Press Release: Commissioner Borg welcomes European Parliament’s support for a new European Maritime Policy

Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, has warmly welcomed the opinion adopted on 12 July 2007 by the European Parliament on a future European Maritime Policy. The Parliament has expressed strong support for an integrated, cross-sectoral approach to the sustainable development of Europe's oceans, seas and coastal areas. The EP report concludes that the Commission's Green Paper has broken new political ground. It states that the proposal for a holistic approach, combining various policy areas such as shipping, tourism, fisheries, port policy and marine environment is fully justified. The report calls on the Commission to move rapidly so as to provide the necessary framework for cohesive decision-making on maritime affairs, and to ensure that these measures are subsequently implemented. In particular, it identifies the contribution which the oceans can make both in understanding and mitigating climate change and in dealing with the impact of global warming on marine ecosystems and maritime activities, as a key test of any future maritime policy.