CPMR backs EU Declaration on ‘Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) on Blue Growth’
Adopted on Thursday 20 April, in the framework of a summit of European maritime ministers in Malta, the declaration sets out the EU’s priorities in relation to maritime issues such as blue growth, marine data and knowledge, maritime spatial planning and integrated maritime surveillance.
Following input from the CPMR (The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions), the Declaration refers to the need for the EU’s Blue Growth Strategy to increase the visibility of the value of healthy and productive oceans for the blue economy.
The CPMR is satisfied with the Declaration which provides a solid basis for the further development of the IMP and future EU maritime policies.
The declaration similarly reflects the challenges faced by the peripheral, outermost, coastal and island regions represented by the CPMR, such as climate change and insularity, and calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that these regions benefit from all relevant funding streams addressing their specificities.
The CPMR now calls on the European Council to endorse the declaration as a significant component of the EU’s priorities for jobs, growth and investment.