The Commission presents its second report describing the progress of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) and maritime sectoral policies between 2010 and 2012. It highlights the contribution of these policies to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy by taking stock of concrete achievements that help create growth, enhance resource efficiency and save public money.

The report notes that the IMP was created to reaffirm the maritime dimension of the EU. The IMP has grown from this vision into a tool delivering concrete benefits for maritime growth and sustainability in Europe. The report presents a picture of achievements in all policy areas related to the seas. It examines actions taken under the following policy areas: transport, research, environment, tourism, shipbuilding, climate change adaption, and regional policies. Among the initiatives launched are the following:

· the White Paper for Transport , which further specifies the orientations of the Maritime Transport Strategy until 2018: the ability to provide cost-efficient maritime transport services; the long-term competitiveness of the EU shipping sector; and the creation of seamless transport chains for passengers and cargo across transport modes;

· the Common Information Sharing Environment for the EU’s maritime domain to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of maritime surveillance;

· a Task force on Maritime Employment and Competitiveness;

· three joint calls of FP7 Research Programme under the Ocean of Tomorrow to support multidisciplinary marine and maritime projects, a first version of the European Marine Observation and Data Network to improve access to data and reduce costs to users;

· a Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic adopted in November 2011;

· a Decision to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, laying down criteria and methodological standards for the assessment of Good Environmental Status.

The contribution of the maritime economy to growth and employment

Blue Growth: the Commission adopted a Communication on Blue Growth , opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth. The objective is to launch a joint initiative with Member States, regions, and all relevant stakeholders to unlock the potential of the blue economy. A study launched by the Commission in 2010 has identified as common bottlenecks the lack of appropriate skills, access to risk capital, fragmented marine data, environmental challenges and difficult planning processes. Actions are underway in Member States to remedy the skills shortage — for example through encouraging clusters of industry and education. Integrated maritime policy initiatives are addressing the data and planning issues. However, certain sectors require a more targeted approach. Accordingly, five areas with growth potential —maritime and coastal tourism, ocean renewable energy, marine mineral resources, aquaculture, and blue biotechnology — have been analysed in more depth to suggest additional measures needed to increase growth and jobs.

Energy: offshore wind energy contributes to reach a 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. In 2011, the Commission proposed guidelines to lay down rules for the development and interoperability of trans-European energy networks. Priority corridors were identified, including the North Sea Offshore Grid and the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan.

Shipbuilding: a new Framework on State Aid to Shipbuilding was adopted in December 2011 containing specific provisions in relation to innovation aid and regional aid for shipbuilding, as well as provisions on exports credits. Its extended scope now applies to inland waterway vessels and floating and moving offshore structures.

Fisheries and aquaculture : in July 2011, the Commission adopted a package of initiatives, including new legislative proposals, to reform the Common Fisheries Policy. The transition will be accompanied by a European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to improve sustainability, the performance of small-scale coastal fisheries, promote aquaculture, support job creation in maritime communities and deliver cost-efficiency in maritime affairs.

The report shows that the strong contribution of maritime sectors to Europe’s economy and the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are reinforced by coordinated action to lower costs, improve resource efficiency, reduce risks, support innovation and make better use of public money. By facilitating the cooperation of all maritime players across sectors and borders, and by avoiding duplication of spending and efforts, the IMP has enhanced the sustainable development of the European maritime economy, while contributing to a better protection of the marine environment.

The Commission considers it is setting the best possible conditions for sustainable economic development to come from the sea. Building on those achievements, Blue Growth is the objective for the coming years. During Cyprus’s Council Presidency, an informal Ministerial Conference on IMP will be a major stepping-stone towards this goal. Blue Growth will drive a second phase of the Integrated Maritime Policy to achieve a healthy maritime economy that delivers innovation, growth and sustainability for European citizens.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), in response to several Commission communications on the subject.

Members welcomed the European Commission’s October 2009 package on the integrated maritime policy (IMP) and confirm overall the validity of the integrated approach to maritime affairs .

