REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress of the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy
Date: 2012-09-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European cooperation, coastal protection, common fisheries policy, energy use, marine ecosystem, maritime transport, shipbuilding, sustainable development, water protection

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 11.9.2012  
SWD(2012) 255 final 

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

Progress of the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy 

{COM(2012) 491 final} 

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COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Accompanying the document 

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

Progress of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy 

Two  years  after  the  creation  of  the  Integrated  Maritime  Policy  (IMP)1,  the  Council  and 
European Parliament welcomed a first Progress Report2 and asked the Commission to present 
further  developments  before  the  end  of  20123.  This  document  presents  in  detail  the  actions 
and  activities  pursued  to  implement  the  IMP  and  individual  EU  policies  related  to  the  seas, 
oceans  and  coasts  since  2009.  They  are  set  out  under  the  general  headings  of  the  second 
Progress Report on the IMP4. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

The contribution of maritime industries to European growth and employment .......... 5 

Blue Growth ................................................................................................................. 5 

Maritime transport........................................................................................................ 6 

1.2.1.  White Paper for Transport............................................................................................ 6 

1.2.2.  Motorways of the Sea and Marco Polo Programme .................................................... 6 

1.2.3.  Blue Belt ...................................................................................................................... 7 

1.2.4.  Promotion of short-sea shipping (SSS) ........................................................................ 7 

1.2.5.  European Maritime Transport Space without barriers and the eMaritime initiative ... 8 

1.2.6.  Ports Policy .................................................................................................................. 8 

1.3. 

Energy .......................................................................................................................... 9 

1.3.1.  Gas and electricity interconnections: European Energy Programme for Recovery 

(EEPR) ......................................................................................................................... 9 

1.3.2.  Offshore wind energy................................................................................................... 9 

1.3.3.  Ocean energy................................................................................................................ 9 

1.3.4.  Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E).............................................................. 10 

1.3.5.  Maritime projects within the Intelligent Energy Europe programme (IEE) .............. 11 

1.4. 

Shipbuilding ............................................................................................................... 12 

1 
2 
3 

4 

COM(2007) 575 final of 10.10.2007. 
COM(2009) 540 final of 15.10.2009. 
GAERC Council Conclusions on Integrated Maritime Policy — Doc. 15175/1/09. 
Integrated Maritime Policy — Evaluation of progress made and new challenges (2010/2040(INI)). 
COM(2012) 491. 

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1.4.1.  Revision of the LeaderSHIP strategy......................................................................... 12 

1.4.2.  Framework on State Aid to Shipbuilding .................................................................. 13 

1.5. 

Fisheries and aquaculture........................................................................................... 13 

1.5.1.  Common Fisheries Policy .......................................................................................... 13 

1.5.2.  Aquaculture ................................................................................................................ 15 

2. 

Cooperation across sectors and borders to ensure optimum growth conditions for the 
maritime economy...................................................................................................... 16 

2.1. 

Maximising the sustainable pursuit of activities on coasts and at sea ....................... 16 

2.1.1.  Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP).............................................................................. 16 

2.1.2. 

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).......................................................... 17 

2.1.3.  Public consultation on MSP and ICZM ..................................................................... 19 

2.2. 

Protecting European citizens and maritime industries against sea-related threats..... 20 

2.2.1. 

Integrated maritime surveillance................................................................................ 20 

2.2.2.  MARSUNO and BluemassMed ................................................................................. 21 

2.2.3. 

Joint Research Centre — maritime surveillance research.......................................... 22 

2.2.4.  EU maritime safety .................................................................................................... 22 

2.2.5.  Enhancing maritime transport security ...................................................................... 25 

2.2.6.  Securing Europe’s maritime borders.......................................................................... 26 

2.3. 

Maritime employment and career mobility................................................................ 26 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

Research, knowledge and end-users: bridging the gap between research and industry26 

Ensuring European maritime leadership through innovation and research ............... 26 

Sharing marine knowledge to facilitate innovation, investment and sound policy-
making........................................................................................................................ 27 

4. 

The territorial benefits of maritime policy ................................................................. 29 

4.1. 

Regional policy .......................................................................................................... 29 

4.1.1.  Cross-border maritime cooperation............................................................................ 30 

4.1.2.  Proposal for EU structural policy 2014-2020 ............................................................ 32 

4.2. 

Sea basin strategies .................................................................................................... 32 

4.2.1.  A maritime strategy for the Atlantic area................................................................... 32 

4.2.2.  EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region ....................................................................... 33 

4.2.3.  The Mediterranean dimension of IMP ....................................................................... 34 

4.2.4.  Adriatic-Ionian Sea basins ......................................................................................... 35 

4.2.5.  Black Sea.................................................................................................................... 36 

4.2.6.  EU policy towards the Arctic..................................................................................... 36 

5. 

Protecting marine ecosystems — a condition and factor for growth ......................... 37 

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5.1. 

The challenge of healthy marine ecosystems: implementing the Marine Strategy 
Framework Directive ................................................................................................. 37 

5.1.1.  Progress in MSFD implementation............................................................................ 37 

5.1.2.  Pilot projects on marine litter..................................................................................... 38 

5.1.3.  Scientific and technical support for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 

(MSFD) ...................................................................................................................... 39 

5.2. 

5.3. 

5.4. 

5.5. 

5.6. 

Port reception facilities .............................................................................................. 39 

Marine Natura 2000 and habitat mapping.................................................................. 39 

Maritime safety .......................................................................................................... 40 

Atmospheric pollution from maritime shipping......................................................... 40 

Climate change........................................................................................................... 42 

5.6.1.  European Climate Adaptation Platform ..................................................................... 42 

5.6.2.  Adaptation to the effects of climate change............................................................... 43 

5.6.3.  Climate change mitigation ......................................................................................... 43 

5.6.4.  Geological storage of CO2......................................................................................... 44 

6. 

6.1. 

6.2. 

Better management of maritime affairs...................................................................... 45 

Developments in Member States ............................................................................... 45 

Developments at EU level.......................................................................................... 46 

6.2.1. 

Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans................... 46 

6.2.2.  European Parliament .................................................................................................. 47 

6.2.3.  Council ....................................................................................................................... 47 

6.2.4.  Committee of the Regions.......................................................................................... 48 

6.2.5.  The European Economic and Social Committee ....................................................... 48 

6.2.6.  Financing of the IMP ................................................................................................. 49 

6.2.7.  Coordination between the Commission and the Member States ............................... 50 

6.3. 

6.4. 

6.5. 

Developments at international level — strengthening global ocean governance ...... 50 

Improving socio-economic data for maritime sectors and maritime regions............. 51 

Awareness and visibility of maritime Europe............................................................ 53 

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1. 

THE  CONTRIBUTION  OF  MARITIME  INDUSTRIES  TO  EUROPEAN  GROWTH  AND 
EMPLOYMENT 

1.1. 

Blue Growth 

In 2010, the Commission launched a study on future sources of growth in the context of the 
Europe 2020 strategy — Blue Growth: Scenarios and drivers for sustainable growth from the 
oceans,  seas  and  coasts.  Supported  by  the  Council5,  this  20-month  study  was  budgeted  in 
2010 and ran through 2011 and 2012. It underpinned and accompanied the process leading to 
the adoption of the Blue Growth Communication in September 2012. 

The study provided an overview of Europe’s ‘blue economy’, comprising economic activities 
related  to  the  oceans,  seas  and  coasts.  This  includes  the  direct  and  indirect  supporting 
activities  necessary  for  the  functioning  of  these  economic  sectors,  which  can  be  located 
anywhere,  including  in  landlocked  countries.  The  environmental  challenges  associated  with 
the  development  of  these  activities  were  also  identified  and  discussed.  Following  a  ranking 
exercise based on key economic activities — those which have seen the strongest growth in 
the last five years (for which data were available) and those showing most growth potential 
for the coming years — eleven marine and maritime activities were analysed further. These 
included mature sectors such as coastal tourism, emerging sectors such as offshore wind, and 
developing  sectors  such  as  blue  biotechnology.  For  each  of  these  activities,  foresight 
scenarios were developed through interviews and hearings with experts. This determined the 
most likely growth scenarios for the next 5 to 15 years in each case. 

In  keeping  with  the  Integrated  Maritime  Policy  approach,  Europe’s  different  sea  basins  and 
the  clusters  around  them  were  also  analysed.  Synergies  and  tensions  between  the  different 
marine and maritime activities also provided further insight into how potential growth in the 
blue  economy  can  be  unlocked.  With  the  aim  of  establishing  the  conditions  for  sustainable 
growth in marine and maritime activities, the study made policy recommendations on: support 
for  maritime  research  and  development;  access  to  finance  for  emerging  maritime  activities; 
the  crucial  importance  of  smart  infrastructure  and  building  critical  mass  through  cluster 
support;  the  need  to  anticipate  skills  needs;  the  need  for  public  engagement  and  integrated 
local development; and the importance of the development of maritime spatial planning. 

The  Communication  on  Blue  Growth:  opportunities  for  marine  and  maritime  sustainable 
growth built on the findings of the Blue Growth study. In terms of policy context, blue growth 
represents the maritime dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable growth 
–  in  line  with  the  Roadmap  to  a  resource  efficient  Europe.  Innovation  is  key  to  fostering 
economic growth and employment while ensuring the sustainability of the marine and coastal 
environment. There are already several initiatives in place or being developed by the EU and 
Member States in support of the blue economy. However, on the basis of the findings of the 
Blue  Growth  study,  five  areas  are  identified  as  suitable  for  further  policy  development  on 
account  of  their  growth  potential:  blue  energy;  coastal,  maritime  and  cruise  tourism; 
aquaculture;  marine  mineral  resources;  and  blue  biotechnology.  For  each  area,  policy 
developments  are  envisaged  to  support  the  expected  sustainable  growth  in  the  next  decade. 
All  relevant  actors,  starting  with  the  EU  institutions,  Member  States  and  regions,  have  an 
important role to play in unlocking the potential for sustainable growth from our oceans, seas 
and coasts. 

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Council  Conclusions  on  integrated  maritime  policy,  3022nd  General  Affairs  Council  meeting, 
Luxembourg, 14 June 2010. 

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1.2.  Maritime transport 

1.2.1.  White Paper for Transport 
The  new  White  Paper  for  Transport  was  adopted  in  March  20116.  It  provides  a  policy 
response  to  address  some  of  the  challenges  confronting  the  transport  sector,  such  as 
dependency on oil, climate and environment challenges, congestion, and scarcity of funding. 
For the maritime sector, the White Paper reflects the orientations of the ‘Maritime Transport 
Strategy until 2018’7: 

• 

• 

• 

The  ability  of  the  maritime  transport  sector  to  provide  cost-efficient  maritime 
transport services adapted to the need for sustainable economic growth in the EU and 
world economies; 

The long-term competitiveness of the EU shipping sector, enhancing its capacity to 
generate  value  and  employment  in  the  EU,  both  directly  and  indirectly,  across  all 
maritime industries. 

The  White  paper  also  looks  beyond  the  sectoral  aspects  and  calls  for  seamless 
transport  chains  for  passengers  and  cargo  across  modes,  in  particular  by  better 
integrating waterborne transport. 

1.2.2.  Motorways of the Sea and Marco Polo Programme 

The Motorways of the Sea have been developed with the support of EU and national funding 
or directly by companies since 2001. In 2011, in the new guidelines for the development of 
the trans-European network, the Commission proposed a broader definition of Motorways of 
the  Sea8.  They  should  be  the  maritime  component  of  the  trans-European  transport  network, 
i.e. the main European corridors used for the movement of goods within the European Union. 
In order to meet our future needs for mobility, energy and economic efficiency, Motorways of 
the Sea should provide high-quality services. 

Since  2010,  the  European  Commission  has  been  promoting  studies,  pilot  projects  and  work 
through the TEN-T multiannual call for Motorways of the Sea to develop innovative solutions 
to  reduce  the  environmental  impact  of  transport  and  increase  transport  efficiency.  This 
integrated approach has significantly contributed to the development of administrative ‘single 
windows’ in the Member States and better hinterland connections linking maritime and other 
transport modes. These actions provide wider benefits, as they develop European know-how 
that will spread throughout the maritime transport sector. Motorways of the Sea represent the 
spearhead in innovation for maritime transport and logistics. 

The  Marco  Polo  Programme  was  originally  established  in  2003  in  order  to  reduce  road 
congestion and to improve the environmental performance of freight transport within the EU. 
Dedicated funding for the service part of Motorways of the Sea actions was introduced in the 
second  edition  of  the  programme,  in  2007.  The  current  Marco  Polo  Programme  runs  until 
2013 with an annual grant budget of about EUR 60 million. Marco Polo publishes a call for 
proposals from potential grant applicants at the beginning of each year on its website. JRC has 
developed  the  external  cost  calculator  used  to  evaluate  proposals  received  under  the 
Programme.  The  calculator  is  an  integrated  tool  for  estimating  the  external  costs  of  using 
different transport modes and technologies for a specific freight flow. 

6 
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COM(2011) 144 final of 28.3.2011. 
COM(2009) 8 final of 21.1.2009. 
COM(2011) 650 final of 19.10.2011. 

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In 2010, in the interest of clarity, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a recast of 
the  TEN-T  Guidelines9.  Transport  infrastructure  as  such  is  now  well  developed  within  the 
European Union. However, it is still fragmented, both geographically and between and within 
transport modes. The main objective of the new guidelines proposed in 2011 was to establish 
a complete and integrated trans-European transport network, covering all Member States and 
regions and providing the basis for the balanced development of all transport modes in order 
to  facilitate  their  respective  advantages  and  maximise  the  added  value  of  the  network  for 
Europe. 

1.2.3.  Blue Belt 

According  to  the  2011  White  Paper  on  Transport,  a  ‘Blue  Belt’  in  the  seas  around  Europe 
would simplify the formalities for ships travelling between EU ports through the use of new 
technical  facilities.  It  would  further  integrate  intra-EU  maritime  transport  within  the  overall 
transport  network  by  ensuring  rapid  port  transit  of  goods  from  elsewhere  in  the  EU  and 
seamless  monitoring  of  vessels  and  transported  goods  in  international  waters.  Against  this 
background, the Council supported the launching of a pilot project by the European Maritime 
Safety Agency (EMSA), built on the existing SafeSeaNet technology, to validate and further 
refine the Blue Belt concept and to closely examine all relevant aspects of customs and port 
procedures and controls. 

The  project  aimed  to  demonstrate  to  national  authorities,  starting  with  customs  authorities, 
what  services  SafeSeaNet  could  offer  to  support  their  tasks,  with  a  view  to  reducing 
administrative  burdens  for  maritime  transport.  The  pilot  project  was  launched  in  May  2011 
and  ended  in  November  2011.  An  evaluation  has  since  been  carried  out.  All  ports  in  the 
Member States and 253 vessels participated in the project. Information on the actual routes of 
participating  ships  and  the  last  ports  visited  were  transmitted  to  the  national  customs 
authorities prior to the arrival of ships in their ports. National customs authorities participating 
in Blue Belt acknowledged that the pilot project had successfully delivered timely, accurate 
and complete information related to the vessels and their voyages. However, it did not provide 
information  on  the  customs  status  of  the  goods  aboard,  whereas  their  customs  treatment 
depends on whether they are considered as EU goods or non-EU goods. The Commission is 
analysing solutions (possible legal amendments) to resolve the issue. 

Though the operational phase of the pilot project formally finished on 2 November 2011, the 
Commission  requested  EMSA  to  continue  the  service  offered  to  the  national  customs 
authorities after this date. 

1.2.4.  Promotion of short-sea shipping (SSS) 

Short-sea  shipping  (SSS)  is  a  vital  component  of  the  EU  transport  system,  carrying  around 
40 %  of  goods  exchanged  within  the  Single  Market.  It  has  a  vastly  underused  potential,  not 
simply as an alternative to road transport, but also in the overall context of co-modal logistics 
chains.  In  2004,  the  Commission  adopted  an  action  plan  to  promote  short-sea  shipping,  by 
simplifying administrative formalities and better using funding programmes and instruments 
such as TEN-T for infrastructure and the Marco Polo Programme for services. 

The action plan was reviewed in 2006 and supplemented by other initiatives, notably the 2009 
Communication and Action Plan on the establishment of a European maritime transport space 
without barriers10, which addressed the administrative barriers hampering SSS, and the 2011 
‘Sustainable  Waterborne  Transport  Toolbox’,  to  support  the  sustainability  dimension  of  the 
SSS actions. 

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Decision No 661/2010/EU. 
COM(2009) 10 final of 21.1.2009. 

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The action plan is monitored in cooperation with the group of national focal points established 
by the European Commission, which meets twice a year, and with the Short Sea Promotion 
Centres in the Member States. On 1 June 2011, a maritime stakeholder event ‘Clean air at sea, 
exploring  solutions  for  sustainable  and  competitive  shipping’  was  held  in  Brussels.  The 
outcome  of  this  event  provided  valuable  input  in  particular  for  the  Sustainable  Waterborne 
Transport Toolbox. 

1.2.5.  European Maritime Transport Space without barriers and the eMaritime initiative 

In 2009 the European Commission adopted a Communication and an action plan to establish a 
European  maritime  transport  space  without  barriers,  aiming  to  harmonise  and  simplify 
administrative procedures for intra-EU maritime transport. The action plan contains short- and 
medium-term measures and recommendations to the Member States. 

In  accordance  with  the  action  plan,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  adopted 
Directive 2010/65/EU on reporting formalities on 20 October 2010. The general objective of 
the directive is to simplify and harmonise the administrative procedures for maritime transport 
by  making  the  electronic  transmission  of  information  standard  practice  and  by  rationalising 
reporting formalities. 

In  order  to  assist  in  implementing  the  reporting  formalities  directive,  the  Commission  has 
established  an  expert  group  on  maritime  administrative  simplification  and  electronic 
information services (known as the eMS group) with the task of developing specifications and 
services for electronic data exchange and ‘single windows’ for EU maritime transport. EMSA 
will  support  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  in  developing  the  functional  and 
technical specifications. 

In  addition,  in  March  2010  the  Commission  adopted  an  amendment  to  the  implementing 
provisions  of  the  Community  Customs  Code  to  streamline  the  granting  and  management  of 
authorisations for regular shipping services plying solely between EU ports. 

1.2.6.  Ports Policy 

The  European  Commission’s  Ports  Policy  is  currently  based  on  the  Communication  on  a 
European Ports Policy11. At the end of 2011, the European Commission also announced a full 
review of the Ports Policy to take into account the changing situation and challenges from a 
social, economic and environmental perspective. This review is focusing on three aspects: the 
full  integration  of  ports  in  the  Trans-European  Network  for  Transport  (TEN-T);  further 
administrative  facilitation  (Maritime  Space  without  Borders);  and  possible  initiatives  on 
transparency  and  regulated  market  access  (to  make  sure  that  public  funding  is  used  in  the 
most  effective  way).  This  will  ensure  that  the  port  industry  is  fully  integrated  within  the 
Europe  2020  Strategy  and  can  contribute  to  the  further  development  of  the  European 
economy. The review is taking place in full consultation with the port sector, Member States 
and the European Parliament. The results are expected in the course of 2013. 

In  2011,  the  Commission  received  a  common  request  from  four  EU  organisations 
representing  the  employers  and  the  workers  of  ports  in  view  of  creating  a  new  EU  social 
dialogue committee in the sector. 

JRC is contributing to the preparatory work for the policy initiative. It is quantifying potential 
impacts using models, in this case TRANSTOOLS combined with ad-hoc models focusing on 
port  competition.  The  objective  is  to  estimate  how  the  proposed  new  measures  will  attract 
new investment in ports, allowing them to improve their services and efficiency. As a result, 
competition between ports and across transport modes is expected to change in the direction 

11 

COM(2007) 616 final of 18.10.2007. 

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anticipated  in  the  recent  White  Paper  on  Transport  (lower  CO2  emissions  from  transport  in 
general,  modal  shift  to  non-road  modes,  lower  transport  costs  in  general).  The  models  can 
capture  and  measure  the  extent  of  the  changes  in  the  transport  system,  provided  the  initial 
input, often empirical, is adequate. 

1.3. 

Energy 

1.3.1.  Gas  and  electricity  interconnections:  European  Energy  Programme  for  Recovery 

(EEPR) 

The EEPR Regulation12 has its origins in the EUR 200 billion European Economic Recovery 
Plan,  presented  by  the  Commission  in  November  2008,  as  a  response  to  the  economic  and 
financial crisis in Europe. It entered into force on 1 August 2009 with the aim of reinforcing 
the EU’s energy supply with a budget of almost EUR 4 billion. Part of this budget (2.3 billion 
Euro)  is  used  by  the  Commission  to  finance  43  energy  projects  in  the  fields  of  gas  and 
electricity  interconnections,  including  high-voltage  lines,  high-pressure  gas  pipelines, 
underground  storage  facilities,  liquefied  natural  gas  (LNG)  terminals,  and  supporting 
equipment. 

