Sailing on Europe’s seas
Tackling environmental problems will once again feature heavily in Horizon 2020. The Societal Challenges pillar reflects many of the priorities outlined in the Europe 2020 strategy, with maritime and marine research one such focus. The pillar will encourage pioneering research, the development of innovative solutions and the bringing of new products to market.
The European Commission has defined ‘food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bio-economy’ as one of the six objectives under the pillar, with an expected budget of around €4.1bn.
Addressing delegates in Paris, France at the ‘High Seas, our Future’ conference, the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, set out the importance of continued investment in the research of the world’s oceans and the advancement of scientific knowledge.
“The oceans and seas are still largely unknown. At the EU, we have been engaging the marine and maritime research community. We are working closely with those member states that have extensive knowledge and expertise on the matter, such as France and others. We need to reinforce this dialogue.
“The EU is already doing a lot. In the Seventh Framework Programme, €350m have been spent between 2007 and 2010 to fund 640 marine and maritime-related research projects which have contributed greatly to increase our knowledge of ocean ecosystems. This must be continued. I am proposing, together with my fellow Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn, to enhance the EU support to marine and maritime research in the future EU budget, through Horizon 2020, the new financial instrument for innovation and research,” Damanaki said.
Single policy
The Commission’s Integrated Maritime Policy hopes to provide a more coherent approach to tackling maritime issues, encouraging the greater co-ordination between related policy areas. It covers the crosscutting issues of Blue Growth; marine data and knowledge; maritime spatial planning; integrated maritime surveillance; and sea basin strategies.
“At EU level,” the Commissioner outlined, “the Integrated Maritime Policy is aiming to bring together and co-ordinate a large number of policy areas such as energy, transport, environment, fisheries. Several sea basin strategies, including the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Baltic, the Adriatic and Ionian, have been adopted to better address the maritime specificities of these regions and foster sustainable development coming from seas and oceans.
“In this context, the European Commission’s recently adopted Blue Growth strategy aims precisely at letting Europe tap the growth potential stemming from ocean renewable energy or mining and blue biotechnologies. It comes along with the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive which aims to protect more effectively the marine environment across Europe.”
Global stage
International co-operation is cited as a critical facet in the push to solve the major societal challenges facing the European Union, as well as global humanity. International participation and collaboration is a key element of Horizon 2020 and according to Damanaki, further progress is required.
“Ocean policy and fisheries management are global challenges and they require a global response. We need to work closely with our international partners. I have reached out to the US, Canada, Russia, Norway and now I will be focusing on China and Asia in general, as well as the Pacific. The EU is strongly committed to maintain maritime multilateralism.
“In this sense, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was a turning point in ocean governance. We strongly believe in it as an important factor for global stability, peace and sustainable development. That is why we want to see all members’ states of the United Nations ratifying this Convention,” Damanaki told delegates.
The developments and results of maritime research are not confined to the sector or individuals countries. Many other industries, including the bioeconomy, have benefitted from developments from maritime research and the sector is expected to cut across other Horizon 2020 themes, particularly in the Societal Challenges pillar.
“Today, the number of new products developed from marine species through biotechnology grows by 4% every year. We use these products in the domains of pharmacology, food, cosmetics, agriculture, aquaculture and even biofuel production. We touch upon rare organisms in fragile ecosystems, yet as we are aware, mitigation measures remain unco-ordinated. A multilateral agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is clearly needed here. Biodiversity protection has to be an overarching objective of the international community.
“This is a serious governance gap to be tackled by the international community. Based on the outcome of the Rio+20 conference, which set the deadline for a final decision on the development of such an international instrument by the end of next year, we should make the right move and go for it.”
Through the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy, research investment from Horizon 2020 and international co-operation between the EU and other key states, Damanaki is “committed to protecting the oceans”.
“Sustainability is a key word here. Oceans can deliver smart, green and sustainable growth. We need to make sure that resources are harvested rationally and fairly. We are not there yet. It is now time to take decisive action and move forward.”
Commissioner Maria Damanaki