The resolution stresses that IMP should contribute to achieving a competitive, social and sustainable Union. It takes the view in this regard that the development of IMP must harmoniously incorporate efforts to attain economic development, a high level of employment – particularly by making the sector more attractive for young people through training actions and the launch of a ‘Maritime Erasmus’ – and environmental protection. It states, therefore, that the IMP should be interconnected with the objectives and initiatives of the EU 2020 Strategy .

The Commission is called upon to:

come up with an overarching, cross-sectoral strategy for sustainable growth in coastal regions and maritime sectors by 2013 , based on a broad investigation of potentials and policy options and on broad stakeholder consultation; take action after the oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico , and create legal certainty in the field of offshore oil extraction in Europe by submitting a coordinated European action strategy for emergency preparedness and for tackling disasters caused by drilling rigs and tankers, at an international level especially in cases of cross-border contamination; extend the mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on safety inspections of offshore installations and the cleaning up of oil spills in the review of the EMSA Regulation; ensure that its stated intention to finance the IMP with EUR 50 million over the next two years in order to build upon previous projects in the areas of policy, governance, sustainability and surveillance is supported.

Maritime governance : Parliament calls on those Member States whose IMP administrative structures are still highly fragmented, to establish forthwith unified and integrated maritime governance structures.

The Commission, the Member States and coastal regions are called upon to intensify their efforts in defining integrated maritime policies and in building adequate maritime governance structures, which make it possible to take decisions on the basis of the best information available, involving all interested parties and therefore better respecting the different policy objectives.

Members propose the establishment and development of strategies for the EU’s maritime macro-regions in the context of strategic approaches for regional maritime areas.

In addition, the resolution invites the Member States, the Council and the Commission to:

intensify their dialogue at international level on IMP and other maritime issues in the competent fora, including on the ratification and implementation of UNCLOS; support the inclusion of IMP in the financial leverage instruments and objectives of the EU’s external policy through the development of suitable initiatives aimed at addressing problems such as pollution, illegal fishing and piracy.

Sea basin initiatives and strategies : the resolution welcomes the regional sea-basin initiatives and strategies proposed so far by the Commission and the macro regional strategies of relevance to the sea. It calls for further dialogue and cooperation in order to improve governance of the marine space and coastal areas in the framework of a multi-level approach in the different maritime sea basins, including the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean area, and asks the Commission to take rapid steps in cooperation with Member States to draw up and present actions in these regions.

Maritime spatial planning : Members are of the view that the management of intensifying and increasingly competing sea uses on an eco-system basis requires coordinated, streamlined and cross-border maritime spatial planning as a neutral tool.

The resolution notes the essential importance of European maritime spatial planning and its uses for coastal regions and the outermost regions in particular.

Maritime Surveillance : Parliament considers that a well coordinated and integrated cross-pillar, cross-sectoral, and cross-border approach towards maritime surveillance will improve protection of the interests of Member States and the European Union and protection against marine pollution and illegal actions.

The resolution calls therefore on the Commission, the Member States, EU agencies and in particular the EMSA, and relevant organisations to speed up their efforts in terms of cooperation and coordination and with regard to the necessary legislative adaptations.

Parliament reiterates its call for improved cooperation between Member States’ national inspectorates, coastguards and navies and reminds the Commission to carry out – as requested earlier by the European Parliament for 2005 in Directive 2005/35/EC – a feasibility study with the prospect of creating a European Coastguard Service .