1.3.2.  Offshore wind energy 

Through EEPR, DG ENER grants EUR 565 million to industrial-scale innovative projects for 
offshore  wind  turbines  and  foundation  structures  as  well  as  to  first-of-a-kind  projects 
deploying HVDC (high-voltage direct-current) technology for the grid integration of offshore 
wind farms. EEPR serves the twin objectives of contributing to the integrated EU climate and 
energy objectives (20-20-20 goals) and contributing to growth and jobs in the EU. As such, it 
contributes to economic recovery in the EU’s coastal regions. 

Wind energy technology has also been supported through successive FP programmes as part 
of the policy of transition towards a more sustainable energy system in Europe. Research and 
development  projects  related  to  offshore  wind  turbine  and  wind  farm  design  have  been 
supported starting in FP4. Since FP6, technology demonstration also includes offshore wind 
projects. Through the FP7, the Commission supports technology research and demonstration 
projects regarding very large offshore wind energy systems, reliability and maintenance (2008 
and 2012 calls), offshore wind grid integration (2008 and 2009 calls), floating platforms for 
offshore turbines (2010 and 2011 calls). 

Offshore wind energy technology has been singled out as a priority in the frame of the EU's 
Strategic Energy Technology Plan. This plan led to the development of a Roadmap for wind 
energy  technology  and  to  the  establishment  of  the  European  Wind  Industrial  Initiative  in 
which  industry,  member  states  and  the  EC  work  on  a  long-term  approach  to  support 
technology demonstration projects. The recent FP calls are based on recommendations of the 
European Wind Initiative. 

1.3.3.  Ocean energy 

R&D Ocean energy projects have been supported since the eighties. At DG RTD, the earlier 
projects  were  mainly  focussed  at  device  development  while  since  FP7,  a  more  global 
approach has been taken to optimise components (CORES) and methodologies (EQUIMAR) 
for various systems (wave and tidal). DG Energy has been supporting ocean energy projects 
with a predominant demonstration component since 2006. In earlier years, six such projects 

12 

Regulation  No  1233/2010  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  15  December  2010 
amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  663/2009  establishing  a  programme  to  aid  economic  recovery  by 
granting Community financial assistance to projects in the field of energy. 

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had been supported, with a total amount of €9.9 million. In 2009 four new grant agreements 13 
have been signed for a total support figure of €20.7 million. These projects were addressing 
the development, demonstration and monitoring of the operation of single devises. 

The 2011 call for proposals was addressing the deployment of the first grid connected ocean 
energy farms, using the same device type, in real sea environments, with an installed capacity 
of 3MW or over. 

For  2013,  the  FP7  call  will  address  the  design  of  ocean  energy  device  arrays  while 
coordination of Members States will be supported through an ERA-NET. 

1.3.4.  Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E) 

In  October  2011,  the  European  Commission  tabled  a  comprehensive  package  to  enhance 
trans-European  infrastructure  development  in  the  areas  of  transport,  energy  and  the 
information  society.  This  package  includes  five  legislative  proposals:  the  three  sectoral 
guidelines setting out sectoral infrastructure policies; the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); 
and the project bond pilot proposal as a forerunner for other financial instruments. 

Communication  COM/2011/0658  final  sets  out  rules  for  the  timely  development  and 
interoperability of trans-European energy networks14. To this end, it identifies, for the period 
up  to  2020  and  beyond,  a  limited  number  of  trans-European  priority  corridors  across 
electricity and gas networks and thematic areas where EU action is most warranted. 

• 

Priority Electricity Corridors: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

North Sea Offshore Grid 

North-South electricity interconnections in Western Europe 

North-South electricity interconnections in Central Eastern and South Eastern 
Europe 

Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan for electricity 

• 

Priority Gas Corridors: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

North-South gas interconnections in Western Europe 

North-South gas interconnections in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe 

Southern Gas Corridor 

Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan for gas 

Oil supply connections in Central Eastern Europe 

• 

Priority Thematic Areas: 

• 

• 

• 

Smart-grid deployment 

Electricity highways 

Cross-border carbon dioxide network 

TREN/FP7EN/239368 acronym: Waveport (support €4.6 million) 

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TREN/FP7EN/239533 acronym: Pulse Stream 1200 (sup. € 8million) 
TREN/FP7EN/239376 acronym: Standpoint (support €5.1 million) 
TREN/FP7EN/239496 acronym: Surge (support €3.0 million) 
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COM/2011/0658 final — Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on 
guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure. 

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The  interconnection,  interoperability  and  development  of  trans-European  networks  for 
transporting electricity and gas are essential for the effective operation of the internal energy 
market in particular and the Single Market in general. TEN-E plays a crucial role in ensuring 
the security and diversification of supply15. Interoperability with the energy networks of third 
countries  (accession  and  candidate  countries  and  other  countries  in  Europe  as  well  as 
countries in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins and in the Middle East and 
Gulf regions) is essential. The budget allocated to TEN-E (around EUR 20 million per year) is 
mainly  intended  for  financing  feasibility  studies.  Other  EU  instruments  may  also  step  in  to 
part-finance investments, for example the Structural Funds in the convergence regions. 

1.3.5.  Maritime projects within the Intelligent Energy Europe programme (IEE) 

• 

• 

• 

15 

16 

17 

18 
19 

OffshoreGrid16  (2009-2011)  was  a  strategic  project  to  develop  a  design  for  the 
offshore grid in Northern Europe, along with a suitable regulatory framework taking 
into  account  technical,  economic,  policy  and  regulatory  aspects.  OffshoreGrid 
targeted  European  policy  makers,  industry,  transmission  system  operators  and 
regulators.  Its  geographical  scope  initially  comprised  the  regions  around  the  Baltic 
and North Seas, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Later, the results were applied 
to  the  Mediterranean  region,  in  qualitative  terms.  OffshoreGrid  provided  inputs  for 
the  preparation  of  the  Commission’s  Communication  on  Energy  infrastructure 
priorities  for  2020  and  beyond17.  OffshoreGrid  is  referred  to  both  in  the 
Communication itself and in the Impact Assessment, and its achievements have been 
commended by high-level representatives of DG ENER and by the Commissioner for 
Energy,  as  well  as  by  ENTSO-E,  national  TSOs  and  companies  working  in  the 
sector. 
The  WINDSPEED18  project  (2008-2011)  set  out  a  roadmap  for  the  deployment  of 
offshore  wind  power  in  the  central  and  southern  North  Sea  basin.  The  roadmap 
included (a) the definition of an ambitious but realistic medium-term offshore wind 
energy target, (b) identification of risks and barriers, along with a set of coordinated 
policy  recommendations  for  the  deployment  of  offshore  wind  in  the  above-
mentioned sea basin. 
The  SEANERGY  202019  project  (2010-2012)  aims  to  formulate  concrete  policy 
recommendations  on  how  best  to  deal  with  maritime  spatial  planning  (MSP)  and 
remove MSP obstacles to the deployment of offshore power generation. The project 
focuses  particularly  on  offshore  renewable  energy  technologies  and  related  grid 
infrastructure.  It  will  provide  policy  recommendations  for  a  more  coordinated 
approach  to  MSP  and  for  greater  deployment  of  offshore  renewables  (wind,  wave, 
tidal).  These  recommendations  will  be  put  to  different  national,  regional  and 
European  authorities,  and  will  also  be  disseminated  to  the  different  maritime  users 
through  specific  bilateral  meetings  and  workshops  organised  in  four  different  sea 
basins (Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic and North Sea). 

Decision No 1364/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 laying 
down guidelines for trans-European energy networks. 
OffshoreGrid,  Regulatory  Framework  for  Offshore  Grids  and  Power  Markets  in  Europe:  Techno-
economic Assessment of Different Design Options. www.offshoregrid.eu/. 
COM(2010)  677  final.  Communication  on  energy  infrastructure  priorities  for  2020  and  beyond  —  A 
blueprint for an integrated European energy network. 
WINDSPEED. Spatial Deployment of Offshore Wind Energy in Europe. www.windspeed.eu/. 
SEANERGY 2020. Delivering Offshore Electricity to the EU: spatial planning of offshore renewable 
energies 
integrated  EU  maritime  policy. 
and 
www.seanergy2020.eu/. 

electricity  grid 

infrastructures 

an 

in 

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• 

• 

GP WIND20 (2010-2012) aims to address barriers to the development of onshore and 
offshore  wind  by  developing  good  practice  in  reconciling  objectives  for  renewable 
energy  with  environmental  objectives  and  actively  involving  local  and  regional 
communities.  The  key  European  added  value  is  demonstrating  and  disseminating 
good  practice  from  individual  countries  to  target  audiences  across  Europe,  thus 
providing  tools  that  can  be  used  by  industry,  developers,  European,  national  and 
local  policy  makers,  regulatory  authorities,  environmental  agencies  and  groups  and 
local  communities  to  improve  policy,  guidance  and  practice  in  dealing  with 
applications for new renewable energy projects. The project aims to deliver at least 
five  official  commitments  from  Member  State  stakeholders  confirming  that  they 
have adopted the best practices identified. It also aims to reduce by at least 20 % the 
average time taken to process planning applications. 
SOWFIA21  (2010  –  2013)  aims  to  facilitate  the  development  of  European-wide 
coordinated,  unified  and  streamlined  environmental  and  socio-economic  Impact 
Assessment  (IA)  tools  for  offshore  wave  energy  conversion  developments.  By 
utilising the findings from technology-specific monitoring at multiple sites, SOWFIA 
will  accelerate  knowledge  transfer  and  jump-start  European-wide  expertise  on 
environmental and socio-economic IA of large-scale wave energy projects. Regional 
coordination  via  SOWFIA  project  collaboration  will  enable  the  exchange,  sharing 
and  transfer  of  IA  and  policy  experience  and  associated  knowledge  and  good 
practices. 

1.4. 

Shipbuilding  

1.4.1.  Revision of the LeaderSHIP strategy 

Notwithstanding  the  current  crisis  in  large  parts  of  the  global  shipbuilding  and  shipping 
sector,  Europe’s  maritime  industry  with  its  strong  innovation  and  design  capacity  has  a 
strategic  role  to  play  in  addressing  major  challenges  such  as  climate  change  and  energy 
efficiency. 
The  LeaderSHIP  201522  strategy  was  prepared  by  the  shipbuilding  industry  in  2002  and 
endorsed  by  the  Commission  in  200323.  It  was  launched  as  a  strategic  response  to  tackle 
fundamental  challenges  in  the  sector,  and  represents  an  ambitious  programme  to  ensure  the 
long-term future of the sector in the world market. Its main objectives are to gain competitive 
edge  by  building  on  the  EU’s  already  existing  technological  leadership  in  selected  market 
segments  in  order  to  protect  innovation  and  know-how,  strengthen  customer  focus,  and 
improve the industry structure. To this end, measures have been taken in eight action areas: 
level playing field; improving research, development and innovation (RDI); access to finance; 
safer and more environmentally friendly ships; naval shipbuilding; intellectual property rights 
(IPR); access to a skilled workforce; building a sustainable industry structure. 
In  2007,  in  its  review  of  the  implementation  of  the  strategy24,  the  Commission  reported  on 
positive  developments  in  the  sector  and  major  achievements  of  the  strategy.  Favoured  by  a 

20 

21 
22 
23 

GP  WIND.  Good  practice  in  reconciling  onshore  and  offshore  wind  with  environmental  objectives. 
www.project-gpwind.eu/. 
SOWFIA. Streamlining of ocean wave farm impact assessments. www.sowfia.eu/. 
COM(2003) 717 of 21.11. 2003. 
LeaderSHIP  2015,  Defining  the  Future  of  the  European  Shipbuilding  and  Repair  Industry  –
Competitiveness through Excellence, COM(2003) 717 of 21.11. 2003. 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2003:0717:FIN:en:PDF. 
24 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2007:0220:FIN:en:PDF. 

SEC(2007) 517 — LeaderSHIP 2015 Progress Report 

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positive market evolution, the European shipbuilding industry had made substantial progress 
in innovation and specialisation.  

The current review and update of the LeaderSHIP initiative builds on the achievements of the 
existing approach and adapts to the demanding business environment caused by the profound 
crisis in global shipbuilding. It will address opportunities for diversification and challenges in 
the  move  to  new  business  areas.  Moreover,  it  aims  to  give  a  strong  fresh  impetus  to  future 
directions  in  innovation,  greening,  application  of  new  technologies,  and  new  emerging 
markets like off-shore wind energy. To reach this objective, cooperation between industry, the 
social partners, and public authorities at regional, Member State and European level needs to 
be strengthened. The renewed strategy will develop a vision for a sustainable foundation for 
the  European  shipbuilding  industry,  so  as  to  contribute  to  sustainable,  secure  and  safe 
waterborne  transport  and  to  further  advances  in  the  use  of  marine  resources  and  energy 
generation. 

1.4.2.  Framework on State Aid to Shipbuilding 

The Framework on State Aid to Shipbuilding determines which types of state aid are allowed 
for  the  shipyards.  The  previous  Framework  was  due  to  expire  on  31  December  2011. 
Therefore,  in  view  of  adopting  a  new  Framework,  the  Commission  carried  out  a  public 
consultation25  followed  by  an  impact  assessment26.  The  new  Framework  was  adopted  in 
December  201127  and  will  be  valid  until  the  end  of  2013.  It  contains  specific  provisions  in 
relation to innovation aid and regional aid for shipbuilding, as well as provisions on exports 
credits. 

The new set of rules has an extended scope as it now concerns inland waterway vessels and, 
as  regards  innovation  aid,  floating  and  moving  offshore  structures.  Other  novelties  relate  to 
innovation aid as the Framework now provides for precise rules ensuring that public support 
has  a  real  incentive  effect.  It  also  increases  the  admissible  intensity  of  the  aid  where 
innovation has a positive environmental impact. 

As was the case before the revision, the shipbuilding industry is eligible under the horizontal 
State aid instruments, unless otherwise provided for in those instruments. 

1.5. 

Fisheries and aquaculture 

1.5.1.  Common Fisheries Policy 

The  Common  Fisheries  Policy  (CFP)  is  not  achieving  its  key  objectives:  fish  stocks  are 
overfished, the economic situation of parts of the fleet is fragile despite high subsidies, jobs in 
the fishing sector are unattractive, and the situation of many coastal communities dependent 
on  fisheries  is  precarious.  Against  this  background,  the  Commission  proposed  an  ambitious 
reform of the policy in July 201128. This reform is about putting in place the conditions for a 
better future for fish and fisheries alike, as well as the marine environment that supports them. 
The CFP has enormous potential to deliver the building blocks for sustainable fisheries that 
respect  the  ecosystem  as  well  as  ensuring  high-quality,  healthy  fish  products  for  European 
citizens,  thriving  coastal  communities,  profitable  industries  producing  and  processing  fish, 
and more attractive and safer jobs. 

25 
26 
27 
28 

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2010_shipbuilding_framework/index.html 
http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/ia_carried_out/cia_2011_en.htm#comp 
2011/C 364/06 
COM/2011/0425 final of 13.7.2011. 

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The reform will contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy29 by working towards sustainable and 
inclusive growth, enhanced cohesion in coastal regions, and robust economic performance of 
the industry. By aiming to ensure that living marine resources are exploited sustainably, the 
reform is also a key component of the ‘resource-efficient Europe’ flagship30 initiative. 

Sustainability  is  at  the  heart  of  the  proposed  reform.  Fishing  sustainably  means  fishing  at 
levels that do not endanger the reproduction of stocks and that provide high long-term yields. 
The  Commission  proposes  that  by  2015,  stocks  must  be  exploited  at  sustainable  levels  that 
produce  the  ‘maximum  sustainable  yield’.  The  Commission  also  proposes  eliminating  the 
practice  of  throwing  unwanted  fish  overboard  by  2016.  Such  discards  are  an  unacceptable 
waste  of  resources.  If  stocks  were  exploited  at  maximum  sustainable  yield,  this  would 
increase  stock  sizes  significantly  along  with  overall  catches,  profit  margins  and  return  on 
investments. Gross value added for the catching industry would almost double. 

Fishing sustainably will free the catching sector from depending on public support. It would 
also  make  it  easier  to  achieve  stable  prices  under  transparent  conditions,  bringing  clear 
benefits for consumers. A strong, efficient and economically viable industry operating under 
market conditions would play a more important, active role in managing stocks. It would also 
help to reduce fleet overcapacity, one of the main causes of overfishing today. 

Fishing  sustainably  is  essential  for  the  future  of  coastal  communities,  which  in  some  cases 
will need specific measures to help manage their small-scale coastal fleets. The Commission 
proposes  to  develop  the  CFP  as  part  of  the  broader  maritime  economy.  This  will  result  in 
more  coherent  policies  for  the  EU’s  seas  and  coastal  areas,  and  a  better  contribution  to 
helping  coastal  regions  diversify  their  sources  of  income  so  as  to  ensure  a  better  quality  of 
life. Fish is the resource base of the industry. It is also a source of healthy protein for human 
consumption. Making fishing and aquaculture sustainable in coastal and rural areas is in the 
interest of society at large, and will help to meet growing consumer demand for quality fish 
and seafood. 

The reform aims to create a fundamentally different CFP: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

29 
30 

Throwing  fish  overboard  will  be  stopped  and  stocks  will  be  brought  back  to 
sustainable  levels  by  2015.  Fisheries  measures  will  contribute  to  a  healthy  marine 
ecosystem. Management measures will be closer to the reality of Member States and 
stakeholders. 

Fishermen  will  take  economic  decisions  to  adjust  fleets  to  resources,  small-scale 
fleets  will  improve  their  performance,  and  income  diversification  will  help  to 
strengthen coastal communities. 

When  buying  fish,  consumers  will  have  improved  information  on  the  quality  and 
sustainability of products. 

EU  funding  will  be  limited  to  supporting  sustainability  initiatives,  and  only  those 
which comply with the rules. 

In  international  and  bilateral  relations,  the  EU  will  actively  promote  the  CFP 
principles of sustainable fisheries and good governance. 

COM(2010) 2020 of 3.3.2010. 
COM(2011) 21 of 26.1.2011. 

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In  July  2011,  the  Commission  submitted  its  proposals  for  reform  of  the  CFP31.  In  order  to 
deliver  this  reform  and  further  implement  the  IMP,  the  Commission  then  proposed  a  new 
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund32 in December 2011. 

Previously, in May 2011, the Commission presented a report on deterring illegal activities in 
the  fisheries  sector:  genetics,  genomics,  chemistry  and  forensics  to  fight  IUU  (illegal, 
unreported and unregulated) fishing and support for fish product traceability33. 

To  efficiently  implement  traceability  in  the  fisheries  sector  and  support  control  authorities, 
independent control measures are needed. While molecular techniques based on genetics and 
chemistry have great potential in this respect, they remain underutilised. To raise awareness 
among stakeholders and to facilitate technology transfer, a report produced by the European 
Commission’s JRC describes state-of-the-art molecular technologies and discusses how these 
can  be  used  for  traceability  and  fisheries  control.  It  provides  examples  of  cases  where 
molecular techniques were employed to reveal fisheries fraud, demonstrate the feasibility of 
the  techniques.  Also  explored  are  venues  to  bring  forensic  genetics  and  chemistry  into  a 
European fisheries control and enforcement framework, within the context of EU policies and 
legislation. 

The JRC is collaborating with EUROSTAT to carry out an analysis specifically of fisheries 
and  aquaculture.  The  aim  of  the  study  is  to  define  and  locate  fishing-  and  aquaculture-
dependent  local  communities  and  analyse  how  important  these  activities  are  in  terms  of 
employment opportunities. 

The research is based on the analysis of local connectivity networks in terms of focal points in 
coastal  areas,  gravitation  models  and  other  spatial  analysis  methods  derived  from  economic 
geography approaches. Spatial information on aquaculture sites and fishing ports is combined 
in  a  geographical  context  with  socio-economic  data  on  fisheries,  demographics  and 
employment. 

The  preliminary  results  indicate  that  when  a  more  detailed  geographical  breakdown  is 
considered, the role of fishing activities for some local communities is more clearly apparent 
(up  from  0.2 %  reported  in  previous  studies  for  NUTS2  regions  to  20-40 %  in  some  local 
fishing communities). The study will ultimately result in the mapping of areas of gravitation 
of  population  and  employment  in  respect  of  fishing  ports  and  aquaculture  sites,  and  the 
quantification of the socio-economic role of fishing and aquaculture activities in these areas. 

1.5.2.  Aquaculture 

At global level, aquaculture is the fastest growing food production industry. It is increasingly 
compensating for fisheries in meeting the growing demand for sea food and providing socio-
economic development opportunities to coastal and rural communities. 

