23 Amendments of Nuno TEIXEIRA related to 2012/2297(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the role of sea-basin strategies in fostering balanced, integrated regional development, revitalising the European economy and creating jobs; calls for such strategies to be effectively rolled out and for appropriate financial and administrative resources to be targeted on their implementation, making funding available under the ERDF, the Horizon 2020 programme, the programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs (COSME), and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF);
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas there are six major coastal zones in the EU (the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the outermost regions), which differ in their territorial resources and the type of activities pursued there; whereas there is a need for coordination between the macro-regional strategies and the respective action plans for the Union’s sea basins;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas approximately half of Europe’s population lives along the 89 000 kilometres of Europe’s coastline, and it is important that regional and local authorities take this demographic pressure into account when implementing public policies;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. Highlights the potential of the outermost regions as testing grounds for the blue economy; stresses that their location provides an opportunity for exploration and experimentation in the areas of marine energy, combating climate change, food security, protecting biodiversity, promoting aquaculture, and exploring biotechnologies and minerals;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the expected increase in human activity will be taking place in a fragile marine environment in which only 10 % of marine habitats and 2 % of marine species are healthy; therefore calls for a balance to be struck between maritime economic activities and marine sustainability, in view of the fact that many of the problems facing coastal and maritime regions are cross-border ones;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Takes the view that the outermost regions enjoy a privileged geostrategic position, forming the European Union's borders with the world, and believes that they should be involved in the strategic definition of blue economy activities;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need for legal certainty for businesses looking to invest in maritime areas and supports fresh incentives to boost the economic exploitation of Member States' exclusive economic zones; calls on the Commission and the Member States to agree on clear, uniform, transparent and practical maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal zone management plans, in coordination with the Member States;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the Commission’s report on progress of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), and reiterates its support for the IMP and stresses that the promotion of this policy remains the primary means for enhancing blue growth; therefore notes the need for synergies between the IMP and blue growth, particularly with regard to maritime safety;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that, in order to boost the competitiveness of the Union's maritime economic sectors in the global market, national, regional and local European authorities must create the necessary conditions for growth, namely by establishing spatial systems, upgrading infrastructure, creating access to professional skills and securing funding; stresses the importance of sharing information and best practices through the creation of a specific platform at European level;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that at a time when Member States are cutting public investment, it is urgently necessary that development policies and above all high-cost projects, such as transport and energy infrastructure projects, receive adequate funding during the 2014-2020 programming period; highlights the need to take into account the bailed-out countries and, in particular, those regions with structural constraints due to their natural characteristics, specifically the outermost regions;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the role of fishing activities and aquaculture in promoting regional development in coastal areas; notes that 90 % of aquaculture businesses in the EU are SMEs, providing 80 000 jobs; calls for innovative methods to be supported via the EMFF, to promote the development of fisheries, marine biology and aquaculture in deep water alongside offshore wind farms;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that securing adequate funding will be a challenge for small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in blue growth sectors and therefore welcomes initiatives such as new EU rules for venture capital funds, which will facilitate the access of SMEs to funding; considers that Member States should channel available financial instruments and European funding towards blue economy projects, in particular funding under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, Horizon 2020, the European Regional Development Fund, European Territorial Cooperation, the European Investment Bank, the Marine Initiative Knowledge and Innovation Community, the Cohesion Fund, Connecting Europe Facility, European Development Fund and European Social Fund; therefore emphasises the need to create a maritime policy portal, informing about the Union’s instruments and initiatives;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Points out that the outermost regions could serve as natural laboratories for research and development activities related to renewable energies and the maritime economy; draws attention to the importance of the tourism sector for these regions and to the possibility of setting up logistics platforms to facilitate the transport of goods between Europe and the other global economies; highlights the strategic importance of maritime transport and links between the outermost regions and other areas on the mainland;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that the gaps in scientific knowledge on maritime activities and their environment constitute obstacles for spatial planning and highlights the importance of the initiative ‘Marine Knowledge 2020’ and its specific objectives, such as the mapping of the seabed of European waters by 2020; considers that the seabed should be uniformly mapped so that the information can be accessed by interested European bodies, specifically research centres, universities, and public institutions;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to monitor closely and support efforts at regional level to assess the skills and professions which will be in demand in blue economic sectors and to ensure that initiatives such as the ‘EU Skills Panorama’ reflect the needs of the blue economy; considers that the Commission should, together with the Member States, draw up an action plan to promote professions directly or indirectly linked to the blue economy, in order to attract people to them;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to promote initiatives to encourage the mobility of workers between economic sectors and Member States, such as a multiannual action for exchanges of students, teachers and young professionals, on the Erasmus model; supports cooperation between enterprises and training providers with the aim of preparing graduates for jobs in new areas; calls on the Commission to assess the possibility of implementing a preparatory action and/or pilot project in this field, creating the necessary knowledge triangle between educational institutions, businesses and research centres and tapping the real potential of this area.
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that the promotion of maritime transport will contribute not only to economic growth and employment, but also to attaining the target set in the White Paper ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area’ of shifting 50 % of road freight to the railways and waterborne transport by 2050; stresses the need for a real policy towards the motorways of the sea; therefore calls on the Commission to issue a communication on the progress, development and future of the motorways of the sea;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls for the promotion of maritime resorts, as these can reduce seasonal variations and create a multiplying effect on local and regional economies by integrating fishing communities and creating a balance between economic growth and sustainability;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to boost the competitiveness of European ports by supporting port infrastructures and upgrading the services provided (e.g. by bringing them into line with the Schengen requirements) in order to make European ports more attractive for cruise ships and more beneficial for local communitieand fishing communities, thereby enabling them to diversify their activities; notes that in order to achieve this, Europe’s maritime infrastructure needs to be able to compete with that of seaports in third countries and that the introduction of further sulphur emission control areas (SECAs) should comply with international agreements; calls on the Commission to make allowances for ports and fleets in island and outermost regions;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Underscores the importance of yachting for maritime tourism; calls upon the Commission to examine, in the context of its forthcoming communication on maritime tourism, the scope for a harmonisation and simplification at EU level of the rules governing the issuing of operating licences, navigating and operating conditions, safety requirements and yacht maintenance and repair work and the mutual recognition of professional qualifications in this sector;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Agrees with the Commission that blue energy is an asset for the European maritime economy and urges it to contribute to realising its potential through the sea basin strategies, paying special attention to the potential offered by the outermost regions, owing to their location and natural characteristics;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Points out that EU aquaculture already provides 80 000 jobs and has the potential significantly to improve the economies of coastal communities, bearing in mind UN estimates that production of farmed fish will exceed that of conventional fisheries by 2019; points out that funding for traditional and innovative aquaculture activities is provided for under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and Horizon 2020;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Commission, in its forthcoming strategic guidelines for aquaculture in the EU, to promote offshore aquaculture, which can be combined with blue energy facilities so as to reduce pressure from over-intensive aquaculture on coastal ecosystems and on other activities; highlights the need for the Member States’ respective integrated management plans to simplify the administrative burden and the allocation of proper space for the development of these activities;