Among the other recommendations, the report calls on the Commission to:

take into account the critical role of maritime freight transport in trade today, to promote the development of secondary and less congested ports and to adequately address the question of maritime transport security measures in the EU and abroad by investing in enhancing multilayered risk management systems for targeting and inspecting dangerous cargo integrate the European Maritime Policy and the inland waterways policies, in order to maximise the potential of the waterway transport and to create efficient and diversified ways of transport; improve the working conditions of seafarers by appropriate means, to implement the ILO Maritime Labour Convention in Community law and to propose a programme for the qualification and training of seafarers and especially the recruitment of young people, including those from third countries; consider a coordinated European industrial policy initiative aimed at increasing competitiveness, supporting the excellence of European shipbuilding, and the safety and environmental performance and competitiveness of shipping in the common maritime space without barriers; coherently integrate the CO2 reduction targets and introduce economic market based instruments, into the maritime sector such as (emissions trading schemes) and to develop a strategy to mitigate the specific impacts of climate change on coastal and island regions; come up with a strategy for sustainable coastal, islands and marine tourism. accelerate their efforts to make the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNET) operational as soon as possible.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Gesine MEISSNER (ADLE, DE) on Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), in response to several Commission communications on the subject.

Members welcome the European Commission’s October 2009 package on the integrated maritime policy (IMP) and confirm overall the validity of the integrated approach to maritime affairs .

The committee considers that IMP should contribute to achieving a competitive, social and sustainable Union; takes the view in this regard that the development of IMP must harmoniously incorporate efforts to attain economic development, a high level of employment – particularly by making the sector more attractive for young people through training actions and the launch of a ‘Maritime Erasmus’ – and environmental protection. It states, therefore, that the IMP should be interconnected with the objectives and initiatives of the EU 2020 Strategy .

The Commission is called upon to:

come up with an overarching, cross-sectoral strategy for sustainable growth in coastal regions and maritime sectors by 2013 , based on a broad investigation of potentials and policy options and on broad stakeholder consultation; take action after the oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and create legal certainty in the field of offshore oil extraction in Europe by submitting a coordinated European action strategy for emergency preparedness and for tackling disasters caused by drilling rigs and tankers, at an international level especially in cases of cross-border contamination; extend the mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on safety inspections of offshore installations and the cleaning up of oil spills in the review of the EMSA Regulation; ensure that its stated intention to finance the IMP with EUR 50 million over the next two years in order to build upon previous projects in the areas of policy, governance, sustainability and surveillance is supported.

Maritime governance : Members call on those Member States whose IMP administrative structures are still highly fragmented, to establish forthwith unified and integrated maritime governance structures;

The Commission, the Member States and coastal regions are called upon to intensify their efforts in defining integrated maritime policies and in building adequate maritime governance structures , which make it possible to take decisions on the basis of the best information available, involving all interested parties and therefore better respecting the different policy objectives.

Members propose the establishment and development of strategies for the EU’s maritime macro-regions in the context of strategic approaches for regional maritime areas.

In addition, the report invites the Member States, the Council and the Commission to:

intensify their dialogue at international level on IMP and other maritime issues in the competent fora, including on the ratification and implementation of UNCLOS; support the inclusion of IMP in the financial leverage instruments and objectives of the EU’s external policy through the development of suitable initiatives aimed at addressing problems such as pollution, illegal fishing and piracy.

Sea basin initiatives and strategies : the report welcomes the regional sea-basin initiatives and strategies proposed so far by the Commission and the macro regional strategies of relevance to the sea. It calls for further dialogue and cooperation in order to improve governance of the marine space and coastal areas in the framework of a multi-level approach in the different maritime sea basins, including the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean area, and asks the Commission to take rapid steps in cooperation with Member States to draw up and present actions in these regions.

Maritime spatial planning : Members are of the view that the management of intensifying and increasingly competing sea uses on an eco-system basis requires coordinated, streamlined and cross-border maritime spatial planning as a neutral tool, which has the potential to contribute significantly to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and to facilitate the harmonious coexistence of different sea uses.

The report notes the essential importance of European maritime spatial planning and its uses for coastal regions and the outermost regions in particular.

Maritime Surveillance : the committee expects that a well coordinated and integrated cross-pillar, cross-sectoral, and cross-border approach towards maritime surveillance will improve protection of the interests of Member States and the European Union and protection against marine pollution and illegal actions.