Despite  this  great  potential,  European  aquaculture  remains  stagnant.  A  number  of  reasons 
have  been  identified  for  this,  many  falling  within  the  competence  of  the  Member  States, 
others linked to EU policies. One of the aims of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is 
to  promote  aquaculture  growth  through  a  coordinated  approach  based  on  non-binding 
strategic guidelines, common priorities and exchange of best practice. 

The European Commission’s JRC develops the European Aquaculture Performance Indicators 
(EAPI),  which  include  a  set  of  indicators  on  governance  and  on  economic,  social  and 
environmental sustainability for the three main aquaculture segments: marine, freshwater fin 

31 
32 
33 

COM/2011/0425 final of 13.7.2011. 
COM/2011/0804 final of 2.12.2011. 
http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/111111111/16295. 

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fish  and  shellfish.  In  line  with  new  priorities  for  aquaculture  in  the  EU,  the  indicators  are 
developed to describe aquaculture production in the Member States and to identify possible 
common priorities and targets for the development of sustainable aquaculture activities. 

2. 

COOPERATION  ACROSS  SECTORS  AND  BORDERS  TO  ENSURE  OPTIMUM  GROWTH 
CONDITIONS FOR THE MARITIME ECONOMY 

2.1.  Maximising the sustainable pursuit of activities on coasts and at sea 

The  exploitation  of  coastal  zone  and  marine  resources  is  an  important  field  of  economic 
activity  in  the  EU.  Several  sectors  compete  for  space  and  resources  across  sea  basins. 
Conflicts between sea users and demands for sea space are expected to increase dramatically 
in the coming years. 

MSP  and  ICZM  are  linked  concepts,  as  they  both  address  the  use  of  coastal  and  maritime 
space  and  the  management  of  human  activities.  DG  MARE  and  DG  ENV  have  therefore 
decided to join forces in developing and integrating MSP and ICZM further within the EU. 
The  added  value  of  addressing  MSP  and  ICZM  jointly  is  also  confirmed  by  stakeholder 
consultations. 

2.1.1.  Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) 

Limited space and resource availability in sea basins means that the organisation of activities 
in sea basins faces important challenges in different policy areas, including the environment, 
fisheries, maritime transport, offshore energy, etc. Each of these policies has its own specific 
objectives, which might cause conflicts in implementation if not dealt with in a coordinated 
way across sea basins. There is a need for tools that enable growth by increasing efficiencies, 
streamlining multiple activities and facilitating their coexistence. 

Maritime  spatial  planning  is  a  public  process  for  analysing  and  deciding  the  spatial  and 
temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and 
social  objectives.  It  is  a  multi-sector  tool  to  facilitate  implementation  of  the  ecosystem 
approach  and  to  support,  within  a  given  maritime  space,  the  reconciliation  of  concurrent 
human  activities  and  the  reconciliation  of  such  activities  and  their  impact  on  the  marine 
environment, without any built-in priority for any type of claim on that space. 

At EU level, MSP was identified as an important tool for integrated sea use management and 
sustainable  development  in  the  Blue  Book  of  200734.  Elements  for  a  coherent  approach  to 
MSP  at  EU  level  were  set  out  in  the  2008  Commission  Communication  ‘Roadmap  for 
Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU’35. 

In  2010,  the  Commission  adopted  a  second  Communication  on  MSP  entitled  ‘Maritime 
Spatial  Planning  in  the  EU  —  Achievements  and  future  development’36.  One  of  the  main 
conclusions of this progress report was that there was broad agreement among stakeholders to 
further develop a common approach to MSP at EU level. The Communication also confirmed 
the validity of the 10 key principles for good MSP governance: 

Using MSP according to area and type of activity 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

34 
35 
36 

Defining objectives to guide MSP 

Developing MSP in a transparent manner 

Stakeholder participation 

COM(2007) 575. 
COM(2008) 791 final of 25.11.2008. 
COM(2010) 771 final of 17.12.2010. 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

Coordination within Member States — simplifying decision processes 

Ensuring the legal effect of national MSP 

Cross-border cooperation and consultation 

Incorporating monitoring and evaluation in the planning process 

Achieving  coherence  between 
relationship with ICZM 

terrestrial  and  maritime  spatial  planning  — 

(9) 

A strong data and knowledge base. 

In  2010,  the  Commission  published  a  study  on  the  economic  benefits  of  MSP.  The  main 
conclusion  was  that  MSP  can  lead  to  significant  economic  benefits  in  terms  of  lower 
coordination and transaction costs as well as a better investment climate. For three scenarios, 
a  reduction  of  1%  in  transaction  costs  led  to  savings  ranging  from  EUR 170  million  to 
EUR 1.3 billion in 2020, a figure that can increase further due to the acceleration of emerging 
activities such as renewable energy installations. In 2011 the Commission published a study 
on  the  potential  for  MSP  in  the  Mediterranean37.  The  main  conclusion  was  that  there  is 
potential for implementing MSP in the Mediterranean sea but that the scope for coastal states 
to  do  so  is  in  most  cases  limited  to  their  territorial  seas,  since  up  to  now  only  very  few 
exclusive economic zones have been established in this sea basin. 

Two  18-month  preparatory  actions  on  cross-border  cooperation  on  MSP  were  concluded  in 
June 2012, one for the Baltic Sea (Plan Bothnia) and one for the North Sea (MASPNOSE), 
both co-financed by the EU. Each project involved bodies from different Member States and 
aimed to gain practical experience of applying MSP in cross-border areas. 
The Plan Bothnia38 project looked into maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea. Partners 
from  Finland  and  Sweden  as  well  as  international  institutions  participated  in  the  project, 
coordinated  by  the  HELCOM  Secretariat.  The  MASPNOSE39  project  addressed  maritime 
spatial  planning in  two  areas in the North Sea, the  Thornton Bank and the Dogger Bank. It 
included  partners  from  the  Netherlands,  Belgium,  Germany  and  Denmark,  coordinated  by 
Wageningen  University.  Both  projects  have  provided  concrete  lessons  for  the  cross-border 
application of MSP and have further developed various aspects, such as the 10 key principles 
for MSP referred to above and the setting up of monitoring and evaluation systems. 

An  international  conference  on  MSP,  hosted  by  Commissioner  Damanaki,  was  held  in 
Brussels  on  26  March  2012.  High-level  representatives  from  the  European  Union  and  third 
countries,  public  authorities,  representatives  from  maritime  industries  and  NGOs  had  an 
opportunity to share their experiences on MSP in the EU and around the world, and to reflect 
on how they want to see it develop in the future. 

2.1.2. 

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) 

Coastal zones are among the most densely populated areas in the EU. A large share of their 
economic  activities  relate  to  sea  areas.  This  intensive  and  increasing  use  leads  to  the 
unsustainable  use  of  marine  and  coastal  resources.  The  management  of  the  interaction 
between uses of coastal zones and the sea thus becomes increasingly important. This entails 
moving from a sectoral approach to the management of European marine and coastal areas to 
a more integrated and coherent decision-making process across sea basins. 

37 
38 
39 

These studies can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/index_en.html. 
http://planbothnia.org/. 
https://www.surfgroepen.nl/sites/CMP/maspnose/default.aspx. 

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ICZM  is  a  process  tool  aiming  to  achieve  integrated  management  of  all  policy  processes 
affecting  coastal  zones.  Its  added  value40  is  that  it  addresses  the  land  and  the  sea 
simultaneously. The linkages between the ‘dry side’ (land) and ‘wet side’ (sea) of the coast 
are such that the sustainable use of coastal/marine resources requires coordinated management 
of  activities.  Existing  EU  legislation  focuses  either  on  the  terrestrial  side  or  on  the  marine 
side. In the rare cases where land-sea interaction is considered, not all relevant interactions are 
addressed41. 
In  2002,  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  adopted  a  Recommendation  on  ICZM42 
defining the principles of sound coastal planning and management and referring to the need 
for sound and shared knowledge, a long-term, adaptive approach, a cross-sector perspective, 
the  involvement  of  stakeholders,  and  consideration  of  both  the  terrestrial  and  marine 
components  of  the  coastal  zone.  Implementation  of  the  EU  ICZM  Recommendation  is 
fragmented and progress remains slow. Member State action has improved since 200643, but 
the number of national ICZM strategies remains small (5 out of 22 coastal Member States). 
An evaluation of Member States’ progress reports on ICZM concluded that this approach led 
to  variation  in  the  scope  and  level  of  activity44.  The  overall  level  of  implementation  is 
evaluated at 50 %, with significant divergences between Member States. Consequently, large 
potential benefits are not realised45. 
The ICZM Protocol to the Barcelona Convention46 entered into force in March 2011. It makes 
ICZM compulsory for coastal Member States in the Mediterranean. 
In  2009,  the  working  group  report  on  the  follow-up  to  the  EU  ICZM  Recommendation47 
identified 
three  policy  options  for  detailed  examination:  a  programme,  a  revised 
recommendation and a directive. Regarding the content of the options, the report signals that 
more  focused  objectives  and  deliverables  would  need  to  be  defined  compared  to  the  2002 
Recommendation. 
In 2011, the comparative analysis of OURCOAST cases48 concluded that there is significant 
experience  with  ICZM  practice  in  Europe,  leading  to  improved  coastal  planning  and 
management. The report provides insights into success factors for and barriers to ICZM. 
Reports  were  submitted  by  16  coastal  Member  States  (out  of  22)49  in  2011on  a  voluntary 
basis  for  the  period  2006-2010.  The  study  of  Member  State  progress  reports  on  ICZM50 
provides an overview of these Member State reports. It shows that some Member States have 
advanced  in  terms  of  delivering  a  national  ICZM  strategy,  with  progress  on  the  ICZM 
principles, but large variations in scope and contents are observed. 

40 
41 

42 
43 
44 
45 
46 

47 

48 
49 
50 

FAO (1994) Corporate Document Repository, ‘integrated management of coastal zones’, ID 59975. 
For example, the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) introduces holistic water management for 
inland,  transitional  and  coastal  waters.  However,  it  does  not  cover  sediment  management  or  coastal 
erosion, which are among the most dynamic processes in land-water interaction. 
Recommendation (2002/413/EC), OJ 148, 6.6.2002, p. 24. 
The reporting period formally covered by the Recommendation ended in 2006. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/Final%20Report_progress.pdf. 
COWI (2011) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/ICZM%20IA%20study_Final_report.pdf. 
Council  (2009/89/EC),  OJ  L344  2 2009;  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/barcelona.htm;  the 
Protocol covers the coastal zone up to the external limits of the territorial seas of the Parties. 
http://www.acceptance.ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/Report%20Earlyreflection.pdf. The working 
group  responded  to  the  need  identified  in  the  evaluation  of  the  EU  ICZM  Recommendation 
(COM(2007) 308. 
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/download.cfm?fileID=1709. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/ia_reports.htm. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/Final%20Report_progress.pdf. 

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The  2011study  on  options  for  coastal  information  systems51  analysed  a  selection  of  coastal 
information  systems  and  subsequently  identified  and  assessed  three  policy  options,  with 
increasing  degrees  of  ambition,  to  improve  coastal  information  systems  to  support  ICZM 
implementation. As part of this study, a stakeholder workshop was held on 6 May 2011. 

In 2011, the JRC completed a study on the impact of policy alternatives on European coastal 
zones 2000-205052. The land-use modelling results in this study indicate that the intensified 
trends  towards  built-up  and  fragmented  areas  in  Europe’s  coastal  zones  compared  to  inland 
areas also hold true under future scenarios. 

A  2011  support  study  for  an  impact  assessment  for  a  follow-up  to  the  EU  ICZM 
Recommendation53 evaluated the different policy options identified in the impact assessment. 

2.1.3.  Public consultation on MSP and ICZM 

On 23 March 2011, DG MARE and DG ENV launched a joint public web-based consultation 
on MSP and ICZM. A total of 225 contributions were received, including 109 responses from 
organisations. The overall findings of this consultation were as follows: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Confirmation that conflicts in the use of sea space are becoming more frequent and 
will continue in the future. 

Confirmation of the usefulness of implementing MSP in European waters and overall 
support of the work towards a common approach within the EU. 

Confirmation  that  EU  action  on  cross-border  issues  on  MSP  would  be  particularly 
useful. 

Confirmation of the benefits and added value of EU action on ICZM. There is still 
significant potential to achieve the full implementation of ICZM principles. 

institutional 
Sustainable  development  remains  an 
coordination,  coherent  planning  of  the  land  and  sea  parts  of  coastal  zones,  and 
integration  across  interests  (social,  economic  and  environmental)  forming  the  core 
tenets of ICZM. 

important  objective,  with 

There  is  scope  to  strengthen  the  basis  of  EU  ICZM  policy,  up  to  and  including  a 
binding  but  flexible  legislative  framework54.  Support  for  ICZM  through  studies, 
projects and research is considered important as well. 

• 
Confirmation of the need to ensure a strong link between ICZM and MSP. 
A  public  hearing  on  ICZM  was  organised  on  30  May  201155.  It  highlighted  the  need  to 
consider  the  differences  in  coastal  contexts  and  the  linkages  between  ICZM  and  MSP.  The 
consultation  has  shown  that  the  business  community,  in  particular  those sectors  involved  in 
cross-border  investments  at  sea,  such  as  transnational  grids,  is  very  much  in  favour  of  a 
European approach to MSP and ICZM, since this is expected to reduce their operating costs 
and facilitate the development of their activities. 

51 
52 

53 
54 

55 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/21807-REL-T006.2_Final_Report.pdf. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enveco/impact_studies/pdf/land_use_modelling%20 
adaptation_activities_coastal.pdf. 
COWI (2011) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/ICZM%20IA%20study_Final_report.pdf. 
72 % fully agree or agree with the statement that an EU binding legislative framework would provide a 
better basis for ICZM implementation in the long term and in cross-border contexts. 
EC (2011). Public Hearing on Integrated Coastal Zone Management 30 May 2011 — Hearing Report. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/pdf/ICZM_Hearing_Report_20110530.pdf. 

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2.2. 

Protecting  European  citizens  and  maritime  industries  against  sea-related 
threats 

2.2.1. 

Integrated maritime surveillance 

European governments have an increasing interest in ensuring safe, secure, and clean seas as 
fundamental  conditions  for  sustainable  economic  growth.  Indeed,  Europe’s  external  trade, 
with 90 % carried by sea, needs increased protection by navies and police against piracy and 
other  forms  of  crime,  Europe  faces  human  trafficking  carried  out  increasingly  at  sea,  fish 
stocks  need  to  be  protected  against  depletion,  and  the  oceans  and  seas  need  to  be  protected 
against land and seaborne pollution. More efficient and cost-effective maritime surveillance is 
therefore  a  priority  to  ensure  the  sound,  sustainable  and  efficient  use  of  the  major 
opportunities offered by the EU maritime domain. 

The  purpose  of  maritime  surveillance  is  to  provide  the  necessary  information  to  allow  for 
effective supervision of all man-made and natural occurrences at sea. Maritime surveillance is 
the  responsibility  of  about  40056  public  authorities,  mainly  at  Member  State  but  also  at  EU 
level,  carrying  out  seven  maritime  surveillance  functions:  border  control,  customs,  defence, 
fisheries  control,  general  law  enforcement,  marine  environment,  and  maritime  safety  and 
security.  These  seven  functions  involve  many  different  initiatives  at  Member  State  level 
(national  and  regional)  as  well  as  EU  level.  A  number  of  efforts  have  been  made  at  both 
Member  State  and  EU  level  to  overcome  sectoral  thinking  by  utilising  the  knowledge 
provided by combining  sectoral  information. As a result,  sectoral surveillance systems have 
been moving towards at least partial cross-sectoral information exchange, thus picking up the 
idea  of  creating  a  common  information  sharing  environment57.  In  many  cases,  however, 
national sectoral legislation depends on EU rules, so it is often not possible for Member States 
to  proceed  on  their  own  with  the  legal  amendments  necessary  to  allow  for  appropriate  data 
exchange between the seven different maritime functions. 

The  Common  Information  Sharing  Environment  (CISE)  for  the  surveillance  of  the  EU 
maritime domain is a concept that the Commission has been working on since 2009 in close 
collaboration with the Council and the Member States to provide an adequate policy response 
to  the  current  challenges.  The  immediate  overarching  objective  of  CISE  is  to  improve  the 
efficiency  and  cost-effectiveness  of  maritime  surveillance  in  the  EU  maritime  domain  by 
enabling  appropriate,  lawful,  secure  and  efficient  data  sharing  across  sectors  and  borders 
throughout the EU in a decentralised fashion. 

Six steps have been identified in the CISE Roadmap as fundamental preliminary work to be 
carried  out  before  establishing  CISE58.  In  May  2011,  Council  Conclusions  on  the  subject 
welcomed the Commission’s Roadmap59. 

Step 1: Identifying all user communities 

56 

57 

This figure is an approximation, as in certain cases an undefined number of communal authorities are 
involved. 
At  EU  level,  this  is  the  case  for  systems  or  initiatives  such  as  SafeSeaNet,  CleanSeaNet,  BlueBelt 
Eurosur, Marsur and cooperation efforts between agencies such as EMSA, Frontex, EFCA and Europol. 
At  national  level,  a  number  of  centres  have  been  created  to  bring  together  the  various  existing 
coastguard functions. 
COM(2010) 584 of 20.10.2010. 
COM(2010) 584final. 

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59 
Council  Conclusions  of  May  2011  supporting  the  Commission’s  roadmap  towards  establishing  CISE  (3092nd 

General Affairs Council meeting of 23.5.2011). 

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Seven user communities at EU level and about 400 relevant authorities at national level have 
been identified as handling information in about 20 mainly sectoral systems. This will remain 
a living reference list open to adaptation by Member States. 

Step 2: Mapping of data sets and gap analysis 

A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) was set up to carry out four of the six CISE Roadmap 
steps.  The  Group  is  co-chaired  by  DG  MARE  and  JRC,  which  provides  scientific  and 
technical  support  to  the  TAG.  Within  this  setup,  TAG  established  an  overview  of  the  main 
existing data types relevant for maritime surveillance. This exercise revealed the existence of 
over 500 data elements relevant to maritime surveillance across sectors and borders. This list 
has constituted a useful reference for developing the other steps of the Roadmap. TAG further 
found that, of the total information required on a regular or sporadic basis by all seven user 
communities, 40 % to 90 % is not yet made systematically available. This is due to the current 
lack of information exchange across sectors and borders. 

Step 3: Identifying common data classification levels 

TAG  found  that  most  data  could  be  exchanged  at  a  non-classified  level,  even  though 
arrangements need to be found for data that are unclassified but of a sensitive nature, e.g. for 
commercial  reasons.  Only  few  data  require  classification  or  higher  security  levels  for 
exchange  through  CISE.  Existing  security  levels  currently  used  in  the  various  sectors  to 
classify information should not be modified by CISE. 

Step 4: Developing the technical supporting framework for CISE 

A  preliminary  study  is  currently  being  carried  out  by  an  external  IT  consultant  essentially 
with a view to understanding the diversity and functionality of the various IT tools used by 
existing  and  forthcoming  sectoral  and  regional  systems.  It  aims  to  identify  reusable  IT 
features  or  concepts  and  semantics  and  to  propose  possible  IT  choices  to  interlink  these 
systems  in  a  decentralised  manner.  In  doing  so,  the  study  takes  particular  account  of  the 
functionalities already developed within existing and planned systems. 

Step 5: Establishing appropriate access rights 

As  access  rights  are  linked  to  particular  data  elements,  TAG  is  currently  investigating  the 
relevance  of  structuring  data  elements  into  ‘purpose-oriented  information  service  packages’ 
with corresponding predefined ‘access rights’ based on the predefined maritime tasks of the 
seven user communities. Such service packages would, of course, in any case have to be taken 
up by Member States as the main stakeholders in maritime surveillance. 

Step 6: Ensuring compliance with legal provisions 

A study will soon be launched to identify the legislative adjustments necessary to allow for 
the  additional  cross-sectoral  and  cross-border  information  exchanges  identified  as  necessary 
by  TAG.  CISE  will  fill  the  gap  by  enabling  such  information  exchange,  thus  allowing 
authorities to carry out their maritime tasks more efficiently in the future. 

2.2.2.  MARSUNO and BluemassMed 
The  results  of  two  pilot  projects  MARSUNO60  and  BluemassMed61  launched  in  December 
2009 have been regularly fed into the work of TAG under the relevant Roadmap Steps. 

BlueMassMed is pilot project aiming to integrate maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean 
Sea Basin over a period of two years. It covers six different Member States and all seven user 

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http://www.marsuno.eu/. 
http://www.bluemassmed.net/. 

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communities,  with  a  total  of  37  different  partners  (authorities  from  the  respective 
communities). BluemassMed will deliver its final report in the third quarter of 2012. 

