The Local Dimension To European Maritime Policy, European Maritime Week 2009.

Conference report;  Maritime Conference May09 final report (2.06 MB)

Aberdeenshire Council, in conjunction with the North Sea Commission, East of Scotland European Consortium and the European Commission's Office in Scotland, hosted an international conference in Boddam, Aberdeenshire on 18 and 19 May 2009.

The event explored how best to implement the European Union's integrated Maritime Policy in a way which reflects the needs of local communities and businesses. The event was one of a number of stakeholder events taking place during European Maritime Week 2009.

Monday 18 May 2009

Session 1 - The Strategic Dimension

13:00 Welcome (Aberdeenshire Council & European Commission)

13:15 Keynote Address (European Commission - Maja Kirchner)  Maja Kirchner Speech (2.96 MB)

13:45 A European Parliament Perspective (Elspeth Attwooll, MEP)

14:15 OSPAR Commission: International Co-operation for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR -Sebastian Unger) Sebastian Unger (3.32 MB)

14:45 A Japanese Approach (Professor Hideo Kojimoto) Hideo KOJIMOTO (3.69 MB)

15:15 Panel Discussion

15:45 Coffee break

Session 2 - Stakeholder Perspectives

16:00 Welcome to Session 2 (Kate Dean, Chair of ESEC)

16:15 Scottish Marine Bill (Richard Lochhead, MSP) 

16:45 Community Engagement (Scottish Coastal Forum -Rhona Fairgrieve) Rhona Fairgrieve (2.66 MB)

17:00 A Fisheries Perspective (Scottish White Fish Producers' Association - Mike Park) Mike Park (6.92 MB)

17:15 A Fishing Ports Perspective (European Association of Fishing Ports and Auctions - Pim Visser) Pim Visser (260.67 kB)

17:30 A Ports Perspective (European Sea Ports Organisation - David Whitehead) David Whitehead (612 kB)

17:45 An Offshore Energy Perspective (Iain Todd, AREG) Iain Todd (6.33 MB)

18:00 Panel Discussion

Session 3 - The Way Forward

09:00 Welcome to Session 3 (North Sea Commission - Anders Fasth) Anders Fasth (1.13 MB)

09:15 Maritime Spatial Planning (European Commission - Lieselot Marinus) Lieselot Marinus (7.83 MB)

09:45 The Baltic Sea Strategy (Baltic Sea Commission - Bo Löfgren)

10:15 Coffee Break

10:45 Thematic Workshops

1) Spatial Planning

The aim of this workshop is to explore how best to effectively implement Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the EU. A particular focus of the workshop will be the ‘regional seas' and ‘ecosystem' concepts and the interrelationship between them. Some of the issues which the workshop will focus on include:

- How to ensure local accountability in a transnational planning system;

- How to accommodate the needs of diverse maritime industries;

- How to achieve a high standard of environmental protection.

2) Governance and Democracy

The aim of this workshop is to discuss the challenges of implementing a strategic, cross-sectoral EU policy in a way which meets the needs of EU citizens. A particular focus of the workshop will be the role of local and regional authorities in implementing key components of the EU Maritime Policy. Some of the issues which the workshop will focus on include:

- How to ensure that the Maritime Policy reflects local specificities;

- How to identify and clarify the roles of different levels of governance in implementing the Maritime Policy;

- How to engage with coastal communities and industries to ensure wide stakeholder participation.

3) Capitalising on Maritime Assets

The aim of this workshop is to investigate means of growing and developing Europe's maritime industries. A particular focus of the workshop will be the opportunities presented by the European Maritime Policy for maritime enterprises. Some of the issues which the workshop will focus on include:

- How to balance the needs of traditional and emerging maritime sectors;

- How to explore synergies across different maritime sectors (e.g. through clustering and research);

- How to ensure that the fiscal and legislative regime for delivery of the Maritime Policy reduces the administrative burden for business.

11:45 Financing Maritime Projects (Christian Byrith - INTERREG North Sea Programme) Christian Byrith (464.4 kB)

12:05 Tackling Marine Pollution (Tom Piper - KIMO) Tom Piper (5.4 MB)

12:20 The Way Forward through Stakeholder Engagement (NSRAC - Hugo Andersson)

12:45 Conclusions and Next Steps (Rapporteur)

13:00 End of proceedings and Lunch

14:00 Study Tours/travel to airport and rail station

Tour 1 - Coastal Communities

This tour aims to highlight Aberdeenshire's maritime heritage and demonstrate its continuing importance to local communities and our economy. It will provide case studies of maritime activities carried out along the north Aberdeenshire coast.

Tour 2 - Governance

This tour aims to explore the issue of managing conflict over shared maritime space. Visitors to Aberdeen Harbour will learn of the proposed offshore wind farm development and its potential impact on the busy North East port. The proposed offshore wind farm, led by the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, would aim to provide green electricity, develop employment opportunities in this rapidly growing sector, contribute to national security of energy supply, demonstrate Aberdeen's innovation and proactive approach and underline the city's status as an energy capital.

Both facilities require the use of maritime space, requiring an effective maritime policy which takes account of the needs of different users of the seas. The tour will provide a local example and demonstrate the need for a local dimension to the implementation of the EU Maritime Policy.