The report calls therefore on the Commission, the Member States, EU agencies and in particular the EMSA, and relevant organisations to speed up their efforts in terms of cooperation and coordination and with regard to the necessary legislative adaptations.

Members reiterate their call for improved cooperation between Member States’ national inspectorates, coastguards and navies with the prospect of creating a European Coastguard Service .

Among the other recommendations , the report calls on the Commission to:

integrate the European Maritime Policy and the inland waterways policies, in order to maximise the potential of the waterway transport and to create efficient and diversified ways of transport; improve the working conditions of seafarers by appropriate means, to implement the ILO Maritime Labour Convention in Community law and to propose a programme for the qualification and training of seafarers and especially the recruitment of young people, including those from third countries; consider a coordinated European industrial policy initiative aimed at increasing competitiveness, supporting the excellence of European shipbuilding, and the safety and environmental performance and competitiveness of shipping in the common maritime space without barriers; coherently integrate the CO2 reduction targets and introduce economic market based instruments, into the maritime sector and to develop a strategy to mitigate the specific impacts of climate change on coastal and island regions; come up with a strategy for sustainable coastal, islands and marine tourism .

The Commission presents a Communication on developing the international dimension of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) of the European Union . It recalls that the aim of the IMP is to promote the sustainable growth of both the maritime economy in particular, and the coastal regions more generally, by improving coordination between the different sectoral policies and by developing crosscutting tools. If the IMP is to succeed, however, it cannot be just a European policy. Marine ecosystems and maritime economies transcend national boundaries . Many of the most urgent challenges which demand an integrated approach cannot be effectively addressed without robust international cooperation. Where the challenges facing the regional seas adjacent to the EU are concerned, the Commission will shortly set out its vision of the steps required in specific Communications. This Communication complements this regional approach by exploring how the IMP should be extended into the wider international arena. It envisages the creation of an EU framework for a global integrated approach to maritime affairs . It outlines ways in which the EU's authority, as an international maritime power, should be strengthened at the multilateral level. This would also facilitate regional cooperation with maritime neighbours with whom the EU shares sea-basins, as well as helping develop closer bilateral relations with key partners. Efforts promoted in the framework of the international dimension of the EU IMP will be coherent with the EU's overarching external relations policy and the development policy.

The Communication sets out the key themes for an EU platform in international maritime affairs . It notes that the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) remains the key reference in this domain, as supplemented by the UN

Fish Stocks Agreement in the field of fisheries. Yet despite repeated calls from the international community, a number of countries have still to become a party to these instruments and implement them. Furthermore, while UNCLOS contains general obligations for the protection of the marine environment and for cooperation, there are no mechanisms for taking effective action in the high seas from a cross-cutting approach. The EU is also advocating an integrated approach to the protecting and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It has proposed an Implementation Agreement under UNCLOS for this purpose, which could play a key role in filling gaps in the current legal framework, in particular for the establishment of marine protected areas in the high seas.

The Commission goes on to discuss the need for sustainable fishing activities and efforts to put in place a post-2012 climate change agreement , as well as the need to ensure maritime safety, and enhance participation in large-scale international research programmes going beyond national jurisdictions and deep-sea research .

The paper describes also the need to strengthen the EU as a player in the existing multilateral system, particularly in UN fora and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).

It goes on to discuss the establishment of regional cooperation within shared sea basin such as the EU Atlantic basin, and the Black Sea.

The Communication states that an integrated approach to maritime affairs is beginning to establish itself as the gold-standard for maritime governance around the world. The EU's Integrated Maritime Policy positions it as a forerunner in this field. However, to capitalise on this momentum, and to ensure it reaps the full benefits of integrated policy making at home, it needs to ensure that its influence in the international debate is maintained and enhanced . The EU should therefore support the widespread adoption of IMP-type principles, tools and processes based on the ecosystem approach , as both a necessary precondition for effective integrated management in the EU's own waters, and as a good in itself, in line with its belief in cooperative multilateral decision-making.

