MR. George ALEXAKIS, parallel session 3. "Mediterranean Sea Region. laying the conditions. for sustainable growth and jobs"

Transcription

1 parallel session 3 "Mediterranean Sea Region laying the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs" MR. George ALEXAKIS, elected Regional Councillor of Crete, Greece and representative of Crete in CRPM.

2 The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR brings together some 160 Regions from 28 States from the European Union and beyond. It operates both as a think tank and as a lobby for Regions. CRPM - CPMR Representing almost 200 million people, the CPMR campaigns in favor of a more balanced development of the European territory.

3 CRPM - CPMR The CPMR is a unique organization, sub-divided into six geographical commissions, corresponding to the European maritime basins, such as : the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic arc, the Mediterranean, the Balkan & Black sea and the Islands.

4 Crete GREECE

5 Crete GREECE MALTA Region of CRETE Land 317 sq.km sq.km Coast line 140 km km Population hab hab. Density hab./sq.km 82 hab./sq.km Tourist

6 CPMR - "MAREMED" CPMR is one of the partners of the "MAREMED" Project. The MAREMED project is developed within the framework of the creation of an integrated Mediterranean maritime policy. The main aim of the project is to strengthen the coordination of regional maritime policies between themselves and also with those in force at National, European and Mediterranean levels. The project is deals with the following themes:

7 Mare Med INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT POLLUTION ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN COASTAL AREAS FISHERIES DATA MANAGEMENT GOVERNANCE

8 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT o Requires: holistic, integrated coastal management approach. o In the context of (ICZM) multi-level governance must promote the participation and the role of the Regions. o Into account: a flexible approach depending on the related problems in the different /specific geographical contexts. o Lack of specific financial resources dedicated to the implementation of ICZM.

9 INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT o Implementation of ICZM and MSPL: must be carried on in an integrated manner, with a strong cooperation connotation: transnational, cross-border and interregional cooperation. o New initiatives to be taken at Community level should ensure a strong and concrete involvement of the Regions.

10 P O L L U T I O N o When the oil arrives close to, and on, the beach, the local governments are responsible for safety and integrity of goods and people. With small and medium scale of pollution, the means of the States are not deployed automatically and we need to prepare local actors, including the elected representatives responsible, with training and exercises. o Mutual assistance: by organizing simulation exercises in logical areas for the distribution of pollution in the Mediterranean zones

11 ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN COASTAL AREAS o Regions must be involved in the implementation of the upcoming EU strategy for adaptation to climate change, due to their competences and responsibilities. o It s necessary to promote the development of innovative methods to preserve this coastal zone. o We must develop territorial modeling exercises linked to climate change and the impacts of extreme weather events and the evaluation of the damages.

12 ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN COASTAL AREAS We need to foresee future joint projects involving coastal communities on adaptation to climate change. Necessary to foster major trans-regional political initiatives in order to define the common strategy of coastal regions The role of regional authorities in raising public and local stakeholders awareness should be emphasized.

13 F I S H E R I E S Fisheries, aquaculture and shellfish farming play a strategic socio-economic role in Mediterranean coastal Regions by supporting blue growth and ensuring sources of direct and indirect employment. Fisheries is a really complex and multilayered issue.

14 DATA MANAGEMENT For the elaboration, application and evaluation of the European maritime policies, the existence of updated, interoperable and shared data is a basic tool. It is also a motor of innovative capacities in integrated management and protection of coastal zones.

15 Knowledge and analysis of the governance of maritime policies in place are the keys to development towards an integrated maritime policy. GOVERNANCE The distribution of skills, political, technical and financial organization of the partners will be listed. A review will also be made of the methods of consulting with local actors and the population. Sharing this information will be organized with the European Commission bodies in charge of Integrated Maritime Policy and the bodies of the Action Plan for the Mediterranean. The methods of recording the MEDGOVERNANCE project, currently underway, will be tested.

16 The project is focusing on the development of cooperation between technical stakeholders aiming to facilitate: The development of pilot schemes and the development of operational instruments to support territorial maritime policy decision-making; The identification of specific Mediterranean problems encountered in the implementation of the European policies concerned; To ensure that maritime policies developed by regional territories are better exploited by European and Mediterranean authorities; The development of more effective transnational projects and better use of the results of past projects; The development of dialogue on maritime policy in the framework of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. Furthermore, the MAREMED agenda is designed in such a way as to highlight the value of the results within the framework of the preparation of the new financial programming period

17 TEN General Conclusions 1) Blue Growth : a balanced approach of the economic, social and environmental dimensions. 2) Blue Growth s success depends on i) an holistic approach ii) its efficient Implementation 3) Key conditions for Blue Growth: - Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), - adaptation to climate change, - anti-oil pollution - marine data 4) Involvement of Regions (especially coastal regions) as major political partners is necessary in the development of EU Blue Growth approach.

18 TEN General Conclusions 5) Strong budgetary resources for the Regions. 6) More joint territorial projects in order to have more efficiency in coastal management. 7) Maritime basins : suitable level of governance for the management of the IMP. Regions : full partners in the development of maritime basins strategies.

19 TEN General Conclusions 8) Maritime dimension : major dimension of Macro Region approach. 9) MED initiatives contribute to European Macro Regional Strategy. 10) The Bologna Charter is a strong and efficient way to promote joint political initiatives in the field of marine and coastal areas.

20 Possible Q 1 What can the Blue Growth initiative do to ensure that coastal regions thrive in the Mediterranean regionboth through funding (within the framework of the new financial programming period ) and through policy developments? It is so simple: to adopt and implement Regions proposals For example, last Thursday in Marseilles the last Steering Committee of MAREMED took place and reached conclusions, the size of a whole book for each one of the 6 themes. This is ready food, not only for thought, but also for implementation.

21 Possible Q 2 What do you expect to be the benefits of the future Macroregional Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian region and its respective Action Plan? Mediterranean Macro-regional Strategy Adriatic and Ionian useful due their future benefits to regions: cooperation for common confrontation, elaboration, managing solutions, solving problems cooperation without competition is not obvious (states may be competitive, regions cooperate) share enjoyment of solutions

22 Possible Q 3 Is there a best practice with respect to the development of a coastal region in the Mediterranean Sea following the implementation of innovative approaches to maritime governance? There is no one best practice. Each case could be best practice concerning local particularities and common practices.

23 Conclusions to remember There is no one best practice Cooperation between regions >>>>> states Deliver information to the people thank you