Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-07-Speech-3-432"
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"en.20100707.30.3-432"2
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"Madam President, I am in full agreement with the statement of my colleague, Mr Oettinger. Let me add just a few points.
Let me first remind you of an obvious fact which, however, has not been mentioned sufficiently these last few days. This dramatic accident happened at sea. What does that mean? Its consequences are multiple. Beyond the loss of lives, we had an unprecedented ecological disaster that affects the marine and coastal ecosystems, an economic and social catastrophe for tourism, for the fishing industry, as well as many other maritime and coastal activities. As Commissioner Oettinger said before me, it is a moment for us to analyse existing legislation, in order to check if it provides complete coverage for risk management and prevention. We also have to demand guarantees from oil companies, for full safety, referring to all their activities. This is very important. Full safety in all their activities and full application of the polluter pays principle.
Referring especially to my portfolio, if we have a situation where European fisheries become directly affected by a spill, I, as the Commissioner in charge, will take the necessary steps to mitigate the impact on fishermen and their communities as far as possible and adequate.
But I think that now is, above all, the moment to question ourselves on our addiction to oil and to look forward towards better management of the oceans and seas. This dependence on oil clearly comes at a price, which a large part of the population and of maritime stakeholders is no longer willing to pay. I am well informed about this. So we have to understand that there is great potential for future energy from the oceans. We need to put more emphasis on renewable ocean energy – not only offshore wind energy, this is obvious, but I am not only referring to this. I am referring also to sea energy, for example, energy coming from waves, tides, the exploitation of algae or thermal sea potential. This energy is cleaner and will help us to achieve our climate action targets and the diversification of energy sources. It also offers a huge potential for highly qualified new employment in maritime sectors and coastal regions.
Europe is the maritime continent par excellence and we should take the lead in the development of sustainable marine energy sources. We need the tools for a prevention policy as Mr Oettinger said but, at the same time, we need to allow balanced and sustainable exploitation of the marine sources. How can we achieve this?
Integrated maritime special planning can give us this opportunity. It is the key instrument in reconciling conflicting interests in the issue of this space. It can anticipate future challenges and operational skills. Equally, our knowledge of the deep sea is dramatically poor and we have to understand this. Today, for example, nobody can say for sure whether the spill will reach European shores, which creates justified concerns for us. We clearly need to better understand the deep sea. This means that we need to increase our research activities and to develop our maritime surveillance capacities in terms of satellites and equipment in general and with regard to data gathering and modelling.
We are also seeing the need for international cooperation and understanding. So far, only the United States is directly affected but I think it is fair to say that this disaster is also a lesson in humility. We need to share experiences, best practice in governance and disaster response.
In conclusion, the integrated maritime policy of the European Union will help the Commission’s ongoing work and prepare the ground for a secured, balanced and sustainable use of the oceans."@en1
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