Marsuno was a pilot project aiming to integrate maritime surveillance in the North Sea Basin 
over a period of two years. It covered nine different Member States and six (out of seven) user 
communities, with a total of 24 different partners. MARSUNO submitted its final report at the 
beginning of 2012, which contains a number of main outcomes and recommendations62: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Harmonising  the  legal  framework,  a  key  requirement  for  CISE  to  allow  for  cross-
sectoral  and  cross-border  information  exchange.  This  goes  for  both  sectoral  and 
horizontal legislation. 

Solving  the  technical  aspects  involved  in  interlinking  all  systems  and  authorities, 
which  is  equally  crucial  to  the  success  of  CISE.  Such  work  calls  for  common 
definitions, standards, procedures and  semantics  as well as  national CISE points of 
contact. 

Managing  CISE  at  three  levels:  (i)  an  Advisory  and  Policy  Board  (APB)  (Member 
State  representatives),  (ii)  an  Administrative  Advisory  Group  (to  be  designated  by 
DG MARE) to work in cooperation with TAG to support the APB, and (iii) specific 
Action Working Groups (on specific tasks). 

Maximising  efficiency  and  cost-effectiveness  by  going  beyond  simply  interlinking 
systems  and  authorities  towards  sharing  capabilities  as  well  as  developing  and 
sharing maritime information services. 

Enhancing civil/military cooperation. 

Involvement of EU agencies in CISE information exchange. 
Deployment of common tools63 and measures64 to promote trust and willingness of 
user communities to cooperate. 

Involving third countries in CISE. 

2.2.3. 

Joint Research Centre — maritime surveillance research 

In order to improve existing maritime surveillance capabilities, research is being carried out 
into  innovative  sensors,  platforms  and  applications.  New  opportunities  for  maritime 
surveillance  are  being  explored  using  passive  radars  and  MIMO  coastal  radars  so  as  to 
enhance  the  ability  to  detect  maritime  objects.  In  order  to  ensure  consistent  situational 
awareness  at  sea  and  to  overcome  the  differences  between  surveillance  data  in  terms  of 
content, format, and spatial or temporal resolution, the Blue Hub — a prototype data platform 
for the collection, integration and analysis of global, regional and local vessel positioning data 
— is being developed. Such research provides the scientific and technical support needed for 
the conception, development, implementation and evaluation of relevant EU policies, e.g. for 
GMES, CISE and EUROSUR. 

2.2.4.  EU maritime safety 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  at  the  forefront  in  improving  maritime  safety  and 
promoting high-quality standards. The aim is to eliminate sub-standard shipping, increase the 
protection  of  passengers  and  crews,  reduce  the  risk  of  environmental  pollution,  and  ensure 

62 
63 
64 

http://www.marsuno.eu/PageFiles/598/Final%20Report%20111222,tryck.pdf. 
E.g. satellite pictures, seabed management, drift modelling system, geographic information systems. 
E.g. common training and joint exercises, exchange of best practices. 

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that operators who follow good practices are not put at a commercial disadvantage compared 
to those who are prepared to take short-cuts with vessel safety. 

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), founded in 2002 and based in Lisbon, has 
the  task  of  assisting  the  Commission  and  Member  States  in  this  regard.  Since  2000,  the 
European  Union  has  put  in  place  three  packages  of  maritime  safety  legislation,  the  most 
recent (the Third Maritime Safety Package) in 2009. 

The Third Maritime Safety Package is made up of eight legislative texts covering six policy 
themes linked to maritime safety: 

1. The quality of European flags 

Directive  2009/21/EC  aims  to  improve  the  quality  of  European  flags.  As  a  major  maritime 
power  accounting  for  25 %  of  the  world  fleet,  the  European  Union  has  to  guarantee  that  all 
Member States effectively verify that international standards are upheld by ships sailing under 
their  flags.  This  includes  requiring  EU  Member  States  to  implement  the  International 
Maritime  Organisation’s  (IMO)  audit  plan  for  national  maritime  administrations  and  the 
certification  of  their  quality  management  systems.  The  IMO  scheme  is  otherwise 
implemented only on a voluntary basis. 

EU  Member  States  declared  their  firm  commitment  to  adhere  to  the  main  international 
maritime  safety  conventions  and  to  apply  the  IMO  Flag  State  Code,  which  gives  a  clear 
message  to  the  international  maritime  community  that  Europe  is  ready  to  lead  by  example. 
Member  States  also  undertook  to  further  improve  the  quality  and  performance  of  their 
maritime administrations. 

2. Classification societies 

Two  legislative  texts  —  Directive  2009/15/EC  and  Regulation  (EC)  391/2009  —  aim  to 
improve the quality of the work undertaken by classification societies. These bodies constitute 
a fundamental link in the maritime safety chain: better performance by classification societies 
means less room for sub-standard shipping at no additional cost for safety-conscious owners. 
A  specialised  voluntary  body  (QUASE)  has  been  set  up  in  order  to  audit  and  certify  the 
quality  management  systems  of  EU-recognised  organisations  to  which  Member  States 
delegate the inspection and statutory certification of their ships. 

In addition, the recognition criteria will be made stricter and a system of financial penalties 
will  be  established  for  those  organisations  that  do  not  do  their  job  properly.  If  the 
shortcomings of a recognised organisation are such that safety is no longer guaranteed, their 
licence  will  be  withdrawn.  Furthermore,  recognised  organisations  will  now  be  required  to 
agree  to  mutual  recognition  of  their  certificates  whenever  they  are  issued  on  the  basis  of 
equivalent technical standards. 

3. Port State Control 

Port State Control (PSC) is the inspection of vessels in ports of countries other than the flag of 
the  vessel  in  order  to  verify  that  the  competence  of  the  master  and  officers  on  board,  the 
condition  of  a  ship  and  its  equipment  comply  with  the  requirements  of  international 
conventions and that the vessel is manned and operated in compliance with international law. 

The EU regime for PSC is based on Directive 2009/16/EC, which re-cast and reinforced the 
previous  legislation  in  this  field  dating  back  to  1995.  The  EU  regime  is  based  on  the  pre-
existing  framework  provided  by  the  Paris  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (PMoU)  on  Port 
State  Control.  All  maritime  Member  States  as  well  as  Canada,  Russia,  Croatia,  Iceland  and 
Norway are signatories of the PMoU. 

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With the adoption of Directive 2009/16/EC, a further step has been taken towards improving 
the  effectiveness  and  quality  of  the  visits  and  inspections  carried  out  by  the  port  state  in 
European ports, while concentrating on the riskier and lower-performing ships and alleviating 
the  pressure  on  the  high-quality  ships.  The  PSC  system  has  been  thoroughly  reformed,  by 
requiring inspection of all ships making a stopover in European ports. The previous obligation 
for each Member State to inspect 25 % of the ships calling at its ports has been replaced by a 
target of 100 % for the EU as a whole. 

These  inspections  will  vary  in  frequency  depending  on  the  risk  the  ships  pose:  the  most 
dangerous ships will thus be inspected every six months, while quality ships will be subject to 
less frequent inspections. The Directive also strengthens the EU’s ability to keep sub-standard 
ships out of European waters, by making it possible to ban any category of ships, inserting a 
minimum time limit for a ban and introducing a permanent ban for those ships that continue 
to flout the rules. 

4. Traffic monitoring — assisting ships in distress 

Directive 2009/17/EC amends Directive 2002/59/EC to better assist ships in distress. A clear 
and  precise  legal  framework  for  refuge  zones  has  been  defined  in  order  to  ensure  that  the 
authorities  responsible  for  the  designation  of  refuge  zones  take  independent  decisions  and 
possess the necessary means to do so. 

As  regards  the  monitoring  of  ships  in  European  waters,  all  Member  States  will  be 
interconnected  via  SafeSeaNet,  which  is  a  platform  for  data  exchange  between  the  national 
maritime  administrations,  in  order  to  obtain  a  complete  overview  of  the  movements  of 
hazardous  cargoes  on  ships  sailing  in  European  waters.  The  Directive  also  provides  for  a 
European Union Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) Data Centre to process long-
range  identification  and  tracking  information  on  ships.  Finally,  the  automatic  identification 
system is extended to fishing vessels over 15 metres, in order to reduce the risk of collisions 
at sea. 

5. Accident investigation 

Directive  2009/18/EC  establishes  a  common  EU  framework  in  order  to  guarantee  the 
effectiveness,  objectivity  and  transparency  of  inquiries  following  maritime  accidents 
occurring in EU waters or involving EU-flag ships or EU interests. 

This involves the harmonisation of technical inquiries, which are to be carried out following a 
common  methodology  in  accordance  with  the  IMO  Code  for  the  Investigation  of  Marine 
Casualties  and  Incidents.  Accident  investigations  will  be  carried  out  independently  of  any 
judicial  inquiries.  An  information  and  analysis  system  on  accidents  at  sea  has  also  been 
established. 

6. Protection of victims 

Two further measures have been put in place to protect the victims of marine accidents. 

Regulation  (EC)  392/2009  affords  further  protection  for  passengers  in  the  aftermath  of  an 
accident. It introduces rules on liability and insurance that will benefit passengers travelling 
on European and domestic maritime routes. 

The objective of this Regulation is to provide all passengers travelling in Europe by ship and 
the  carriers  themselves  with  a  harmonised  legal  framework  setting  out  their  rights  and 
obligations  in  the  event  of  an  accident.  This  harmonisation  should  aim  to  ensure  not  only 
fairer compensation for loss or damage, but also improved accident prevention. 

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Regulation  (EC)  392/2009  incorporates  into  EU  law  the  2002  Protocol  to  the  1974  Athens 
Convention  Relating  to  the  Carriage  of  Passengers  and  their  Luggage  by  Sea  (‘the  Athens 
Convention’), adopted under the auspices of the IMO. The Athens Convention sets out clearly 
the rights and obligations of passengers and carriers: it provides for a system of strict liability 
—  ‘liability  without  fault’  —  of  the  carrier  in  respect  of  loss  or  damage  in  the  event  of 
shipping incidents, lays down sufficiently high maximum compensation amounts, requires all 
carriers  to  take  out  an  insurance  policy  and  allows  the  complainant  to  claim  compensation 
from  the  insurer  directly.  The  Regulation  makes  a  number  of  adjustments.  In  particular,  it 
extends the scope of the Convention to include international maritime transport, and also to 
cover main cabotage lines (maritime transport within a single Member State) according to a 
specified timetable. 

Directive 2009/20/EC on the insurance of shipowners for maritime claims represents a major 
step in establishing a minimum set of rules for the insurance of ship owners. It requires that 
all  ships  flying  the  flag  of  a  Member  State  (throughout  the  world)  and  all  ships  entering  a 
maritime area under the jurisdiction of a Member State have insurance cover. The cover must 
correspond  to  the  ceilings  set  out  in  the  IMO  Convention  on  the  Limitation  of  Liability  for 
Maritime Claims (1996 version). Whether or not the ship is carrying an insurance certificate 
can  be  verified  during  an  inspection  under  Directive  2009/16/EC.  Where  the  ship  is  not 
carrying a certificate, it may be detained or even expelled, without prejudice to any financial 
penalties to be determined by each Member State. 

The  transposition  deadlines  for  five  of  the  six  Directives  in  the  package  have  now  elapsed. 
While  only  40 %  of  the  Member  States  managed  to  transpose  them  on  time,  additional 
notifications  are  received  on  a  daily  basis  from  Member  States  and  full  transposition  is 
expected.  The  Commission  also  has  to  verify  that  the  above  Directives  are  correctly 
implemented. If necessary, it can initiate infringement proceedings. 

EMSA 

In May 2012 the inter-institutional political negotiations on the Regulation founding EMSA 
were  concluded.  The  revised  Regulation  will  extend  EMSA’s  core  tasks  and  will  add  a 
number of ancillary tasks. Among the most important is that EMSA has to provide a response 
to  marine  pollution  caused  by  oil  and  gas  installations  and  also  to  work  to  facilitate  the 
establishment of a European maritime transport space without barriers. EMSA will continue 
to  provide  assistance  to  the  Commission  and  Member  States  as  well  as  to  Neighbourhood 
countries. 

2.2.5.  Enhancing maritime transport security 

A  technology  (CONTRAFFIC)  has  been  developed  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre,  in 
collaboration with the European Anti-Fraud Office, to automatically gather and analyse data 
on global maritime container movements to identify potentially suspicious consignments. The 
Contraffic  project  is  carried  out  under  the  mutual  assistance  arrangements  between  EU 
customs authorities. The system has been successfully tested to identify false declarations of 
origin  used  to  circumvent  anti-dumping  duties  and  quotas  or  to  smuggle  prohibited  or 
counterfeited goods. 

Contraffic’s  data  is  gathered  systematically  from  a  number  of  online  sources  and  is 
independent  of  customs  declarations.  Contraffic’s  risk  analysis  focuses  exclusively  on 
container itineraries and complements other risk analysis done by customs authorities. All EU 
customs  authorities  have  access  to  Contraffic,  which  is  used  routinely  together  with  other 
systems in joint customs exercises. 

EN 

25 

   EN 

 
2.2.6. 

Securing Europe’s maritime borders 

Securing Europe’s maritime borders is an increasingly crucial challenge for Member States. 
On  12  December  2011,  the  Commission  proposed  a  Regulation  establishing  the  European 
Border Surveillance System65 (EUROSUR). The aim of EUROSUR is to reinforce control of 
the  Schengen  external  borders.  It  will  provide  a  mechanism  for  Member  State  authorities 
carrying  out  border  surveillance  activities  to  share  operational  information  and  to  cooperate 
with each other and with Frontex and EMSA in order to reduce the loss of life at sea and the 
number of irregular immigrants entering the EU undetected, and to increase internal security 
by preventing cross-border crimes, such as trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of 
drugs. EUROSUR should become operational from 1 October 2013. 

2.3.  Maritime employment and career mobility 

The economic sectors that together make up the maritime economy are interlinked and jointly 
constitute  a  vast  reservoir  of  jobs  that  is  currently  not  being  exploited  to  its  full  capacity. 
Crucial to fulfilling this potential and increasing mobility of workers will be transparency and 
mobility  with  regard  to  both  skills  and  qualifications.The  Commission  has  made  an 
exhaustive inventory of all actions under EU policies that are relevant for employment in the 
maritime economy. This document was published together with the Communication on Blue 
Growth in September 201266. 

3. 

RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE AND END-USERS: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RESEARCH 
ND INDUSTRY 

3.1. 

Ensuring European maritime leadership through innovation and research 

The  EU  Strategy  for  marine  and  maritime  research  was  adopted  in  September  2008  by  the 
Commission,  and  endorsed  by  the  Council  in  December  2008.  It  follows  a  specific 
commitment made in the Action Plan for the EU Maritime Policy adopted by the Commission 
in October 2007. It is an essential part of the EU’s integrated maritime policy. The strategy 
seeks  essentially  to  provide  the  scientific  basis  to  support  the  Maritime  Policy  goal  of 
maximising the value of the maritime economy in a sustainable manner. 

The  Strategy  has  been  implemented  since  the  end  of  2008,  following  an  implementation 
roadmap, steered by an inter-service group involving DGs MARE, ENV, JRC, MOVE, ENER 
and  ENTR.  Among  other  aspects,  the  strategy  highlights  the  importance  of  integration 
between established marine and maritime research disciplines in order to reinforce excellence 
in science, with a view to addressing complex sea-related issues. To this end, it provides for 
the  launching  of  joint  calls  under  FP7  on  major  research  topics  requiring  a  cross-thematic 
approach.  The  ‘Ocean  of  Tomorrow’  joint  calls  thus  represent  a  concrete  step  in  the 
implementation  of  the  strategy.  The  Communication  calls  for  a  progress  report  on  the 
implementation of the strategy to be presented to the Council by the beginning of 2013. 
Three 3 FP7 joint calls67 have brought together efforts of up to 5 Directorates for a total EU 
contribution of 134M€. This effort was complement ed with the launch of 9 coordinated topics 
in 2012 in order to support the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive68 
for a total EU contribution of €42 million.  

65 
66 
67 
68 

COM(2011) 873 final of 12.12.2011. 
COM(2012) 473 final of 29.8.2012 
FP7-OCEAN-2010, FP7-OCEAN-2011 and FP7-OCEAN 2013 
Directive 2008/56/EC 

EN 

26 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Besides the cross-thematic calls, within the first four years of FP7, 644 projects with either a 
marine-related  dimension  or  potential  applications  for  the  maritime  sector  were  selected  for 
funding  with  an  EU  financial  contribution  of  about  EUR 1.4  billion.  This  corresponds  to 
about 6.4 % of the funding awarded by the EU to all proposals selected under FP7 during the 
period and 5 % in terms of the number of proposals. 

Projects  financed  in  FP7  cover  for  instance  multi-use  offshore  platforms  (MERMAID, 
H2OCEAN,  TROPOS),  combining  several  services  of  these  platforms  to  optimise  use  of 
marine  space  and  provide  an  adequate  return  on  these  substantial  investments.  Another 
example  is  the  GAP2  project,  which  seeks  to  develop  inclusive  governance  for  fisheries 
involving stakeholders, scientists and managers in support to the Common Fisheries Policy. 

Other initiatives aiming to foster synergies between and with Member States, such as ERA-
NETs (SEAS-ERA, Martec II, etc.), an Article 185 initiative for the Baltic Sea (BONUS) and 
the JPI initiative on ‘Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans’ (JPI Oceans), have sought to 
address challenges affecting the oceans in a cross-cutting way since 2009. 

Better  integration  between  marine  and  maritime research communities has also been  sought 
through  improved  governance  mechanisms  (the  MARCOM+  forum,  the  EMAR2RES 
partnership),  with  a  view  to  improving  interactions  between  them  and  the  European 
Commission. 

In  order  to  facilitate  integration  of  and  access  to  a  range  of  marine  data  acquired  by  in-situ 
marine  observation  infrastructures,  the  Commission  has  supported  a  marine  infrastructure 
project (SeaDataNet). SeaDataNet has been instrumental in the development of the European 
Marine  Observation  Data  Network  (EMODNET)  by  DG  MARE.  DG  RTD  has  also 
undertaken work with an expert group to develop a vision for integrating marine observation 
infrastructures (including marine ESFRI projects) in Europe. 

3.2. 

Sharing  marine  knowledge  to  facilitate  innovation,  investment  and  sound 
policy-making 

The  aim  of  the  European  Marine  Observation  and  Data  Network  (EMODnet)  is  to  improve 
access  to  marine  data  and  so  reduce  costs  to  users,  stimulate  innovation  and  reduce 
uncertainty about the behaviour of the seas and oceans. 
An  impact  assessment69  has  shown  that  once  the  present  fragmented  marine  data 
infrastructure  is  rationalised,  those  involved  in  marine  and  maritime  activities  will  gain 
EUR 300 million  in  competitiveness  and  another  EUR 200  million  a  year  will  be  generated 
through innovative new products and services. 

To  test  how  this  could  be  done,  a  number  of  preparatory  actions  were  started  in  the  period 
2008-2010. Thematic groups, selected through calls for tender and supported by procurement 
contracts,  set  up  portals  to  provide  access  to  marine  data,  metadata  and  data  products  for 
entire sea basins. 53 different organisations participated in the projects, largely public bodies 
responsible  for  managing  marine  data  on  a  national  scale  but  also  including  some  small 
private  companies  with  expertise  in  managing  distributed  data.  All  the  metadata  and  data 
products  and  most  of  the  data  are  made  available  to  users  free  of  charge  and  without  any 
restrictions on use. A total of EUR 6 450 000 was committed. 

The  aim  is  not  to  construct  a  giant  database;  the  data  themselves  may  remain  in  separate 
archives  but  should  be  accessible  through  a  single entry  point  or  portal.  Each  data  category 
requires a separate approach, so six different portals have been set up: 

69 

SEC(2010) 998. 

EN 

27 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

hydrography  —  bathymetry  (water  depth),  coastlines,  underwater  features  (wrecks 
etc.) 

geology — sediments, strata, coastal erosion, geological hazards 

physics — temperature, waves, currents, sea level, light penetration 

chemistry — concentrations of chemicals in water, sediments and biota 

biology — abundance of living species 

physical habitats — habitat classification based on physical parameters (water depth, 
light penetration, sediments etc.) 

The funding for the preparatory actions was not sufficient to allow the portals to cover data 
from all European seas, so each one covers a subset of the sea basins. Each includes the North 
Sea  and  at  least  two  other  basins.  All  European  seas  subject  to  the  Marine  Strategy 
Framework Directive70, except Macaronesia71, are included in at least one portal. The portals 
should provide access to: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

data — raw observations or measurements 

metadata  —  information  about  the  data  such  as  location  and  time  of  measurement, 
units, precision 

data products — products derived from the data; normally by interpolation in space 
and time. Data products include digital terrain models on regular grids or geological 
maps.  Thus,  users  can  obtain  estimates  of  parameter  values  between  measurement 
points. 

