EU new maritime policy package 'by end October'

EU Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg said yesterday the Commission will be presenting a new maritime policy package, which will also include proposals for new legislation, by the end of October.

Dr Borg was speaking in Aberdeen, Scotland, during the inauguration session of Eur-Ocean 2007, a major marine science policy conference organised by the Commission and considered to be a key stage event in the year-long consultation on the new European maritime policy.

The Commission launched a Green Paper on the maritime policy in June last year with the aim to promote a coherent and joined-up approach to all policies affecting maritime activities and to maximise the synergies between them. The consultation process ends at the end of this month.

"Oceans are the last under-explored domain on the planet. They offer huge potential in areas as varied as aquaculture, blue biotechnology, renewable energy, non-renewable fuels or mineral resources, to name but a few. Oceans are also essential to the understanding and mitigation of climate change. Science and technology are crucial to enabling us to reconcile the economic potential of all sea-based activities with environmental sustainability," Dr Borg told the Aberdeen conference.

The conference brings together leading figures from the European marine research community to discuss the role of marine science and technology in Europe and the challenges presented by the move towards a more integrated maritime policy for the EU.

The conference is expected to conclude with the adoption of the Aberdeen Declaration, which will provide a synthesis of the marine science community's message to the Commission in the context of the ongoing consultation on the Green Paper.