A conference in Rotterdam on 10-11 November 2004 marked the end of the stakeholder consultation process on the development of a European Marine Strategy.
The main purpose of the conference was to discuss:
- the basic documents for elaborating the Strategy
- the practical implications of applying the ecosystem approach to provide an integrated management regime
- the implementation of the Strategy and the role of existing regional organisations, in particular the Regional Seas Conventions
A draft version of a new document, a Thematic Strategy for the Protection and Conservation of the European Marine Environment, served as the basis for discussion.
The geographical scope of the Marine Strategy is EC waters, neighbouring states and waters, as well as the EU footprint in other marine areas. The consultation process began with the publication of an EU communication in 2002, “Towards a European Marine Strategy” (COM(2002)539). A first stakeholder conference was organised in Denmark in December 2002.
The Rotterdam conference was attended by around 150 people representing national authorities, regional seas conventions, NGOs and others. Several environmental NGOs presented four key elements they saw as essential for the Strategy to be successful:
- General principles, such as the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP), Best Available Technology (BAT) and the substitution principle, must be reflected
- compliance and implementation of existing commitments and targets must be recognized and promoted
- integration and the ecosystem approach
- transparency and stakeholder dialogue
During the two days, the conference participants were divided into four working groups. The discussions generated a number of conclusions. However, the implementation of the future Strategy, perhaps the most challenging step, could not be properly discussed since that section of the draft Thematic Strategy was not finalised before the meeting. DG Environment has yet to discuss the implementation with DG Fisheries and DG Transport before the Commission produces its final proposal. It therefore remains unclear if the Strategy will deal with the effects of, for example, fisheries and transport on the marine environment.
The process will now continue within the European Commission. An inter-service working group with representatives from DG Environment, DG Fisheries and DG Transport will discuss integrated approaches before the launch of a Thematic Strategy in the first half of 2005. A final Strategy, including long-term commitments, can be expected in 2006. The long-term goal is some kind of legally binding framework, maybe a framework Directive.
Here you can find all the presentations, the conference documents and the report of the conference.