The contract for one of the portals, physical parameters, only began at the end of 2010, so no 
conclusions can be drawn yet. The portals provide access not only to the data themselves but 
also  to  data  products.  Thus,  rather  than  being  limited  to  information  at  a  discrete  set  of 
measurement  points,  users  are  able  to  obtain  information  on  parameters  such  as  sediment 
type, water depth and habitat type at all points in the sea basin. 

The  work  of  the  groups  was  closely  monitored  by  the  Commission,  the  European 
Environment Agency and an independent Marine Observation and Expert Group. An Expert 
Group monitored the projects and hosted a number of meetings where public authorities and 
the marine industry explained their needs for data72. The offshore wind industry, cable laying 
companies  and  those  in  charge  of  protecting  coastlines  against  erosion  have  all  expressed 
strong support for the European Marine Observation and Data Network. 

The  portals  allow  users  to  obtain  an  overview  of  available  data  and  data  products  and  to 
download  data  for  use.  Public  bodies  spend  over  one  a  half  billion  euros  every  year  on 
collecting  marine  data.  For  a  proportionally  small  outlay,  many  of  these  previously 
inaccessible  data  have  become  available.  The  cost  reflects  not  only  the  work  done  in 
processing the data to common standards but also the agreement of data providers to release 
data. 

70 
71 

72 

2008/56/EC of 17 June 2008. 
Macaronesia consists of five archipelagos: the Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), Cape Verde 
(Cape  Verde),  Madeira,  including  Porto  Santo  Island  and  the  Desertas  Islands  (Portugal),  and  the 
Savage Islands (Portugal), administratively part of the Madeira Autonomous Region. 
Summaries  of  the  meetings  and  the  presentations  made  at  them  are  publicly  accessible  on  the  EU 
maritime forum https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/category/161. 

EN 

28 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The  effectiveness  of  the  portals  was  checked  through  a  specific  contract73.  The  consultants, 
MRAG Ltd, were given the task of checking the operation of the portals for user-friendliness 
and fitness for purpose, based on: 

(1) 

(2) 

mutual awareness through common six-monthly meetings; 

examination  by  peers  (the  independent  28-member  Marine  Observation  and  Expert 
Group74 attend the ur-EMODnet mutual awareness meetings and deliver opinions on 
progress); 

(3) 

assessment by the Commission and EU agencies. 

All  the  portals  were  found  to  be  intuitive  to  use,  with  all  of  them,  apart  from  the  physical 
habitats one, providing a searchable catalogue and a map interface for retrieving records. The 
data quality indicators were generally clear and useful for the data products assembled during 
the projects. The information on the quality of the underlying data sets was sometimes harder 
to interpret if the set was composed of data from more than one provider. 

The  Marine  Observation  and  Data  Expert  Group  met  four  times  a  year.  At  two  of  these 
meetings, the work of the thematic data assembly group working was presented. Summaries 
of  all  meetings  and  copies  of  all  presentations  are  publicly  available  on  the  EU  maritime 
forum75. 

There is now a better understanding of the data policies of the hundreds of data holders within 
the  EU.  Hydrographic  offices  are  still  reluctant  to  release  their  highest-resolution  data. 
However,  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  with 
International  Hydrographic 
Organisation has now been signed and this should enable a structured dialogue on how data 
policies could be liberalised. 

the 

The  initiative  meshes  well  with  other  EU  initiatives,  including  Global  Monitoring  for 
Environment  and  Security  (GMES),  the  Global  Earth  Observation  System  of  Systems 
(GEOSS),  the  Data  Collection  Framework  in  fisheries  and  the  Marine  Framework  Strategy 
Directive. 

4. 

THE TERRITORIAL BENEFITS OF MARITIME POLICY 

Regional policy 

4.1. 
The Communication ‘Regional Policy contributing to smart growth in Europe 2020’76, calls 
for national and regional governments to design ‘smart specialisation strategies’. It announces 
the setting-up of a Smart Specialisation Platform to assist regions and Member States in this 
task.  The  platform  will  act  as  a  facilitator  bringing  together  the  relevant  policy  support 
activities  in  research,  regional,  enterprise,  innovation  and  education  policies,  and  informing 
on funding opportunities under the relevant EU funding programmes. RTD, ENTR, EAC and 
INFSO, together with REGIO and the JRC, will run the platform, which will be established at 
the Joint Research Centre (ITTPS) in Seville. 

Several maritime projects have been supported through the EU regional policy funds, such as: 
an autonomous, environmentally friendly and efficient floating desalination unit (Greece); the 

73 
74 

75 
76 

The value of the contract is EUR 45 000. 
Details of the group and summaries of meetings can be found on the publicly accessible part of the EU 
maritime forum https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/category/161. 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/category/events/161. 
COM(2010) 53 final 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/communic/smart_growth/comm2010_553_
en.pdf. 

EN 

29 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Wave  Hub  project,  which  provides  shared  offshore  infrastructure  for  the  demonstration  and 
proving of arrays of wave-energy generation devices over a sustained period of time (UK); a 
project in West Wales on growth in environmental marine science, etc. 

4.1.1.  Cross-border maritime cooperation 

Cross-border  maritime  cooperation  has  been  promoted  by  several  EU  Cross-Border 
Cooperation Programmes in the sea basin areas of the English Channel, North Sea, Irish Sea 
and  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  This  cross-border  cooperation  is  a  good  model  for  further 
developing a regionalised approach towards IMP. Some projects carried out so far include: 

English Channel and North Sea 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

LICCO: to empower Channel communities to adapt to coastal climate change. 

INTEGRATED  APPROACH  FOR  MARINE 
CHARM3  —  CHANNEL 
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: to contribute to the preservation of Channel marine 
resources by enhancing knowledge of marine resources and by providing new tools 
to improve the sustainable management of the Channel area. 

DIESE:  to  assess  the  threat  of  endocrine  disruption  (ED),  immunotoxicity  and 
carcinogenicity in freshwater and marine ecosystems of the Channel area in order to 
ensure the sustainable development of aquaculture and better water quality. 

MERIFIC: to advance the adoption of marine energy on the island of le Parc Naturel 
Marin d’Iroise and the Isles of Scilly. 

A2S-Archaeological Atlas of the 2 Seas project: to enhance our understanding of the 
submerged heritage of the Channel and southern North Sea. 

Irish Sea 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

SMART  COAST:  to  equip  Irish  and  Welsh communities to  maintain the  economic 
and strategic value of their near-shore waters by facilitating the use of new real-time 
management systems. 

SUSFISH:  to  produce  guidelines  for  future  fisheries  management,  ensuring 
sustainable  development  of  the  shellfish  industry  in  Ireland  and  Wales  for  the  next 
50-100 years. This will be achieved by assessing the effects of climate change (via 
oceanographic  models)  on  shellfish  productivity  in  the  Irish  Sea  and  determining 
adaptation or mitigation strategies for the industry in the cross-border area, including 
recommendations for protection of certain areas under MSP. 

ISLES: to assess the opportunities, challenges and barriers to developing an offshore 
grid infrastructure. This will ensure greater cooperation and energy trading between 
the countries in the area. 

to 

investigate  both  macro-algae 

BIOMARA: 
(seaweeds)  and  single-celled 
microalgae  as  potential  sources  of  biofuel.  The  project  includes  a  techno-economic 
evaluation  of  potential  systems,  environmental  impact  assessment  and  ongoing 
stakeholder  engagement  to  ensure  that  the  ultimate  findings  of  the  research  have 
wide applicability. 

SAIL  WEST  —  to  provide  a  cohesive  marine  leisure  development  strategy  for  the 
areas of Donegal, Sligo, the maritime counties of Northern Ireland and the west coast 
of Scotland. 

Mediterranean sea 

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
• 

• 

• 

MAREMED:  to  develop  innovative  approaches  to  territorial  governance  by 
improving  the  coordination  of  regional  maritime  policies  with  each  other  and  with 
other  levels  of  governance,  in  particular  the  national,  European  and  Mediterranean 
levels.  Specific  themes  are  addressed:  integrated  management  of  coastal  and 
maritime  areas,  fisheries,  adaptation  to  climate  change  in  coastal  areas,  efforts  to 
reduce pollution, and data management. 

SHAPE:  to  develop  a  multi-level,  cross-sector  governance  system,  based  on 
integrated  management  of  natural  resources,  risk  prevention  and  conflict  resolution 
among  uses  and  users  of  the  Adriatic  coast  and  sea.  Project  activities  promote  the 
application  of 
the 
Mediterranean and a Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning in the Adriatic region. 

the  Integrated  Coastal  Zone  Management  Protocol 

in 

MEDESS-4MS: to prevent maritime risks and strengthen maritime safety in relation 
to  oil  spill  pollution  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  project  will  deliver  an  integrated 
operational multi-model oil spill prediction service in the Mediterranean, connected 
to existing monitoring platforms (CleanSeaNet, AIS), and using well-established oil 
spill  modelling  systems,  data  from  the  Marine  Core  Services  and  national  ocean 
forecasting systems. 

Atlantic Area 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

BIOTECMAR  —  BIOTEChnological  exploitation  of  MARine  products  and  by-
products. The overall aim is to help companies in the Atlantic area (which are mainly 
SMEs)  make  use  of  modern  biotechnological 
to 
diversification  of  activities  concerned  with  marine  biomass  exploitation  with  strict 
attention to the sustainable management of marine natural resources. 

to  contribute 

tools  and 

MARMED: to develop innovative biomedical products from marine resources. The 
project aims to exploit marine residues and sub-products from several companies in 
the marine sector, with demonstration of real cases (collaboration with industries as 
proof-of-concept),  and  to  demonstrate  the  added  value  and  high  potential  for  using 
such materials (marine origin biopolymers and ceramics) in biomedical applications, 
also  with  close  industrial  collaboration  in  order  to  evaluate  the  market  potential  of 
the applications to be developed and/or studied in the project. 

NETALGAE  —  Inter-regional  network  to  promote  sustainable  development  in  the 
marine  algae  industry.  The  aim  is  to  create  a  Europe-wide  network  of  relevant 
stakeholders in the marine macro-algae sector and to carry out a wide-ranging policy 
study  to  establish  a  best-practice  model  and  suggest  policies  for  successful  and 
sustainable commercial utilisation of marine macro-algae resources. 

PHARMATLANTIC  —  Knowledge  Transfer  Network  for  Prevention  of  Mental 
Diseases and Cancer in the Atlantic Area. The aim is to inform industries situated on 
the Atlantic seaboard about research and innovation advances in medical prevention. 

SHAREBIOTEC  —  Sharing  life  science  infrastructures  and  skills  to  support  the 
biotechnology  sector  in  the  Atlantic  area.  The  main  objective  is  to  strengthen  the 
biotechnology  sector  by  maximising  the  benefits  of  life  science  infrastructures  and 
skills for the development of the Atlantic area, which has notable areas of excellence 
(marine science, the variety and increasing number of SMEs, policy initiatives) but 
also weaknesses. 

EN 

31 

   EN 

 
4.1.2.  Proposal for EU structural policy 2014-2020 

EU  cohesion  policy  has  been  a  force  for  change  over  the  last  ten  years,  making  a  genuine 
contribution to convergence and growth in the EU by directly creating over one million jobs 
and investing in training to improve the employability of over ten million people. To continue 
this  work  in  the  future  and  strengthen  the  focus  on  European  economic  priorities,  the 
European Commission adopted on 6 October 2011 a legislative package for cohesion policy 
for the period from 2014 until 2020. It is designed to boost growth and jobs across Europe by 
targeting EU investment on Europe’s Growth and Jobs Agenda (Europe 2020). 

The  European  Commission  considers  that  cohesion  policy,  rural  development  and  maritime 
and  fisheries  policies  should  remain  essential  elements  of  the  2014-20  financial  package 
because of their pivotal role in delivering the Europe 2020 strategy. It has therefore proposed 
that structural policies should concentrate funding on a smaller number of priorities strongly 
linked to the Europe 2020 strategy, focusing on results, monitoring progress towards agreed 
objectives and simplifying delivery. 

The focus on fewer investment priorities in line with these objectives will be at the heart of 
the  new  Partnership  Contracts,  to  be  agreed  by  the  Member  States  with  the  European 
Commission.  They  will  set  clear  targets  and  set  aside  a  financial  performance  reserve  to 
reward  regions  who  do  best  in  reaching  their  goals.  To  ensure  that  the  impact  of  EU 
investments on growth and jobs is not undermined by unsound macro-economic policies or by 
weak  administrative  capacity,  the  Commission  can  ask  to  review  programmes,  or  suspend 
funding if remedial action is not taken. 

The impact of the funds will also be strengthened by simplifying and harmonising the rules of 
different  funds,  including  rural  development  and  maritime  and  fisheries.  A  more  integrated 
approach will make sure the various funds serve coherent goals and strengthen each other’s 
impact. 

Sea  basin  strategies  are  specifically  referred  to  in  the  Regulation  laying  down  common 
provisions  for  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund,  the  European  Social  Fund,  the 
Cohesion  Fund,  the  European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD),  and  the 
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund77. It will increase coherence among these instruments 
to ensure better synergies and greater impact. In the Partnership Contracts, Member States are 
to  take  into  account,  where  appropriate,  macro-regional  and  sea  basin  strategies.  European 
territorial  cooperation  is  particularly  important  because  in  some  contexts  such  as  sea  basins 
and coastal regions, cooperation and transnational action are indispensable to support growth, 
employment and ecosystem-based management. 

4.2. 

Sea basin strategies 

4.2.1.  A maritime strategy for the Atlantic area 
The  Atlantic  Strategy  was  adopted  by  the  Commission  on  21  November  201178.  It  aims  to 
help  create  sustainable  jobs  and  growth  in  the  Atlantic  area.  A  high-level  ministerial  event 
was  organised  in  Lisbon  by  the  Portuguese  administration  (28-29  November  2011)  for  its 
official launch. 

The Atlantic Strategy highlights the following five challenges and opportunities: 

• 

• 

77 
78 

EN 

Implementing the ecosystem approach 

Reducing Europe’s carbon footprint 

COM(2011) 615 final of 14.3.2012. 
COM(2011) 782 final of 21.11.2011. 

32 

   EN 

 
                                                 
• 

• 

• 

Sustainable exploitation of the Atlantic seafloor’s natural resources 

Responding to threats and emergencies 

Socially inclusive growth 

The  Strategy  formally  launched  an  Atlantic  Forum  to  allow  Member  States,  the  European 
Parliament,  regional  authorities,  civil  society  and  representatives  of  existing  and  emerging 
industries  to  contribute.  It  will  include  a  set  of  workshops  focusing  on  the  challenges  and 
opportunities outlined above and a think tank to suggest options for achieving objectives. 

The  Atlantic  Forum  is  led  by  a  Leadership  Group  and  steered  by  a  Steering  Group,  which 
both meet regularly. The Forum is to focus on delivering proposals that are innovative, have 
an  EU  dimension  and  can  provide  a  lever  for  growth  and  employment  in  the  Atlantic  area. 
The  intention  is  to  link  the  Forum’s  deliverables  to  future  EU  financial  instruments. 
Concretely,  the  Forum  should  put  forward  priority  actions  and  project  proposals  to  develop 
the  blue  economy.  The  Commission  has  also  visited  each  Atlantic  Member  State  to  raise 
awareness  of  the  Atlantic  Forum  and  Cohesion  Policy  processes  and  to  encourage  Member 
States and local authorities to identify Atlantic priority actions with a view to the Cohesion 
Policy negotiations and the Atlantic Action Plan. 

4.2.2.  EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region 

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), adopted by the Commission in June 
200979,  and  endorsed  by  the  European  Council  in  October  2009,  responds  to  the  key 
challenges facing the region, such as improving the marine environment, addressing transport 
bottlenecks, energy links and maritime safety and security issues, and ensuring prosperity and 
economic growth. 

The  EUSBSR  provides  regional  implementation  of  the  EU’s  integrated  maritime  policy. 
Maritime policy serves as a cross-cutting policy linking different priority areas and integrating 
horizontal actions within the Strategy. 

In  2011,  after  two  years  of  implementation,  the  Commission  reported  that  while  the 
implementation  process  points  to  issues  needing  to  be  further  addressed,  including  better 
alignment  of  funding  and  policies,  and  a  reinforced  organisational  structure,  the  Strategy 
contributes positively to enhanced cooperation in the region80. 

The Strategy brings together the maritime community in the region. In fisheries, the BaltFish 
Forum  provides  an  opportunity  to  develop  and  test  new  regional  approaches  to  fisheries 
management.  The  two  successfully  completed  flagship  projects  under  the  Strategy, 
MARSUNO  and  the  Baltic  Sea  Maritime  Functionalities  study,  pave  the  way  for  more 
comprehensive  cooperation  between  maritime  authorities.  The  ‘Clean-ship’  project  aims  to 
significantly reduce pollution from ships. Principles agreed jointly by VASAB and HELCOM 
provide the basis for preparing cross-border ecosystem-based plans. Furthermore, the Strategy 
serves  as  a  pioneer  in  paving  the  way,  within  the  next  financial  perspective  2014-2020,  for 
better streamlining of EU, national and regional funding instruments to achieve the objectives 
of macro-regional and sea basin strategies. 

In response to the Council recommendations and requests of 15 November 2011 to review the 
Strategy,  the  Commission  adopted  in  March  2012  a  Communication  recommending 
improvements  to  the  strategic  focus  of  the  Strategy,  calling  for  closer  alignment  of  policies 

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and funding, highlighting the importance of maintaining high-level political commitment and 
ensuring better communication, and clarifying the responsibilities of different actors. 

The revised Strategy endorsed by the Council in June 2012 is firmly based within the Europe 
2020  agenda  and  concentrates  on  three  main  mutually  reinforcing  objectives  —  to  save  the 
sea, to connect the region and to increase prosperity — each accompanied by indicators and 
targets. 

The ‘Save the Sea’ objective supports the various efforts to secure good environmental status 
and  biodiversity  in  the  sea,  such  as  reducing  nutrient  inputs  and  promoting  clean  shipping, 
and  stresses  the  importance  of  regional  cooperation,  including  cooperation  with  HELCOM, 
with a view to ensuring maritime safety and security and facilitating sustainable growth. 

4.2.3.  The Mediterranean dimension of IMP 

The Mediterranean is the largest shared sea basin in Europe with more than 21 coastal states. 

In March 2011, the EU set new objectives for the region, focusing on building a partnership 
for  democracy  and  shared  prosperity  based  on  comprehensive  institution-building,  dialogue 
on migration, mobility and security, and further sectoral cooperation, notably in the fields of 
the environment, transport, energy and employment. The need for a more strategic approach 
and cooperation on maritime affairs was underlined. 

The  IMP  actions  being  taken  forward  in  the  Mediterranean  are  part  and  parcel  of  the  EU’s 
objectives for the region. The Commission Communication on improving governance in the 
Mediterranean81, adopted in 2009, was the starting point for this process. 

With improved understanding by coastal states of their rights and duties at sea comes greater 
responsibility  and  better  capacity  for  enforcement  of  the  applicable  rules.  A  study  has  been 
carried  out  by  the  Commission  to  obtain  further  knowledge  of  the  costs  and  benefits  of 
existing  and  potential  maritime  zones  and  areas  in  the  Mediterranean  sea  on  the  basis  of 
UNCLOS.  This  analysis  could  be  of  help  to  policy-makers  at  national  level  and  to 
stakeholders. 

The EU is a Party to the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the marine and coastal 
environment and is actively supporting its efforts to achieve and maintain good environmental 
status of the marine and coastal environment in the Mediterranean, in particular through the 
implementation of the Ecosystem Approach. The Barcelona Convention is the regional forum 
supporting the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive by Mediterranean 
EU Member States. 

Steps  have  been  taken  to  stimulate  effective  dialogue  and  exchanges  of  best  practice  with 
non-EU partners in the region. The regional Working Group on IMP in the Mediterranean, set 
up  in  November  2009,  provides  an  effective  platform  for  debate  on  sectoral  developments 
with  an  impact  on  the  sea.  Through  this  platform,  among  others,  key  regional  conventions, 
such  as  the  Barcelona  Convention  and  GFCM,  have  come  to  see  the  need  for  more 
consistency  in  their  respective  programmes  of  work.  An  MoU  between  the  Barcelona 
Convention and GFCM is under preparation to this end. 

With support from the IMP-MED project, partners under the European Neighbourhood Policy 
(ENP) have benefited from capacity building for key regional developments of a cross-cutting 
nature  (Marine  Protected  Areas,  underwater  culture  heritage,  offshore  pollution,  maritime 
surveillance,  etc.).  Tunisia,  Morocco  and  Algeria,  in  particular,  have  taken  steps  towards 
definition  of  a  national  roadmap  for  integrated  maritime  policy  making.  The  other  five 

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partners  in  the  project  are  endeavouring  to  stimulate  inter-ministerial  discussions  at  various 
levels. 