In particular, the EU should:

strengthen its role as a global player through greater and more unified participation in multilateral fora, in coherence with the principle of the unity of the EU external representation; promote global membership of UNCLOS ; establish by mutual consent high-level dialogues on maritime affairs with key partners, ensuring synergies with existing sectoral dialogues in other policy areas; pursue dialogue on IMP bilaterally through both the ENP instruments and multilateral dialogue at sea-basin-level within existing frameworks (e.g. Union for the Mediterranean, Northern Dimension, Black Sea Synergy), sharing best practice in implementing the IMP tools with its neighbours and encouraging them to implement such tools; continue to work on moving oceans and coasts higher up the climate change agenda and provide assistance to developing coastal and island states in this field, in line with the EU development cooperation strategies and initiatives; continue to support an integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity , particularly in areas beyond national jurisdiction, including for the establishment of marine protected areas; pursue its cooperation with the ILO to encourage decent working conditions in the maritime sector; pursue its actions to ensure freedom, safety and security of navigation, including actions against piracy ; strengthen cooperation research activities with third countries in order to enhance participation in large-scale international research programmes and with countries neighbouring the EU in order to define common regional marine research strategies; ensure coherence between the activities of various organisations, notably in the fisheries, environment and transport fields; encourage the OECD to develop a structure for exchange of best practices on integrated approaches to maritime affairs; develop strategies for all relevant shared sea basins .

The Commission invites the EU institutions to endorse the Commission's proposed actions as set out in this Communication and to support the approach outlined.

The Commission presents a Communication the integration of maritime surveillance: a common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain. The aim of integrated maritime surveillance is to generate a situational awareness of activities at sea impacting on maritime safety and security , border control, the marine environment, fisheries control, trade and economic interests of the EU as well as general law enforcement and defence so as to facilitate sound decision making.

There is a clear need to share maritime surveillance information . Different sectoral authorities dealing with surveillance of actions at sea gather data and operational information so as to establish the best possible maritime awareness picture for their own use. For many user communities, at present, this picture does not include complementary information gathered by other sectoral users due to the lack of mutual exchange. Developing the necessary means to allow for such data and information exchange should enhance the different users' awareness picture. Such enhanced pictures will increase the efficiency of Member States' authorities and improve cost effectiveness.

The objective of this Communication is to set out guiding principles for the development of a common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain and to launch a process towards its establishment. To achieve this, enhanced coordination and coherence between the European Commission, the Member States and those interlocutors whom the European defence community may indicate for this purpose, should be established.

The Commission sets out the challenges currently being faced with regard to the development of a common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain: These include: i) diverse user and operator communities responsible for defence, border control, customs, marine pollution, fisheries control, maritime safety and security, vessel traffic management, accident and disaster response, search and rescue as well as law enforcement. All communities are collecting information for their own purposes; (ii) diverse legal frameworks; (iii) cross border threats and (iv) specific legal provisions particularly on processing data.

The Communication sets out Guiding Principles for the Development of a common information sharing environment for the EU maritime domain , setting out in detail the issues to be considered, and makes certain recommendations in order to give effect to each of these principles:

Principle 1: an approach interlinking all user communities : the common information sharing environment should enable Member States' authorities to make a more efficient use of maritime surveillance information. Common rules and standards should be developed at Community level to optimise the exchange of information between the different user communities. Each of these communities should be given the possibility to provide and/or receive information at national level from international, regional, Community, military and internal security systems and mechanisms on a need-to-know basis, in line with conditions of use and defined user access rights, in order to build up its individual user-defined situational picture.

Principle 2: building a technical framework for interoperability and future integration : a Common Information Sharing Environment for the EU maritime domain may be best achieved through a non-hierarchical technical framework of maritime monitoring and surveillance systems. Such architecture should be designed as a cost effective interaction of different information layers to enable the improvement of user defined pictures. The system architecture must allow data to be inter alia collected, merged, analysed, disseminated and managed at the appropriate level of decentralisation, depending on security concerns (e.g. intelligence) and in compliance with data protection regulations, international rules and functional requirements. Best use should be made of existing systems.

