The European Commission has set out its vision yesterday for an integrated Maritime Policy for the EU, together with a detailed action plan and an ambitious work program for the years ahead.

Scientific discoveries, huge strides in technological development, globalization, climate change and marine pollution are rapidly altering Europe’s relationship with the seas and oceans, with all the opportunities and challenges that this presents, the Commission underlines. An integrated maritime policy, it is said, will enable the European Union to meet the challenges head on.

Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who initiated the new approach to maritime policy, said: “I am convinced that a great part of our future lies in the untapped potential of the oceans. Our proposal for an integrated maritime policy has been designed to generate growth, jobs and sustainability. We wish to seize, in a sustainable manner, all the opportunities that the oceans offer. It is part and parcel of our strategy to modernize Europe and prepare it for the globalize world.”

Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg added: “Our stakeholders have spoken and we have listened. This is a crucial first step for Europe’s oceans and sea – unlocking the potential and facing the challenges of a Maritime Europe will be our common goal. It will allow us to make the most of the geopolitical realities of our continent and will help Europe face some of the major challenges before it.”

The Commission’s proposal for an integrated maritime policy is grounded in an extensive public consultation on the Green Paper, which was published in June 2006. The consultation was a huge success with more than 250 conferences and events, and 500 written submissions – including a number from Scottish organizations, local authorities, the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee and the Scottish Government.

Until now, the different activities and policies relating to the seas have been managed on largely sectoral lines. An integrated maritime policy will change the way policy is formulated and decisions taken in the maritime sector, in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity. It will enable the relevant authorities to analyze interactions between the various sectors and policy areas concerned and to take them into account at every level. Policies will be made and decisions taken in a joined up way.

The new policy will build on Europe’s strengths in marine research, technology and innovation. It will be anchored in the Lisbon agenda for more and better jobs and growth, and in the EU’s overarching commitment to ensuring that economic development does not come at the price of environmental sustainability.