Innovative  ways  for  stimulating  private  sector  investment  in  the  maritime  sectors  of  the 
southern partners are being devised by the Commission in cooperation with the EIB and IMO. 
An  ongoing  feasibility  study  under  the  FEMIP  Trust  Fund  is  looking  into  maritime 
infrastructures, maritime training, and safety and surveillance capacities. Follow-up proposals 
will be presented at a FEMIP ministerial meeting on maritime affairs early in 2013. 

Research institutes and universities from across the region have come together to work on two 
major  cross-thematic  projects  under  FP7  (Oceans  for  Tomorrow):  PERSEUS  —  ‘Assessing 
and  predicting  the  combined  effects  of  natural  and  human-made  pressures  in  the 
Mediterranean  and  the  Black  Sea  in  view  of  their  better  governance’  —  with  a  total 
contribution of EUR 13 million, and COCONET — ‘Knowledge base and tools for regional 
networks of Marine Protected Areas, integrated management of activities, assessment of wind 
energy  potential  in  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Black  Sea’,  with  a  total  contribution  of 
EUR 9 million. 

As  mentioned  above,  regions  and  Member  States  have  redirected  some  of  their  2007-2013 
funding for European territorial cooperation in the Mediterranean to focus on IMP objectives. 
The  year  2013  will  be  dedicated  to  pulling  these  experiences  together  and  engaging  further 
with  the  Mediterranean  Member  States  so  as  to  ensure  that  future  Cohesion  Policy  funding 
and  horizontal  funding  programmes  (Horizon  2020,  LIFE+,  EIB  loans)  can  effectively 
address maritime investment priorities in the region. 

Since  2006,  the  JRC  has  been  continuously  measuring  air  pollutants  during  spring,  summer 
and autumn from an automated monitoring station placed on a cruise ship following a fixed 
course  in  the  Western  Mediterranean.  This  provides  data  on  air  pollution  from  areas  where 
such observations are lacking, thus filling a gap left by the existing observational networks. 
The  measurements  focus  on  air  pollutants  with  a  potential  impact  on  climate  in  the 
Mediterranean  area  (ozone,  black  carbon,  particles).  Their  main  purpose  is  to  obtain 
information  about  sources  of  air  pollution  in  the  area,  particularly  the  contribution  from 
shipping, and to understand how atmospheric processes in the area influence the distribution 
of pollutants. The measurements have been used for testing inventories of ship emissions used 
in  atmospheric  transport  models.  Recently,  measurements  performed  on  the  ship  while  at 
berth in harbours have been used to investigate the impact of an EU Directive on the allowed 
sulphur  content  of  ship  fuels  used  in  harbours.  It  was  found  that  the  Directive  had  brought 
about a clear improvement in air quality in these Mediterranean harbours. 

4.2.4.  Adriatic-Ionian Sea basins 

Italy, Slovenia, Greece and Croatia Croatia together with the other countries of the sub-region 
have taken up the challenge of engaging in deeper maritime cooperation at sub-regional level 
in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. A maritime strategy is being consolidated by the Commission 
to this end, to be followed by an Action Plan in 2013. A set of priority areas will be proposed 
for  cooperation  and  for  streamlining  current  and  future  EU  funding  for  the  region.  The 
countries  have  agreed  to  enhance  cooperation  at  sea  basin  level  with  a  view  to  improved 
growth  and  employment  in  the  maritime  sectors,  long-term  sustainable  and  responsible 
fishing,  good  environmental  status  of  the  marine  environment,  and  a  safer  and  more  secure 
sea.  Meetings  of  contact  points  from  the  eight  Adriatic-Ionian  countries  are  organised 
regularly to steer the process. A series of three workshops have been organised to gather input 
for  possible  priorities,  actions  and  projects,  raise  awareness  of  the  strategy  and  build 
ownership. 

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4.2.5.  Black Sea 

An  inclusive  dialogue  with  maritime  public  authorities  and  stakeholders  from  Bulgaria  and 
Romania has been launched with a dedicated brainstorming event. The event identified areas 
and actions on which the IMP should focus in the Black Sea (notably maritime surveillance 
between  Member  States  and  more  coordinated  regional  initiatives  on  marine  and  maritime 
research,  protection  of  the  marine  and  coastal  environment,  integrated  coastal  zone 
management and fisheries management). 

Bulgaria and Romania have started a bilateral dialogue to discuss how to enhance maritime 
surveillance in the Black Sea. 

Maritime  policy  is  understood  to  provide  a  useful  framework  for  linking  the  EU’s  external 
and  internal  dimensions  and  enhancing  the  EU’s  role  in  Black  Sea  regional  cooperation. 
Efforts  have  been  made  to  explain  the  objectives  of  the  IMP  through  contacts  (also  at  high 
level) with stakeholders and regional organisations (Black Sea Commission for the protection 
of the marine and coastal environment, Black Sea Economic Cooperation) and to understand 
the possible role that these organisations can play in implementing the IMP. 

4.2.6.  EU policy towards the Arctic 

The Arctic is a vital component of the Earth’s environment, but climate change is affecting 
the region more and faster than most other parts of the world, disturbing its ecosystem and the 
traditional  livelihoods  of  those  living  there.  At  the  same  time,  the  retreating  ice  and 
technological  progress  are  opening  up  new  economic  opportunities  in  the  region,  such  as 
shipping,  mining,  energy  extraction  and  fishing.  While  beneficial  for  the  global  economy, 
these  activities  also  call  for  a  prudent  approach:  further  repercussions  for  the  fragile  Arctic 
can be expected if strict environmental standards are not met. 

In  order  to  respond  to  these  challenges,  the  European  Commission  and  the  EU  High 
Representative  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  Security  Policy  adopted  on  26  June  2012  a 
Communication  proposing  steps  for  the  EU’s  constructive  engagement  in  the  Arctic82.  It 
contains a set of tangible actions, from contributing to research and sustainable development 
in  the  region  to  promoting  environmentally  friendly  technologies  that  could  be  used  for 
sustainable shipping and mining. It also looks back at the EU’s activities in the Arctic since 
2008.  The  EU  has  contributed  EUR 20  million  to  Arctic  research  every  year  over  the  last 
decade  and  has  invested  more  than  EUR 1.14  billion  in  the  sustainable  development  of  the 
region  since  2007.  The  Communication  also  aims  to  kickstart  a  dialogue  and  consultation 
process  with  the  Arctic  countries,  indigenous  peoples  and  other  interested  parties  to  further 
refine the EU’s policy towards the Arctic. 

The  Communication  contains  a  series  of  measures  to  support  effective  stewardship  of  the 
Arctic. They include: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

82 

Supporting  Arctic  research  under  the  Commission’s  proposed  EUR 80  billion 
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme; 

Contributing to search and rescue in the Arctic with the launching of next-generation 
observation satellites; 

Stepping up actions to combat climate change; 

Committing  to  establish  a  legally  binding  global  instrument  to  cover  the  use  of 
mercury; 

JOIN(2012) 19 final of 26.6.2012. 

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• 

• 

• 

• 

5. 

5.1. 

Using  the  EU  funding  to  maximise  sustainable  development  in  the  Arctic  for  the 
benefit of local and indigenous communities; 

Promoting and developing environmentally friendly technologies that could be used 
by extractive industries in the Arctic; 

Enhancing  bilateral  dialogue  on  Arctic  issues  with  Canada,  Iceland,  Norway,  the 
Russian Federation and the United States; 

Stepping  up  efforts  to  hold  regular  dialogues  with  representatives  of  indigenous 
peoples. 

PROTECTING MARINE ECOSYSTEMS — A CONDITION AND FACTOR FOR GROWTH 

The challenge of healthy marine ecosystems: implementing the Marine Strategy 
Framework Directive 

5.1.1.  Progress in MSFD implementation 

The  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  (MSFD)  aims  to  achieve  good  environmental 
status (GES) for the EU’s marine waters by 2020 and to protect the resource base upon which 
marine-related  economic  and  social  activities  depend83.  The  Directive  enshrines  in  a 
legislative framework the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities with an 
impact on the marine environment, integrating the concepts of environmental protection and 
sustainable use. 

In  2010,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Decision  on  criteria  and  methodological  standards  to 
achieve good environmental status in marine waters84. This Decision was based on substantial 
scientific  research  and  will  be  used  by  Member  States  for  further  implementation.  The 
Decision also recognises the need for regular updates based on scientific information and for 
the adoption of management measures, in line with the 6-year cycle under the Directive. 

Together  with  Member  States,  the  Commission  has  set  up  an  informal  Common 
Implementation Strategy, with a series of meetings (including a high-level meeting of Marine 
Directors  for  each  EU  Presidency),  to  develop  a  common  understanding  in  the  process  of 
policy  development.  In  parallel,  the  European  Commission  is  stepping  up  its  activity  in  the 
various  Regional  Sea  Conventions  around  Europe,  which  perform  the  role  of  facilitating 
regional coordination by Member States in the implementation of the Directive. 

In  2011,  the  Commission  also  produced  a  Staff  Working  Paper  on  the  relationship  between 
the initial assessment of marine waters and the criteria for good environmental status85. 

Article 19 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires each Member State 
to organise public consultations on the implementation of the Directive. These took place in 
the first part of 2012. Member States have to ensure that all interested parties are given early 
and  effective  opportunities  to  participate,  involving,  where  possible,  existing  management 
bodies or structures. 

The MSFD has seen further important milestones with the preparation by 15 July 2012 and 
reporting  by  15th  October  of  the  initial  assessments  (Article  8),  the  determination  of  good 
environmental  status  (Article  9)  and  the  establishment  of  environmental  targets  (Article  10) 
by the Member States. This will be followed by a Commission analysis and recommendations 

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to the Member States (Article 12). An assessment of the role of the MSFD in implementing 
various marine global and EU commitments, according to article 20, is also underway.  

Financing  for  the  IMP  is  in  line  with  Article  22  MSFD,  which  specifies  the  need  for 
‘Community  financing’  in  the  establishment  of  the  marine  strategies  by  stating  that  ‘the 
implementation  of  this  Directive  shall  be  supported  by  existing  Community  financial 
instruments’.In 2012, the Commission signed "framework contracts" to address coordination 
of  the  implementation  of  the  ecosystem  approach  between  Regional  Seas  Conventions,  to 
develop methodological standards for GES and to address emerging pressures and emerging 
human activities in the marine environment.. 

5.1.2.  Pilot projects on marine litter 

Marine  litter  is  a  descriptor  within  the  Marine  Strategy  Directive.  To  gather  information  to 
help  to  implement  the  MSFD  requirements  on  marine  litter  and  further  develop  the  policy 
framework, three pilot projects on marine litter were launched in 201186. They aim to study 
the  feasibility  of  introducing  instruments  to  prevent  littering,  the  main  loopholes  within  the 
packaging material flow, and the plastic recycling cycle and its marine environmental impact. 
The projects will be finished by the end of 2012. 

• 

Feasibility study on introducing instruments to prevent littering 

This  study  aims  to  identify  best  practices  in  preventing  and  cleaning  up  plastic  litter  and 
assess  the  feasibility  of  different  options  to  prevent  littering  and  increase  public  awareness, 
including  the  use  of  economic  incentives,  and  to  trigger  preventive  and  remedial  action  by 
public  authorities.  Such  measures  should  reduce  the  amount  of  litter,  especially  plastic, 
reaching the marine environment. Study of the main loopholes within the packaging material 
flow 

The objective of this study is to identify the main loopholes in the plastic packaging material 
flow in the EU and in a number of countries sharing European seas but with less developed 
waste management systems. 

The  result  of  the  feasibility  study  will  be  a  report  containing  a  description  of  the  study,  an 
analysis  of  different  options,  the  identification  of  selection  criteria,  and  final  proposals  for 
measures to close the cycle of plastic packaging material. 

• 

Plastic  recycling  cycle  and  marine  environmental  impact  —  case  studies  on  the 
plastic cycle and its loopholes in regional European sea areas. 

The objective is to identify loopholes in the local or regional plastic cycle in the four marine 
regions of the EU and to propose measures to fix these loopholes. The result will be a report 
containing a description of the four study areas, the monitoring results for marine litter in each 
area, an analysis of the sources of the plastics found, and proposals for measures to address 
the causes of the marine litter problem. Since marine litter at the coasts is often monitored by 
NGOs,  it  is  essential  to  involve  such  NGOs  in  the  pilot  project.  Based  on  the  analysis, 
possible measures to address the loopholes identified in the plastic cycle should be proposed. 

A  pilot  project  on  ‘marine  litter  recovery’  recovery'  is  launched  in  2012  with  the  aim  of 
assisting EU Member States with environmental actions. The project will assess and develop 
best  practices  for  collection/recovery  systems  for  litter  including  ghost  nets  from  fisheries. 
This will be tested in the 4 regional seas of the EU. Although prevention is the best measure, 
this pilot project deals with litter already in the marine environment. 

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The  Commission’s  proposal  for  a  new  European  Maritime  and  Fisheries  Fund  included 
‘fishing for litter’ as a possible activity that could be financed. 

5.1.3. 

Scientific  and  technical  support  for  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive 
(MSFD) 

In September 2010, ten expert task groups together with the Joint Research Centre reported on 
the state of the art concerning assessment, monitoring and definitions of good environmental 
status  (GES)  and  setting  of  targets.  The  information  was  used  as  input  for  a  Decision 
(2010/477/EU) on criteria and methodological standards. 

Furthermore,  a  JRC  report  reviewed  the  existing  methodological  standards  and  highlighted 
the existing gaps and the need to develop additional scientific understanding to assess GES in 
a coherent and holistic manner. 

The JRC is co-chairing a technical sub-group on marine litter and is organising meetings of 
experts.  A  report  was  delivered  in  2011  with  technical  recommendations  for  the 
implementation  of  MSFD  requirements.  The  outcomes  of  the  expert  meetings  in  2012  will 
also feed into policy implementation. 

Moreover,  a  report  on  the  evaluation  of  concepts  and  options  for  effective  and  targeted 
monitoring to ensure consistency and comparability across all European seas was delivered to 
support the implementation of Article 9 MSFD. 

JRC is continuing to support the MSFD in 2012 by assuring the continuity of ongoing work 
and  preparing  the  future  structure  of  the  WG  GES  with  support  for  methodological 
approaches  to  monitoring  in  order  to  ensure  consistency  and  comparability  across  all 
European seas. 

5.2. 

Port reception facilities 

The  protection  of  the  marine  environment  can be  enhanced  by  reducing  discharges  of  ship-
generated  waste  and  cargo  residues  into  the  sea,  which  account  for  about  20 %  of  total 
discharges  at  sea.  To  meet  this  challenge,  and  in  accordance  with  requirements  set  at 
international  level  (Marpol  73/78  convention),  the  European  Union  adopted  Directive 
2000/59/EC on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues ‘to reduce 
the discharges of ship-generated waste and cargo residues into the sea (…), by improving the 
availability  and  use  of  port  reception  facilities’.  The  Directive  provides  for  specific 
obligations  and  mechanisms  to  ensure  the  adequacy  of  reception  facilities,  the  management 
and control of deliveries, and the effective enforcement of its requirements. 

After ten years of implementation, the Commission decided to undertake a formal revision of 
Directive 2000/59/EC with a view to further reducing discharges of waste and cargo residues 
at  sea,  by  making  the  system  of  port  reception  facilities  more  effective,  more  efficient  and 
more user-friendly. 

A broad public consultation was organised in 2011 and an impact assessment for a possible 
revision of the Directive is underway. The Commission will adopt specific proposals in 2013. 

5.3.  Marine Natura 2000 and habitat mapping 

The establishment of a marine network of conservation areas under Natura 2000 contributes 
to the target of halting the loss of biodiversity in the EU, taking also into account the lack of 
scientific  knowledge  on  the  distribution/abundance  of  species  and  habitat  types.  To  date 
substantial  progress  has  been  achieved  with  Natura  2000  sites  covering  more  than  200.000 
km2 of EU marine waters; however significant gaps still exist, especially offshore.  

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In January 2011, the Commission adopted Guidelines on the Implementation of the Birds and 
Habitats  Directives  in  Estuaries  and  Coastal  Zones  with  particular  attention  to  port 
development and dredging87. 

The Commission’s LIFE+ financial instrument for the environment has helped to establish to 
and  manage  the  Natura  2000  Network  at  sea,  by  promoting  inter  alia  innovative  techniques 
for the protection of the marine environment and through capacity building. Efforts currently 
focus  on  the  completion  of  the  establishment  of  marine  Natura  2000  areas  and  their 
sustainable management. 

A project on ‘Mapping the Essential Habitat of Marine Species’ was developed by scientists 
at  the  European  Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  to  identify  the  habitats  of  key 
marine  species,  mainly  fish  of  high  market  value,  using  satellite-derived  data  on  the  sea 
surface in order to support fisheries management and control and/or species protection. The 
current  target  species  are  the  Atlantic  bluefin  tuna,  the  European  hake  and  fin  whale  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  the  yellowfin  and  skipjack  tuna  species  in  the  tropical  Atlantic  and 
Indian  Ocean.  Only  the  habitat  models  for  bluefin  tuna  and  fin  whale  in  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  are  currently  published.  The  JRC  habitat  model  enables  the  creation  of  near  real-time 
maps of feeding and spawning potential bluefin habitats in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as 
habitat  maps  over  a  decade.  The  novelty  of  this  model  is  the  use  of  satellite  data  on 
chlorophyll  concentrations  on  the  sea  surface,  as  well  as  temperatures,  to  track  specific 
oceanographic  features  that  play  a  key  role  in  fish  distribution.  Feeding  habitats  are  mainly 
derived from the simultaneous occurrence of oceanic fronts of temperature and chlorophyll-a 
content, while spawning habitats are mostly inferred from the heating of surface waters. The 
model performs well in areas where both satellite data and ABFT observations are available, 
as 80 % of presence data are closer than 9 km to potential habitats. Overall, the habitat size of 
ABFT  is  about  6 %  of  the  Mediterranean  sea  surface.  The  results  achieved  with  the  model 
clearly  highlight  that  bluefin  tuna  feeding  and  spawning  are  concentrated  in  some  recurrent 
locations.  This  variability  is  key  to  evaluating  the  pertinence  of  Marine  Protected  Areas  (or 
sensitive  areas)  for  this  species.  The  fin  whale  potential  habitat  can  be  used  to  estimate  the 
ship  strike  risk  with  large  commercial  vessels  once  data  on  maritime  traffic  have  been 
integrated. 

5.4.  Maritime safety 

The JRC has developed the European Marine Casualty Information Platform (EMCIP) for the 
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). At European level, the purpose of EMCIP is to 
provide  the  European  Commission  and  the  Member  States  with  objective,  reliable  and 
comparable information on maritime safety as well as to facilitate cooperation and analysis in 
accordance  with  Regulation  (EC)  1406/2002.  At  national  level,  EMCIP  facilitates  the 
collection of statistics and any other data analysis needs of the Member States in the field of 
marine  casualties  and  helps  to  meet  national  obligations  to  report  investigation  findings  on 
certain casualties to the IMO. 

5.5. 

Atmospheric pollution from maritime shipping 

The 2005 Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution identified that ship emissions of sulphur oxides, 
nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter significantly contribute to widespread exceedences of 
health-based air quality limits across Europe. Without additional action, ship emissions in EU 
sea areas would exceed emissions of SOx and NOx from all land based sources combined in 
the EU by 2020. Key impacts relate to human health and acidification and extend beyond the 
coastal  regions.  Pollution  from  maritime  transport  is  regulated  by  Annex  VI  of  the 

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Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) governed by 
the  International  Maritime  Organization  (IMO),  a  United  Nation's  specialized  agency.  On  9 
October  2008  the  IMO  adopted  an  amendment  to  MARPOL  Annex  VI  which  will  lead  to 
significant reductions of emissions of sulphur oxides from maritime shipping by reducing the 
maximum sulphur content of marine fuels from currently 1.0% to 0.1% in Sulphur Emissions 
Control Areas (SECAs) such as the North and the Baltic Sea and from currently 3.5% to 0.5% 
in non-SECA areas such as the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These provisions enter into 
force in 2015 for SECAs and in 2020 for non SECAs. The later date can be postponed by 5 
years pending the result of a fuel availability review to be carried out in 2018. Furthermore, 
the 2008 amendment sets also limits for emissions of nitrogen oxides.  

