A Green Paper on the European Union s Maritime

The initial consultation phase on a future maritime policy for the European Union was launched on 2nd March by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. The Green Paper is expected to be published in the first semester of 2006. Joe Borg, Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, is coordinating the work.

Green paper is a document published by the European Commission to stimulate consideration and launch a Europe-wide consultation on a given subject. The consultation resulting from a Green Paper may lead to proposals for change in EU maritime policies EU maritime policy.

Fifty coastal authorities are working together within the "Europe of the Sea" project
Their aim is to prepare and propose a set of strategic guidelines for the sea, guidelines that will meet their specific needs.
Launched in January 2005 for an 18-month period, the "Europe of the Sea" initiative intends to add to the value of the discussions, through three main ideas:

• Coastal authorities must be at the heart of any future Costal Europe maritime policy of Europe .
• An integrated approach is required. Without it, the Green Paper would merely be a repetition of existing sectoral policies (transport, fisheries, environment etc.)
• Following on from the successes of the Europe of Space, the "Europe of the Sea" project will not succeed without an ambitious "vision" which is acceptable to Europe's citizens. European strategy of the sea

The project will propose two main contributions to the discussions:

• December 2005: presentation of the appropriateness of an integrated policy for the sea within the framework of the Lisbon and Gothenburg Agendas: "The added value of a European policy for the sea: advantages and constraints."
• June 2006: presentation of the "Guidelines for a European policy for the sea: the role of Cities and Regions".

Assisted in their task by five scientific experts, partner Cities and Regions set themselves three objectives:

• Contributing to the Green Paper , by taking action to ensure that it produces concrete results which meet the needs of coastal authorities, and chairing discussions after its publication,
• Initiating a database on maritime activity in Europe. Using a set of monitored, standardised data, the base will give a clearer indication of the economic importance of this activity,
• Identifying relevant sea-related topics for interregional cooperation. Maritime transport in Europe