Principle 3: information exchange between civilian and military authorities : surveillance information should be shared between civilian and military authorities to avoid duplications and to be cost effective. Whilst recognising their distinct purposes and underlying mandates, this requires common standards and procedures for access to and use of the relevant information to allow for a two-directional information exchange.

Principle 4: specific legal provisions : obstacles to the exchange of monitoring and surveillance data for the purpose of setting up a common information sharing environment should be identified in EU and national legislation. In removing these obstacles, due consideration must be given, inter alia, to respect for data confidentiality, intellectual property rights issues and protection of personal data as well as ownership of data in accordance with national and international law.

The Commission concludes that an integrated approach to maritime surveillance should improve the effectiveness of the authorities responsible for maritime activities by making available more tools and more information necessary for the performance of their duties. This should result in more efficient operations and reduced operating costs. The potential savings at EU level are significant given the growing need to detect, identify, track and intercept amongst others illegal migration, illegal fishing as well as to prevent accidents at sea, to safeguard the environment and to facilitate trade. The benefits to flow from this process will positively affect national security, maritime security and safety, the protection of the marine environment, border control and, in general, law enforcement.

PURPOSE : progress report and strategic directions for the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP).

CONTENT : the Commission presents this report following the European Council’s endorsement of the IMP in December 2007. The report sums up the achievements of the IMP and charts the course for the next phase. It also highlights how coherent policy-making towards our seas, maritime sectors and coastal areas can contribute to addressing challenges posed by the current global economic crisis and by the need to take decisive action against climate change and environmental degradation.

The October 2007 Blue Paper ( COM(2007)0575 ) set out an ambitious Action Plan. The implementation of the Action plan has progressed well : Of the 65 actions in the plan, 56 have been launched or completed (mostly in the form of Commission or Council acts). On 9 actions various initiatives have been undertaken, although no formal documents are adopted yet. Following the first phase, the Commission and Member States are now focusing efforts on effective implementation on the ground, with additional activities in all relevant policy areas pursued where needed.

The Blue Paper and Action Plan were drawn up in a radically different economic climate. The crisis has not spared the maritime economy from declining revenues and downturn. Beyond achievements so far, the paper also sets out where further action will be required in order to unlock the undeniable potential of our oceans, seas and coastal regions, but also to address the economic problems faced by maritime sectors.

The Commission’s assessment is that the last two years have confirmed the IMP as a highly promising policy providing a significant contribution to growth, jobs and environmental sustainability for Europe’s coastal areas and beyond. Despite its young age, this new EU policy has already changed the way in which Europe deals with its maritime and coastal assets . After three years of intense deliberations, it is fundamental to keep this momentum in order to address the challenges of environmental protection and economic growth. The double impact of climate change and the economic crisis is particularly felt in the maritime world: oceans are the drivers of our climate and maritime industries have been the drivers of globalisation and prosperity. It is therefore important to unlock the economic potential of maritime Europe, optimise government action on the seas, and further explore the synergies that allow economic growth and environmental stability to reinforce each other.

The Commission considers that these objectives will be best achieved through a combination of progress in six strategic directions .

Integrated maritime governance must be further enhanced . The progress registered over recent years needs to be turned into effective integrated structures at all levels of government. EU institutions, Member States and coastal regions have a particular responsibility in ensuring upstream policy integration and in adopting coherent agendas for maritime affairs, further counteracting the prevalence of isolated sectoral policy thinking. Stakeholder involvement in maritime policy-making should also be enshrined more permanently in governance structures. This should also lead to a more intense dialogue between the EU, Member State's governments and coastal regions, which often hold key expertise necessary for an integrated approach to Maritime Affairs. For the same reason the formation of a cross-sectoral platform for stakeholder dialogue on maritime affairs should be supported.