Directive 1999/32/EC on the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels lays down the maximum 
permitted  sulphur  content  of,  inter  alia,  marine  fuels  used  in  the  EU  and  thus  transposes 
corresponding sulphur provisions of MARPOL Annex VI. On 15 July 2011 the Commission 
adopted a proposal for an amendment of this Directive in order to align it with the 2008 IMO 
provisions  on  the  sulphur  content  of  marine  fuels  and  to  improve  implementation  of  the 
Directive  by  harmonizing  and  strengthening  provisions  for  monitoring  of  compliance  and 
reporting.  On  23  May  2012  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  reached  a  provisional 
agreement on the amendment of Directive 1999/32/EC. The amendment goes further than the 
provisions  of  MARPOL  Annex  VI  as  it  fixes  a  date  of  entry  into  force  of  the  non-SECA 
standard in 2020 without a possibility to postpone it by 5 years. The amendment also foresees 
a general cap of 3.5% sulphur content on fuels used by ships in the EU. 

In 2010, JRC published the report: ‘Regulating Air Emissions from Ships: The State of the Art 
on Methodologies, Technologies and Policy Options’. This reference report88 summarises the 
main findings of research carried out over several years and provides a reference framework 
for  analytical  tools  to  regulate  air  emissions  from  ships.  It  outlines  the  state  of  the  art  with 
regard  to  the  main  methodological  aspects  of  designing  policy  measures  to  regulate  air 
emissions  from  maritime  transport.  These  are:  identification  of  impacts;  estimation  of 
emissions;  and  identification  and  selection  of  technological  and  policy  options  to  abate  air 
emissions  from  ships.  The  overall  aim  of  the  report  is  to  provide  analytical  tools  to  help 
define  a  policy  strategy  to  regulate  air  emissions  from  ships,  by  providing  various  insights 
into how to design and apply policy-efficient and equitable instruments. 

The  project  ‘Remote  sensing  of  SO2  emissions  from  ships’,  developed  under  an 
Administrative Agreement between the JRC and DG ENV, has identified and tested remote 
surveillance  methods  for  identifying  ships  that  do  not  comply  with  regulations  on  the 
emission of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen in exhaust gas plumes in order to provide 
a  measurement  system  that  can  be  employed  routinely  by  regulatory  authorities  in  the 
Member  States.  Through  a  literature  review,  a  number  of  potentially  useful  measurement 
methods were selected for further study and field testing. These techniques were tested in a 
large  field  trial,  involving  several  European  research  institutions,  in  and  around  the  port  of 
Rotterdam, as well as in a smaller trial at the port of Genoa. The so-called ‘sniffing’ method 
was  found  to  provide  the  best  option  for  remote  surveillance  of  SO2  emissions  and,  at  the 
moment,  the  only  option  for  surveillance  of  Nox  emissions  among  the  methods  tested. 
However, with further technological development, optical methods could potentially become 
attractive  alternatives.  On  the  basis  of  the  work  carried  out  within  this  project,  a  detailed 
description was provided of the ‘sniffing’ method, its uncertainties and costs, along with a set 
of recommendations concerning instrumental set-up, data handling, and analysis of results. 

88 

http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/111111111/15265. 

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5.6. 

Climate change 

The elevated concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have an impact on marine 
life  and  coastal  communities.  Since  the  concentration  of  carbon  dioxide  in  the  atmosphere 
will continue to rise even under aggressive carbon dioxide reduction strategies, these trends 
are  expected  to  continue  for  the  rest  of  the  century.  Moreover,  climate  change  has  to  be 
considered  in  relation  with  other  relevant  stressors  on  the  marine  environment  (such  as 
acidification,  de-oxygenation  or  pollution),  in  order  to  implement  effective  adaptation  and 
mitigation strategies, defined at appropriate scales. 

The main challenge is to develop a management approach that will maintain performance as 
far  as  possible  under  uncertain  and  variable  conditions.  One  of  the  most  effective  ways  in 
which  the  EU  can  support  adaptation  to  climate  change  is  through  a  better  observation 
infrastructure. 

5.6.1.  European Climate Adaptation Platform 
The  European  Climate  Adaptation  Platform89  (CLIMATE-ADAPT),  is  an  online  tool 
designed  to  support  policy-makers  at  EU,  national,  regional  and  local  levels  in  the 
development of climate change adaptation measures and policies. It helps users to access and 
share information on: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

Expected climate change in Europe 

Current and future vulnerability of regions and sectors 

National and transnational adaptation strategies 

Adaptation case studies and potential adaptation options 

Tools that support adaptation planning 

Since  it  was  launched  in  March  2012,  it  has  been  visited  by  over  100 000  viewers,  which 
reflects  the  interest  in  this  type  of  knowledge  information  system  for  adaptation.  The 
Commission  and  the  EEA  are  planning  a  range  of  activities  to  further  develop  and 
disseminate this tool and enhance its content. CLIMATE-ADAPT has two main functions: 

(1) 

(2) 

a  technical  function,  to  provide  relevant  data  and  information  and  to  gain  visual 
insight on spatial impacts, vulnerability and adaptation issues 

a  policy  support  function,  to  guide  users  easily  and  step  by  step  through  the 
development of adaptation strategies and measures, by means of online support tools, 
guidance documents, presentation of best practices and sources of information. 

In relation to maritime sectors: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

89 

CLIMATE-ADAPT  has  a  section  on  EU  Maritime  and  Fishery  policies  as  well  as 
one on Coastal Areas 

CLIMATE-ADAPT  contains  a  database  of  research  projects,  indicators,  guidance 
documents,  case  studies,  maps  and  adaptation  options  related  to  the  marine  sector. 
This database is constantly updated thanks to the input of users. 

A  Case  Study  Search  Tool  allows  browsing  of  available  case  studies  in  Europe,  in 
particular those related to Coastal Flooding 

Country pages present all climate change activities carried out at national level. 

http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu. 

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• 

An  online  interactive  Adaptation  Support  Tool  guides  the  user  through  the  policy 
cycle for the development of adaptation strategies and measures. 

5.6.2.  Adaptation to the effects of climate change 

The adoption of an EU Adaptation Strategy is planned for spring 2013 and aims to provide a 
more comprehensive approach to climate change adaptation in Europe. The main objective is 
to  have  a  more  resilient  Europe  at  national,  regional  and  local  level,  in  particular  by 
facilitating  the  exchange  of  good  practices  and  coordination  in  a  cost-effective  way,  taking 
due account of the economic, social and environmental impacts of climate change and climate 
change adaptation policies. 

The  objective  is  also  to  strengthen  the  knowledge  base  on  climate  change  impacts, 
vulnerability  and  adaptation,  as  well  as  to  facilitate  its  dissemination.  Mainstreaming 
adaptation  into  policies,  strategies  and  programmes  at  EU  level  (and  developing  dedicated 
adaptation action where needed) will help in building a more resilient Europe. This likewise 
holds true for devising effective approaches to deal with the impacts of climate change, which 
will frequently have a cross-border dimension ( flooding, sea-level rise, etc). 

Both the public and the private sectors should contribute to delivering the right instruments, 
products and services to increase Europe’s resilience to climate risks. As already outlined in 
the  2009  White  Paper  on  Adaptation,  the  Adaptation  Strategy  is  going  to  be  based  around 
three main objectives: 

The knowledge objective is  to  further the  understanding of adaptation, improve and  widen 
the  knowledge  base,  and  enhance  access  to  information  on  adaptation.  All  the  information 
gathered will feed into CLIMATE-ADAPT, the European Climate Adaptation Platform. 

The policy and market objective 

The  private  sector  is  not  yet  fully  delivering  the  right  products  and  services  to  help  private 
actors  increase  their  resilience  to  climate  risks.  EU-promoted  adaptation  action  can  help 
capture the potential of the market, market-based instruments and the private sector in order to 
strengthen the capacity and preparedness of the EU as a whole to adapt and respond to climate 
impacts. 

Mainstreaming  is  another  important  element  of  the  Commission’s  work  on  adaptation,  with 
tangible  results  seen  already  in  the  multi-annual  financial  framework  (MFF),  the  CAP 
(Common  Agricultural  Policy),  TEN-T  (Trans-European  Network  -  Transport)  and  TEN-E 
(Trans-European  Network  –  Energy)  or  Horizon  2020  (the  future  research  support 
framework).  The  Strategy  could  build  on  this  work,  and  possibly  expand  its  scope  to  all 
relevant sectors and policy areas. 

The facilitation and cooperation objective 

Not all EU Member States, regions or cities have the same level of knowledge, development 
or  capacity  to  respond  to  the  adverse  effects  of  climate  change.  The  Strategy  aims  to  work 
with and facilitate cooperation between Member States and stakeholders. It will try to support 
and  facilitate  exchanges  between  Member  States,  regions,  cities  and  all  other  relevant 
stakeholders. It will also address cross-border climate impacts and adaptation measures, and 
foster regional (cross-border) collaboration. 

5.6.3.  Climate change mitigation 

Mitigation  measures  aim  to  reduce  the  sources  or  enhance  the  sinks  of  greenhouse  gases. 
Greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emissions  from  international  maritime  transport  currently  represent 
around 3 % of global GHG emissions. This is likely to grow as a result of increasing world 

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trade  and  demand  for  shipping.  The  GHG  emissions  of  maritime  transport  have  been 
recognised  as  a  growing  environmental  problem.  Closely  linked  to  the  development  of  the 
world  economy,  these  emissions  have  increased  strongly  in  the  past  few  years.  Indeed,  the 
CO2 emissions of international shipping to and from the EU and on intra-EU routes increased 
by +24 % between 1990 and 2010, and are expected to increase by 87 % by 2050. 

In  2011,  the  Commission  set  out  the  goal  of  reducing  EU  GHG  emissions  from  maritime 
transport by 40% or 50% if feasible by 205090.  

At international level, on 15 July 2011, Parties to the Annex VI of MARPOL represented in 
the  Marine  Environment  Protection  Committee  (MEPC)  adopted  mandatory  measures  to 
reduce GHG emissions from international shipping. The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI 
Regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships, add a new chapter 4 to Annex VI 
on  Regulations  on  energy  efficiency  for  ships  to  make  mandatory  the  Energy  Efficiency 
Design  Index  (EEDI),  for  new  ships  and  existing  ships  which  have  undergone  a  major 
conversion, progressively by 1st January 2013. However, as this measure does not address all 
ship  types,  existing  ships  and  operational  measures,  shipping  emissions  are  expected  to 
continue growing. 

The MARPOL Annex VI was also amended on 15 July 2011 to ensure that each ship covered 
by  MARPOL  has  a  Ship  Energy  Efficiency  Management  Plan  (SEEMP)  on  board.  This 
SEEMP aims to record the operational measures taken to enhance the energy efficiency of the 
ship.  However,  the  measures  described  in  the  SEEMP  are  not  mandatory.  Therefore,  the 
impact of SEEMP in terms of CO2 emission reduction remains uncertain. 

In the Climate and Energy Package adopted on 23 April 2009, the Council and the Parliament 
stressed  that:  "in  the  event  that  no  international  agreement  which  includes  international 
maritime emissions in its reduction targets through the International Maritime Organisation 
has been approved by Member States or no such agreement through the UNFCCC has been 
approved by the Community by 31 December 2011, the Commission should make a proposal 
to include international maritime emissions in the Community reduction commitment, with the 
aim  of  the  proposed  act  entering  into  force  by  2013.  Such  a  proposal  should  minimise  any 
negative impact on the Community’s competitiveness while taking into account the potential 
environmental benefits."91 

As there has been no such international agreement leading to emission reductions by end of 
2011,  the  European  Commission  is  considering  and  preparing  background  analysis  for 
possible European action. 
Under  the  European  Climate  Change  Programme  II  (ECCPII),  a  working  group92  has  been 
established  for  formal  technical  stakeholder  consultation.  It  aims  to  provide  input  to  the 
Commission’s  work  on  developing  and  assessing  options  for  the  inclusion  of  international 
maritime transport in the EU’s GHG reduction commitment. 

5.6.4.  Geological storage of CO2 

Oceans  play  an  important  role  in  carbon  dioxide  capture  and  storage  (CCS).  In  February 
93  established  a  legal  framework  for  the 
2012,  a  Directive  on  the  geological  storage  of  CO2

90 
91 
92 
93 

COM(2011) 144 final of 28.3.2011 
Recital 2 of the decision n°406/2009/EC and recital 3 of the directive n°2009/29/EC  
WG 6 — Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. 
Directive  2009/31/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  23  April  2009  on  the 
geological  storage  of  carbon  dioxide  and  amending  Council  Directive  85/337/EEC,  European 
Parliament and Council Directives 2000/60/EC, 2001/80/EC, 2004/35/EC, 2006/12/EC, 2008/1/EC and 
Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006. 

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environmentally  safe  geological  storage  of  CO2  to  contribute  to  the  fight  against  climate 
change.  It  covers  all  CO2  storage  in  geological  formations  in  the  EU,  and  lays  down 
requirements covering the entire lifetime of a storage site. Existing legal frameworks are used 
to regulate the capture and transport components of CCS. 

Under the CCS Directive, the Commission may give a non-binding opinion on a national draft 
storage  permit  —  submitted  by  a  Member  State  —  within  four  months  of  receipt.  On  28 
February 2012 the Commission adopted its first opinion on the draft permit for the permanent 
storage of CO2 offshore on the Dutch continental shelf. 

As a first step, storage is expected to be demonstrated by the Rotterdam Capture and Storage 
Demonstration  (ROAD)  project  in  the  port  of  Rotterdam,  which  was  awarded  EUR 180 
million  of  funding  under  the  European  Energy  Programme  for  Recovery  (EEPR).  The  CO2 
from the capture installation would then be transported by pipeline to an offshore platform for 
permanent storage, where the CO2 would be injected into the storage site at a depth of over 3 
km94. 

6. 

BETTER MANAGEMENT OF MARITIME AFFAIRS 

6.1. 

Developments in Member States 

In  Germany,  Guidelines  for  a  Maritime  Development  Plan  were  adopted  by  the  Federal 
Government  in  2009,  serving  as  a  strategic  basis  for  a  Maritime  Development  Plan  and 
Strategy for an integrated German maritime policy, which was agreed by the government on 
20 July 2011. The Plan provides an overview of German maritime activities and interests, the 
political priorities within maritime affairs, and ongoing and planned activities in this field at 
various levels. It aims to make a strong contribution to innovation, growth and employment in 
the  maritime  sectors  and  at  the  same  time  to  protect  the  marine  resources  that  provide  the 
necessary basis for those sectors. A number of German coastal Länder have also adopted their 
own  maritime  strategies.  Comprehensive  legislation  has  also  been  adopted  to  ensure  the 
implementation of maritime spatial planning both in territorial waters (under the control of the 
Länder) and in the EEZ (under federal responsibility). 

In  the  Netherlands,  a  fully-fledged  MSP  has  been  implemented  at  national  level  in  order  to 
handle the management of their busy sea areas. Of particular importance for the Netherlands 
is securing safe access for maritime transport activities to their ports, such as Rotterdam. 

France issued an implementing decision in February 2012 to specify the process for setting 
up the Conseil national de la mer et des littoraux (CNML), as provided for in the Grenelle de 
la Mer legislation, and to define the geographical limits of the sea basins. The CNML should 
be  launched  by  the  end  of  2012.  In  March  2012,  the  Ministry  of  Ecology  (Commissariat 
Général au Développement Durable) issued the second progress report on the implementation 
of the Grenelle de la Mer. 

During 2011, the Government of Ireland initiated the first steps in developing an Integrated 
Marine  Plan  for  Ireland.  The  ‘Our  Ocean  Wealth’  public  consultation  was  the  first  step  to 
promote public debate on how best to harness the economic potential of Irish seas. A total of 
191  submissions  were  received  and  there  were  over  4 000  visits  to  the  website  during  the 
consultation  period.  The  consultation  fed  into  the  drafting  of  ‘Actions  that  will  deliver  an 
Integrated  Marine  Plan  for  Ireland’.  The  objective  of  the  actions  will  be  to  move  from 
generating  only  1.2 %  of  GDP  from  ocean  resources  to  getting  the  environment  right  for 

94 

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investment  and  using  the  potential  of  the  marine  economy  to  create  jobs  in  a  sustainable 
manner. 

Denmark’s government issued a national integrated maritime strategy in July 2010, focusing 
on  five  overarching  priorities:  potential  for  growth  in  the  maritime  industries;  reduced 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  air  pollution;  protection  of  the  marine  environment  and  the 
coastal zone; enhanced safety at sea; and coordination of initiatives in the maritime field. The 
latter  includes  increased  coordination  between  national  authorities  and  the  development  of 
maritime spatial planning. 

In Cyprus, as a response to the evolution of the IMP, the government speeded up its efforts 
and  launched  a  National  Integrated  Maritime  Strategy  on  4  January  2011.  It  established  an 
inter-ministerial  committee  and  a  National  Coordination  Team  to  this  end.  The  work  is 
coordinated by the Ministry for Communications and Works. 

In March 2010, Lithuania established an inter-ministerial Commission on Integrated Maritime 
Policy, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications and assisted by the 
Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  the  Ministry  of  Environment.  The  first  task  of  the 
Commission  was  to  verify  the  content  of  all  existing  strategies  to  ensure  that  there  are  no 
contradictions and that they are inter-linked. 

In  2011,  Latvia  also  established  an  inter-ministerial  group  to  deal  with  IMP.  The  main 
objectives  of  the  group  are  better  coordination  of  sectoral  policies,  better  information,  and 
data sharing. 

Poland has played a very active role in developing an integrated approach to maritime policy 
at national level. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Maritime Policy is an advisory body to 
the Prime Minister, while the Minister of Infrastructure is responsible for the coordination of 
maritime  policy  implementation.  Based  on  the  guidelines  for  maritime  policy  until  2020, 
adopted in 2009, the Inter-Ministerial Committee has prepared a Maritime Strategy for Poland 
until  2020.  Following  public  consultation,  the  Strategy  is  expected  to  be  adopted  by  the 
Council  of  Ministers  in  autumn  2012.  The  Strategy  sets  out  the  mission  of  Polish  maritime 
policy,  which  is  to  maximise  the  all-round  benefits  for  the  Polish  people  from  balanced 
exploitation of Poland’s coastal location and the natural resources of the seas and oceans. It 
addresses the issue of governance and Poland’s role in the Baltic sea region and international 
fora,  focusing  on  maritime  regions,  human  resources  and  maritime  spatial  planning.  The 
Strategy also lists instruments for the implementation of maritime policy. 

In June 2009, the Swedish parliament adopted a national Integrated Maritime Strategy. It calls 
for sustainable use of maritime and coastal resources, covering a number of aspects such as 
governance,  maritime  spatial  planning,  international  and  regional  cooperation,  marine 
knowledge,  fisheries,  shipping  and  protection  of  the  marine  environment.  In  order  to 
implement the Strategy, a new Agency for Marine and Water Management was set up on 1 
July  2011,  replacing  the  Board  of  Fisheries  and  parts  of  the  Board  of  Nature  Protection. 
Among other things, the Agency will be responsible for maritime spatial planning, for which 
new national legislation is due to enter into force during 2012. 

6.2. 

Developments at EU level 

6.2.1. 

Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans 

17  member  states  and  associated  countries  (Belgium,  Denmark,  Finland,  France,  Germany, 
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey 
and  United  Kingdom)  are  involved  in  the  Joint  Programming  Initiative  Healthy  and 

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Productive  Seas  and  Oceans  which  was  officially  launched  in  May  201095.  The  initiative 
seeks to promote synergies between research resources and capacities of countries involved, 
with  a  view  to  make  the  most  of  marine  resources  and  opportunities,  protect  the  marine 
environment and adapt to climate change. 

6.2.2.  European Parliament 

The  EP  has  from  the  very  beginning  advocated  the  promotion  of  an  integrated  approach  to 
maritime affairs. This is illustrated by the two positive resolutions of 2007 and 2008 (the so-
called  Piecyk  I  and  Piecyk  II  reports),  following  the  publication  of  the  Green  and  the  Blue 
Papers. A third EP resolution on the  IMP  was adopted  on 21 October 2010,  confirming  the 
validity of the IMP96. The report submitted for adoption by the plenary was prepared by the 
rapporteur  Ms  Gesine  Meissner,  coordinator  in  the  TRAN  Committee,  and  includes  the 
amendments  made  to  her  draft  during  the  Transport  and  Tourism  Committee  meeting  of  28 
September 2010. The report was drafted in close coordination with the Fisheries Committee 
and  the  Regional  Development  Committee  as  associated  committee  (opinions).  The 
Committee voted on the report with 33 votes in favour, 5 against and 3 abstentions. 

