In a very important letter, dated June 15th (see attachment), twenty-eight members of the European Parliament write to President Jean-Claude Juncker to firmly draw his attention on the following points (which happen to have been at the origins of the national maritime clusters, and more specifically of the European network of Maritime Clusters ENMC).
– The blue economy covers a big number of various sectors concerned by the sea, hence of various public areas
– The complexity of interactions between these sectors is high, whereas the multitude of actors involved in the bleu economy is huge
– Similarly the number of European bodies involved in maritime issues is impressive
– The strengthening of the coordination of maritime affairs is an absolute necessity
– The confirmed target being to unlock the potential of the (transversal) blue economy for jobs and growth
– The only solution is to create, within the Commission, a (transversal) project team dedicated to blue economy which brings together the relevant commissioners. It being clear that “the project team would be a significant step forward towards a better governance of the blue economy and would give a very encouraging political signal”
These statements are music to the ears of Maritime Clusters managers and executives! They indeed illustrate the actual reason why they have been created, the principles on which they are based, the objectives for which they fight!
As a matter of fact, one could not have found better words to justify that the Commission, beyond and in line with its wishes for having in general more and more clusters as interlocutors (as this was stated in the former Green and Blue Books):
– manages not only to organize itself in a more coordinated and efficient manner re maritime challenges at stake,
– but also makes the necessary decisions to help the current network of maritime clusters to become progressively a full and harmonized “European Maritime Cluster”.
Which is precisely what has been and is currently under positive and quite open discussions between Commissioner Karmenu Vella, the DG Mare administration on the one hand, and the ENMC and its 16 national Maritime Clusters on the other hand!
Letter to President Juncker – blue economy