Cross-cutting policy tools are of utmost importance to enhance economic development, environmental monitoring, safety, security and law enforcement on Europe’s oceans and seas. In particular, maritime spatial planning, in combination with increased marine knowledge, can unblock considerable economic investment and drastically improve the way we manage our maritime spaces, preserving their ecosystems. It must become a practical instrument on all levels of governance, and to ensure coherent decision-making over cross-border investments. The integration of maritime surveillance has the potential to make a difference to the way key policy objectives such as the fight against illegal immigration, the safeguard of commercial shipping and the protection of natural resources are carried out by national authorities. Member States and the Commission will have to continue to work together on these items so that the processes which were initiated in the last two years will bear fruit.

The definition of the boundaries of sustainability of human activities that have an impact on the marine environment, in the framework of Directive 2008/56/EC (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) will design a platform for the successful development of all maritime activities, paying due attention to their cumulative impacts. Hence, the implementation of this Directive will remain a key objective of the IMP, which should also develop the necessary cooperation between all relevant sectors, including between marine science and the marine environment policy.

Sea-basin strategies are key to a successful implementation of the IMP. This is where the priorities and the tools of the policy can be adapted to the specific geographic, economic and political contexts of each large maritime region. Co-operation among Member States and regions sharing a sea basin is a crucial element of success and this should be accompanied with proper dialogue with third countries sharing a sea basin with the EU. Action at the level of sub-basins can also be useful in establishing best practices.

The international dimension of the IMP will also require more attention, as discussed by the Communication published together with this report ( COM(2009)0536 ). Europe must take a leading role in improving global maritime governance, as it has done in the matter of piracy or with regard to destructive fishing practices. The Commission intends to strengthen dialogue with a limited number of major maritime partners and its participation in international fora and informal processes.

The implementation of the IMP, in the present context of economic downturn, should put a renewed focus on sustainable economic growth, employment and innovation . Hence the EU should explore synergies between the European Energy Policy and the IMP, promoting energy generation from the sea, including renewable forms of energy, and use the sea more for energy transportation through pipelines, underwater grids and vessels. It will also be necessary further to link the EU's Climate Change Policy with IMP, by developing a strategy for adaptation to climate change in coastal and maritime areas. As part of the developing debate on territorial cohesion, it will be important to ensure that maritime and coastal areas are fully taken into account.

The EU will also have to promote better maritime transport in order to foster co- modality, to implement the concept of the Motorways of the Sea, and to improve the EU programme for short sea shipping. Still aiming at the economic development of maritime activities, it will be necessary to find ways of further stimulating maritime employment and investment in EU–flagged shipping, while remaining determined to advance the idea of clean ships. Indeed, support for innovation and research towards very low or even zero emission ships will continue to be a major part of the Community's response to the strategically important shipbuilding sector. In this manner the EU can give to European shipyards and the marine equipment industry a competitive technological edge over other regions of the world, and will make maritime transport, in particular along the coasts of Europe, safer and more sustainable.

Lastly, the Commission is examining the future funding needs of the IMP. It intends to produce in 2010 a policy document detailing projects and initiatives aimed at further developing the above six strategic directions, following consultations with stakeholders.

The Commission presents a Communication entitled “Towards an Integrated Maritime Policy for better governance in the Mediterranean”. The Communication highlights the mechanisms and tools that should be mobilised to achieve an integrated approach to governing maritime activities in the Mediterranean sea-basin . It is meant to complement the various sectoral actions that the EU promotes in the Mediterranean area. While the Integrated Maritime Policy is primarily addressed to Member States, the Communication calls for stronger co-operation with non-EU Mediterranean partners at the appropriate levels.

It sets out the key challenges , noting that the Mediterranean bears 30% of global sea-borne trade in volume from or into its more than 450 ports and terminals, and a quarter of worldwide sea-borne oil traffic. Its coasts are home to more than 150 million inhabitants, a figure which doubles during the tourist season. Half of the EU’s fishing fleet is active there together with an increasing marine aquaculture production. Pressure on fish stocks is also exerted by vessels from the Southern Mediterranean and non-EU countries.