The  resolution  was  a  cross-policy  stock-taking  of  progress  made  so  far,  and  contained 
concrete demands for the Commission to further develop the IMP. The EP considers that the 
IMP has the potential to lead to more coherent policy-making and recommends greater focus 
on  the  maritime  dimension  of  the  Europe  2020  Strategy.  It  calls  for  adequate  funding  and 
greater transparency. Overall, with this resolution, the EP has demonstrated that it has a say in 
the  future  direction  of  the  IMP,  beyond  the  sectoral  dimensions  of  maritime  affairs.  In  its 
resolution,  the  EP  also  highlights  the  importance  of  funding  for  further  developing  and 
implementing the IMP. In its opinion of 19 July 2010 on the motion of the TRAN Committee 
for  the  IMP  resolution  of  21  October  2010,  the  PECH  Committee  supported  the 
Commission’s  intention  to  finance  IMP  actions  over  the  following  three  years,  building  in 
particular  upon  previous  projects  in  the  areas  of  policy  governance,  sustainability  and 
surveillance (point 18). 

On 9 March 2011, the European Parliament voted on a motion for a resolution on the Atlantic 
Strategy.  The  resolution  was  carried  by  an  overwhelmingly  majority,  with  589  in  favour, 
demonstrating considerable support for an EU strategy for the Atlantic. 

6.2.3.  Council 

Since 2007, the General Affairs Council has adopted cross-policy conclusions on the IMP at 
least once a year, providing an overview of recent developments, expressing its endorsement 
or reservations with regard to ongoing initiatives, and giving impetus to future development. 
So far, the Council has adopted five Conclusions on the Integrated Maritime Policy, namely 
under  the  Portuguese  (November  2007),  French  (December  2008),  Swedish  (November 
2009),  Spanish  (June  2010)  and  Polish  (December  2011)  Presidencies97.  Under  the  Belgian 
and  Spanish  Presidencies,  special  conclusions  on  the  integration  of  maritime  surveillance 
were adopted in 2009 and 2010. 

The Council conclusions are addressed in a ‘Friends of the Presidency’ Working Group, given 
the  horizontal  and  cross-border  remit  of  the  IMP.  Implementation  of  the  policy  is  also 
checked against the political guidance provided by the conclusions. 

95 
96 
97 

http://www.jpi-oceans.eu/ 
Integrated Maritime Policy — Evaluation of progress made and new challenges (2010/2040(INI)). 
Council Conclusions of 19 November 2007, 8 December 2008, 16 November 2009, 14 June 2010 and 
12 December 2011. 

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6.2.4.  Committee of the Regions 

The Committee of the Regions has been very active on the IMP, providing important input. 
Its  opinion  on  the  Blue  Paper,  CoR  22/2008  fin,  adopted  on  9  April  2008,  and  the  2009 
‘Maritime and coastal package’, CoR 416/2008 fin, adopted on 17 June 2009, are examples of 
how divergent issues and interests can be linked together in a coherent, complementary and 
synergetic  fashion.  Local  and  regional  authorities,  in  particular  in  coastal  regions,  are  fully 
involved in the governance of maritime affairs as fully fledged institutional partners. 

interregional  groups, 

In  addition  to  the  CoR  opinions,  significant  work  on  IMP  is  being  carried  out  within  the 
CoR’s 
the 
‘Mediterranean’ Group, in line with the Commission’s objective to support the development 
of integrated sea basin strategies taking into account the specificities of each sea basin. They 
also work closely with the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR). 

the  ‘Baltic  Sea  Regions’  Group  and 

including 

The Committee of the Regions adopted an opinion on the IMP and Marine Knowledge on 27 
January 201198. Its key messages are: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

need for adequate funding within the next financial perspective; 

importance of highlighting the regional maritime strategies; 

support for Maritime Spatial Planning; 

need for a clean ship/clean port initiative; 

importance  of  the  role  of  all  maritime  stakeholders  in  the  development  of  IMP, 
especially in initiatives relating to marine knowledge. 

6.2.5.  The European Economic and Social Committee 

Since  2007,  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  has  been  supportive  of  the 
development of an integrated maritime policy. The most recent opinion of 17 February 2011 
supported  the  overall  IMP  objectives99.  It  stressed  that  the  cross-sectoral  and  cross-border 
nature  of  maritime  activities  and  the  synergies  between  sectoral  policies  sufficiently  justify 
the adoption and financing of measures and actions to ensure an integrated maritime policy. 
The  Committee  adopted  an  opinion  on  maritime  surveillance  on  29  July  2010100.  It 
recommended  that  advanced  security  risk  management  should  remain  a  top  priority  for  the 
European  maritime  domain.  It  also  supported  a  common  EU-wide  surveillance  mechanism 
based  upon  a  harmonised  legal  framework  to  cater  for  the  sharing  of  sensitive  and  non-
sensitive information among the EU Member State authorities, agencies and users. 

On 26 January 2010, it adopted an opinion on the sustainable development of coastal areas, 
focusing on problems related to the protection of the marine environment, maritime transport 
(trans-European transport networks, Motorways of the Sea) and coastal economic activities in 
difficulty  (requesting  targeted  action  by  the  European  Social  Fund,  the  European  Regional 
Development Fund and the European Fisheries Fund), tourism, and climate change101. 

On 11 January 2010, an opinion on the EU’s maritime transport policy until 2018 called for a 
more coordinated approach to maritime careers, involving all relevant stakeholders (maritime 

98 

99 

100 
101 

The development of an Integrated Maritime Policy and Marine Knowledge 2020, CdR 339-2010 of 27 
January 2011. 
Opinion 1686/2010 of 17/2/2011 on the ‘Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  establishing  a  Programme  to  support  the  further  development  of  an  Integrated  Maritime 
Policy’. 
Opinion 987/2010 of 29/07/2010 on the integration of maritime surveillance. 
Opinion 104/2010 of 26/1/2010 on the sustainable development of coastal areas. 

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administrations,  schools,  shipowners’  associations,  seafarers’  unions).  It  also  urged 
improvements in the standard of training for the maritime professions in Europe. 

6.2.6.  Financing of the IMP 

On  6  December  2011,  European  Parliament  and  Council  Regulation  No  1255/2011 
establishing  a  Programme  to  support  the  further  development  of  an  Integrated  Maritime 
Policy entered into force102. Its multiple legal bases acknowledge the horizontal approach of 
the IMP. The Regulation provides the IMP with its first financing programme for actions and 
projects to be launched in 2012 and 2013. The 40 million euro budget will be spent mainly on 
supporting  tools  to  facilitate  synergies  among  sectoral  policies,  including  a  knowledge  base 
for  growth  and  innovation  in  the  ocean  economy,  integrated  maritime  surveillance,  and 
maritime  spatial  planning.  It  will  also  support  stakeholder  dialogue,  the  development  of 
dedicated strategies for different European sea basins, and the implementation of the Marine 
Strategy Framework Directive. The EU legislators chose to focus on initiatives that can best 
contribute  to  growth  and  job  creation  in  maritime  sectors  across  Europe,  in  line  with  the 
Europe 2020 strategy. 

A Commission Implementing Decision establishing the IMP Work Programme for 2011 and 
2012 was adopted by the Commission on 12 March 2012103, following a positive vote by the 
Member States in the Examination Committee. The Work Programme specifies the content, 
implementation modalities and timing for the IMP actions, in accordance with the objectives 
set  out  in  Regulation  1255/2011.  The  horizontal  approach  to  implementing  the  Work 
Programme  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  it  is  managed  jointly  by  different  Commission 
departments  (Maritime  Affairs  and  Fisheries,  Environment  and  Transport)  in  line  with  and 
complementing  activities  managed  by  other  departments,  e.g.  Research  (the  7th  Framework 
Programme for Research and the Joint Programming Initiative ‘Healthy and productive seas 
and oceans’) and Regional Policy (INTERREG projects). 

The  implementation  of  the  Work  Programme  is  well  under  way  and  a  number  of  calls  for 
tender  and  calls  for  proposals  have  been  published  following  its  adoption104.  Others  will 
follow before the end of 2012. All the available funding will be committed, as a minimum on 
a provisional basis, by the end of 2012. 

On 2 December 2011, the European Commission proposed a new fund for the EU’s maritime 
and  fisheries  policies  for  the  period  2014-2020:  the  European  Maritime  and  Fisheries  Fund 
(EMFF)105.  The  Fund  would  help  to  deliver  the  ambitious  objectives  of  the  reform  of  the 

102 

103 
104 

105 

Regulation (EU) No 1255/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2011 
establishing a Programme to support the further development of an Integrated Maritime Policy, OJ L 
321 of 5.12.2011, p. 1. 
Commission Implementing Decision C(2012) 1447 final. 
The  following  calls  have  been  published  so  far:  MARE/2012/07:  Framework  contract  for  support  for 
the implementation of the integrated maritime policy of the EU; – MARE/2012/08: Project on maritime 
spatial  planning  in  the  Atlantic,  including  the  Celtic  Sea  and  Bay  of  Biscay;  MARE/2012/10: 
Knowledge  base  for  growth  and  innovation  in  the  ocean  economy:  assembly  and  dissemination  of 
marine  data  for  seabed  mapping;  MARE/2012/11:  Growth  and  innovation  in  the  ocean  economy  — 
gaps  and  priorities  in  sea  basin  observation  and  data;  ENV.D.2/FRA/2012/0017:  Framework  contract 
for services related to coordination between the different marine regions in implementing the ecosystem 
approach;  ENV.D.2/FRA/2012/0019:  Support  for  the  development  of  methodological  standards  in 
relation  to  good  environmental  status  of  the  seas  under  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive; 
ENV.D.2/FRA/2012/0025:  Emerging  pressures,  human  activities  and  measures  in  the  marine 
relevant  websites: 
environment 
(including  marine 
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/index_en.htm 
and 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/funding/calls_en.htm. 
COM/2011/0804 final of 2.12.2011. 

litter).  For  more  details, 

see 

the 

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Common Fisheries Policy and to further implement the IMP. The EMFF proposal (Title VI of 
the  proposed  Regulation)  provides  for  the  financing  of  IMP  actions  that  benefit  different 
sectors but cannot be fully accomplished within individual policy areas, or at Member State 
level.  So  far,  operational  and  exploratory  work  has  been  carried  out  to  develop  policy 
objectives for the IMP and test them in small-scale projects. In the course of the next financial 
framework,  IMP  initiatives  should  be  fully  implemented  and  completed  in  order  to  fully 
support the growth of the maritime economy. For instance, the funding up to now has served 
to develop only a limited part of EMODNet. The marine knowledge architecture will require 
more  funding  to  cover  additional  data  sets  and  hence  reach  its  full  potential  to  support 
innovation. Likewise, a roadmap to exchange information on maritime surveillance, endorsed 
by Member States, will be fully implemented through EMFF support. 

The maritime pillar of the EMFF would finance actions that are not already covered by other 
EU  financial  instruments  and  therefore  not  eligible for assistance from  them. Synergies  and 
complementarity should be sought with such other EU instruments. In particular, the EMFF 
would  finance  further  implementation  of  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive.  This 
would accompany the funding provided by other instruments, reflecting Article 22(1) of the 
Directive,  which  stipulates  that  ‘the  implementation  of  this  Directive  shall  be  supported  by 
existing  Community  financial  instruments  in  accordance  with  applicable  rules  and 
conditions’106. 

6.2.7.  Coordination between the Commission and the Member States 

Regular  political  contacts  among  Member  States  and  with  the  Commission  are  ensured 
through  the  High-Level  Focal  Points  Group,  chaired  by  the  Presidency,  which  provides 
strategic  input  to  the  IMP.  The  Group  was  set  up  at  the  initiative  of  a  number  of  Member 
States  under  the  Portuguese  Presidency  at  the  end  of  2007.  The  Commission  conducts 
dialogue with the Member States at technical level in the Commission’s Member State Expert 
Group,  which  meets  around  3-4  times  per  year  to  exchange  information,  share  experiences, 
build  common  knowledge  (notably  in  the  surveillance  sub-group)  and  work  towards  the 
development of specific IMP deliverables. The Group thus represents a point of reference for 
sharing  information  on  relevant  maritime  initiatives  and  contributes  to  the  take-up  of 
integrated thinking in the Member States. 

6.3. 

Developments at international level — strengthening global ocean governance 

Marine  ecosystems  and  maritime  economies  transcend  national  boundaries.  This  renders 
international  cooperation  on  ocean  matters  essential.  Moreover,  open  dialogues  and 
exchanges  of  views  are  a  means  to  identify  best  practices,  harmonise  positions  and  more 
generally promote global ocean governance. 

For the last three years, the implementation of the Communication from the Commission on 
‘Developing  the  international  dimension  of  the Integrated  Maritime  Policy  of  the  European 
Union’107 has been driven by a strategy to foster international ocean governance based on the 
law of the sea. Global membership of UNCLOS is  an  EU  priority  and  is  promoted  through 
dialogue  with  third  countries.  Key  objectives  of  the  strategy  are:  the  protection  of  marine 
biodiversity,  including  in  areas  beyond  national  jurisdiction;  international  cooperation  in 
order  to  reduce  and  mitigate  climate  change  impacts;  ensuring  maritime  safety,  maritime 
security  and  freedom  of  navigation;  promoting  decent  working  conditions  in  the  maritime 
sectors;  and  understanding  the  sea  better.  All  these  goals  have  been  pursued  through  the 

106 
107 

Directive 2008/56/EC of 17.6.2008. 
COM(2009) 536 final. 

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United  Nations  and  other  international  fora  as  well  as  through  other  informal  processes, 
regional cooperation (in particular in shared sea basins) and bilateral relations. 

At  global  level,  the  EU  has  repeatedly  demonstrated  leadership,  notably  pushing  for  more 
ambition in the Resolutions on Oceans and the Law of the Sea and on Sustainable Fisheries 
(e.g.  to  boost  the  fight  against  destructive  fishing  practices  and  improve  the  protection  of 
vulnerable marine ecosystems).  

A particular success is the launching of a process at UN level which should ultimately lead to 
the negotiation of an UNCLOS implementing agreement for the conservation and sustainable 
use  of  marine  biodiversity  in  areas  beyond  national  jurisdiction.  The  EU  also  pushed  for 
progress  in  the  protection  of  oceans  and  seas  and  in  maritime  governance  at  the  UN 
Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio in June 2012 with an ambitious ocean agenda. 

The  UN  Regular  Process  .for  Global  Reporting  and  Assessment  of  the  State  of  the  Marine 
Environment, including Socio-economic Aspects is expected to deliyer its first global report 
by 2014. 

At FAO level, the EU has actively negotiated new legal tools to combat illegal, unregulated 
and unreported (IUU) fishing in the FAO, notably the Port States Agreement. The latter was 
ratified  by  the  EU  in  the  second  half  of  2011.  Within  the  FAO  the  EU  is  also  promoting 
support for developing countries in pushing for the identification of criteria and a process for 
the evaluation of flag state performance. 

Bolder  external  action,  as  called  for  in  the  Commission  Communication  on  the  external 
dimension of the CFP108, is yielding success with stronger performance by Regional Fisheries 
Management  Organisations  (RFMOs)  and  increasing  cooperation  with  third  countries  in  the 
EU’s fight against IUU fishing. 

Under  the  leadership  of  the  EU,  RFMOs  are  increasingly  implementing  an  eco-system 
approach  to  fisheries  management,  and  putting  in  place  rules  to  protect  vulnerable  marine 
eco-systems  (e.g.  NAFO)  and  marine  areas  (e.g.  CCAMLR).  The  fight  against  IUU  within 
RFMOs is complemented by strong bilateral cooperation. The signing of joint statements to 
fight IUU with the US in September 2011 and with Japan in 2012 now means that the three 
biggest markets have joined forces in this fight. 

Moreover, maritime affairs have become a regular topic in discussions with the EU’s partners 
at  bilateral  level,  such  as  China,  with  which  the  EU  has  signed  a  Memorandum  of 
Understanding  on  Integrated  Maritime  Policy,  Russia,  Japan,  Canada  and  US,  gradually 
expanding the scope of the sectoral dialogues into a more overarching cooperation on global 
maritime affairs, with the focus on exchanging best practice with regard to cross-cutting tools 
such  as  maritime  surveillance,  marine  knowledge,  integrated  coastal  zone  management, 
marine  technology  development,  and  renewable  marine  energies.  Proposals  for  framework 
agreements  with  third  countries  (e.g.  Australia,  New  Zealand)  systematically  include 
cooperation on marine affairs. 

6.4. 

Improving socio-economic data for maritime sectors and maritime regions 

Since the launch of the Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union and the adoption 
of  the  ‘The  Blue  Book109’  in  2007,  DG  ESTAT  (Eurostat)  has  been  providing  statistical 
information to support this policy and this new approach. The ongoing and planned initiatives 
in this field are included in the multi-annual and annual working programmes. In particular, 

108 
109 

COM(2011) 424final. 
COM(2007) 575. 

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Eurostat  has  been  regularly  disseminating  publications  on  the  topic  since  2009  and 
participating in exchanges with the other Commission DGs. 
The  Community  Statistical  Programme  2008-2012110  states  that:  ‘Eurostat  will  follow  the 
developments in the proposed Maritime Policy and adapt its programme of work accordingly. 
New  statistical  information  will  be  compiled  and  launched  for  guidance  of  the  proposed 
Maritime Policy which is currently being drafted by the Commission.’ 
The Statistical Work Programme of the Commission for 2012111, in the section on maritime 
policy  statistics,  includes  actions  such  as  maritime  policy  data  collection  using  data  from 
available  sources  in  the  Commission  and  data  collected  within  the  European  harmonised 
survey, and the preparation of statistical publications devoted to coastal regions and maritime 
sector. 

Since 2009, Eurostat has regularly disseminated statistical information for the EU integrated 
maritime policy: 

2009 

• 

2010 

• 

• 

• 

2011 

• 

• 

• 

Statistics in Focus: Nearly half of the population of EU countries with a sea border is 
located  in  coastal  regions:  Key  figures  for  coastal  regions  and  sea  areas  (Issue 
number 47/2009 — June 2009)112 

Statistics in Focus: Portrait of EU coastal regions — (Issue number 38/2010 – July 
2010)113 

Pocketbook:  Chapter  6  Agricultural  statistics:  Main  results  —  2008–09  –  October 
2010)114 
Regional yearbook 2010: Chapter 14 — Coastal regions — November 2010115 

Statistics  in  focus:  The  Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  basins  —  Issue  number 
14/2011 – March 2011116 
Statistics in focus: Maritime service areas — Issue number 41/2011 – August 2011117 
Regional yearbook 2011: Chapter 13 — Coastal regions — December 2011118 

2012 (planned) 

110 
111 
112 

113 

114 

115 

116 

117 

118 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:344:0015:0043:EN:PDF. 
http://cybernews.eurostat.cec/2-manag/stat_prog/annual_workprog/asp.cfm. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-SF-
09-047. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-SF-
10-038. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-
ED-10-001. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-
HA-10-001. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-SF-
11-014. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-SF-
11-041. 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-
HA-11-001. 

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• 

• 

Regional  yearbook  2012:  Chapter  13  —  Coastal  regions  (online  article  June  2012 
paper version end of 2010) 

Statistics in focus: Maritime sector 

Awareness and visibility of maritime Europe 

6.5. 
The Maritime Forum website119 became operational in the summer of 2009 (with a budget 
of  EUR 550 000)  as  an  interactive  tool  to  develop  dialogue  with  and  among  maritime 
stakeholders. The Forum allows parties interested in EU maritime policy to communicate on a 
common  platform.  They  can  publish  events  or  documents  and  follow  developments  in  their 
areas of interest. Information can be shared among a closed community or published openly. 
Anyone can register on the forum and comment on its content. 

The pilot version of the Atlas of the Sea was launched in May 2010. The European Atlas of 
the Sea is a support tool for the IMP. It aims to raise awareness of Europe’s oceans and seas 
and  to  facilitate  access  to  sea-related  information.  The  Atlas  is  available  on  DG  MARE’s 
website120  in  three  languages  (EN,  DE,  FR)  with  around  70  different  maps  on  geography, 
nature,  tourism,  security  and  safety,  people  and  employment,  transport  and  energy, 
governance and European policies, and fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The atlas will help 
increase  knowledge  of  the  various  dimensions  of  our  maritime  Europe,  as  it  offers  a 
remarkably  diverse  range  of  information  about  Europe’s  seas,  across  national  borders.  The 
atlas responds to the Commission’s drive to improve communication with citizens. It is an up-
to-date,  easy-to-use  communication  tool  enabling  a  rapid  flow  of  information.  It  is  mainly 
made up of dynamic maps, complemented by textual and graphical information. Version 2 is 
planned  to  be  released  at  the  end  of  2012,  with  improved  performance,  maintainability  and 
interoperability. 
The  European  Maritime  Day  conferences121  in  Brussels,  Rome,  Gijón,  Gdansk  and 
Gothenburg  have  been  the  key  events  for  the  visibility  of  maritime  Europe.  Member  States 
have  been  supportive  of  this  event,  as  reflected  in  Council  conclusions.  The  event  is  co-
financed by the host country, the host region and the Commission. 

119 
120 
121 

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/. 
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/atlas/index_en.htm. 
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/maritimeday/index_en.htm. 

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