2007, 
the  European  Commission  is  preparing  an  EU  Strategy  for  the  Baltic  Sea 
Region,  which  will  include  measures  to  implement  an  integrated  maritime 
policy  for  the  Baltic  which,  however,  will  go  beyond  maritime  policy.  The 
Commission  has  also  started  work  on  a  strategy  to  implement  a  holistic 

15 
16 
17 
18 

www.helcom.fi/. 
www.ospar.org/. 
www.unep.ch/regionalseas/regions/med/t_barcel.htm. 
www.blacksea-commission.org/OfficialDocuments/Convention_iframe.htm. 

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approach  to  maritime  policy  in  the  Mediterranean  and  envisages  publishing  a 
policy  paper  on  this  in  autumn  2008.  The  governance  challenge  is  to  optimise 
efficiency  in  cooperation  in  the  regional  sea  basins  and  to  ensure  that  it  adds 
value to the ongoing work at EU level, within Member States and with the EU’s 
neighbours. 

For  integrated  governance  of  maritime  affairs  in  Europe  to  work  fully,  it  is 
crucial to develop a degree of coordination across borders, allowing exchanges 
of best practice and closer cooperation between states in critical areas, such as 
those  relating  to  protection  of  the  marine  environment,  to  the  safety,  security 
and  surveillance  of  Europe’s  vast  maritime  areas  and  to  marine  and  maritime 
research. 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

As  part  of  its  efforts  to  promote  steps  towards  integrated  maritime  policy-
making  at  different  levels  of  governance,  the  Commission  will  provide 
information about action in this direction at global, European, Member State and 
regional  levels,  in  order  to  facilitate  this  process  and  provide  guidance  to 
stakeholders looking for models of best practice. 

The  Commission  invites  the  EU  institutions  and  Member  States  to  share 
information  about  the  steps  they  are  taking  towards  integrated  maritime 
governance. 

As  called  for  in  the  Blue  Paper  on  an  Integrated  Maritime  Policy  for  the 
European Union, the Commission will report on progress towards an integrated 
approach to maritime affairs by the end of 2009. 

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Annex – Format for sharing information on integrated approaches via the Internet  

Structure 

Dialogue 

Strategy 

Management and implementation 

Political 
leadership 

Administrative 
organisation 

MS 

Minister 
responsible 

Coordinating 
department 

Links 
between 
different 
levels of 
government

Description 
of devolved 
governance 
and role of 
regions 

Member of high-level focal 
point group 

Transparent 
and inclusive 
dialogue 

Vision  Knowledge 

and 
scientific 
advice 

Offshore 
government 
functions 

Maritime 
clusters 

Maritime 
spatial 
planning 

Structured 
dialogue 

Document 

Advisory 
committees 

Annual 
reports, 
including 
on budget 

Science 
networks 

Communication 
tools 

Regular events 

Organisation of 
coastguard 
service/national 
maritime 
agencies 

Surveillance 
systems 

Cluster 
organisations

Summary 
of 
planning 
system 

Licences 

The table will bring together key facts on integrated maritime governance and stakeholder consultation, with information on websites and contacts. 

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13 

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