Improved Maritime Governance : two major problems need to be tacked: (i) in most Mediterranean States, each sectoral policy is pursued by its own administration, just as each international agreement is performed within its own set of rules, rendering an overview of the cumulative impact of maritime activities, including at basin level, a difficult objective to attain; (ii) the large proportion of marine space made up of high seas makes it difficult for coastal States to regulate activities that directly affect their territorial seas and coasts. The combination of these two elements gives rise to a situation where policies tend to develop in isolation from each other and without proper coordination.

The role of Mediterranean coastal States : the Commission will:

propose that High Level Focal Points of Member States regularly address the Mediterranean Sea in order to discuss progress made in integrated maritime policy making; encourage Member States to exchange best practices in integrated maritime governance, in particular through the European Territorial Co-operation Objective programmes for the Mediterranean; set up a working group dedicated to Integrated Maritime Policy, with a view to exchanging best practices with non-EU Mediterranean coastal States; provide technical assistance, under the European Neighbourhood Policy and Partnership Instrument, for Mediterranean partners that express an interest in an integrated approach to maritime affairs, thereby raising awareness and assisting in setting implementation mechanisms.

Governance of the marine space : the Commission states that it will:

support dialogue amongst Mediterranean coastal States through high-level meetings, academic and other international organisations, with a view to improving governance of the marine space; provide an overview of existing agreements and organisations relating to maritime affairs in the Mediterranean; make recommendations for the improvement of cross-sectoral cooperation between existing agreements and organisations; encourage the ratification and concerted implementation of UNCLOS in its bilateral relations; launch a study on the costs and benefits of establishing maritime zones.

Improved stakeholder involvement : the Commission will encourage stakeholder platforms to address Mediterranean Sea issues, with the aim of suggesting priorities on integrated maritime policymaking at basin level. It will explore options for better associating stakeholders from all coastal States.

Crosscutting tools : improved maritime governance needs to be matched by cross-cutting tools, geared at generating additional potential for sea-borne economic growth and securing environmental protection.

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Strategies : the Commission will:

launch a study on MSP in the Mediterranean basin, with the aim of identifying potential areas for its application; thereafter, launch a project to test the application of MSP at sub-regional level and encourage concrete cross-border practices; assist Member States, through a Common Implementation Strategy, to deliver on their obligations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, including a comprehensive assessment by 2010 of marine waters and related uses.

Integrated management in coastal areas and islands : Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) national strategies are being developed by Member States in the Mediterranean and the EC has recently signed a first basin-wide legal instrument on ICZM, adopted within the framework of the Barcelona Convention. The Commission will:

provide a web-based inventory of ICZM)tools, best practices and case studies, with a view to enhance its implementation; support under FP7 the development of the knowledge-base on ICZM in the Mediterranean, with particular focus on international co-operation; test possibilities for strengthening the land-sea interface, in particular linking up terrestrial and maritime planning, through the MSP actions proposed above.

Facilitating knowledge-based action : the Commission will:

pay particular attention to the Mediterranean in setting-up an integrated marine ERA-NET (European Research Area Network) aimed at strengthening coordination in marine research between Member States; define a long-term strategic framework for basin-wide scientific co-operation in the Mediterranean, enabling marine research co-operation to develop within a structured agenda, responding to agreed common challenges; develop a major cross-thematic research effort under FP7, targeted at integrating knowledge on the Mediterranean Sea across all relevant disciplines.

Integrated surveillance for a safer and secure maritime space : lastly, the Commission is:

launching a pilot project to improve co-operation amongst national authorities of Mediterranean Member States responsible for maritime monitoring, and exchange of information between port authorities; presenting a set of principles guiding integrated maritime surveillance in the EU (see summary of COM(2009)0538), so as to move progressively from a sectoral to an integrated approach to maritime surveillance at EU and national level.