Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-07-Speech-1-117-000"
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"en.20110307.20.1-117-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to thank Mrs Damanaki for being here this evening to reply to this oral question on the EU strategy for the Atlantic region.
It is not a case of spending more, but of spending more wisely, by fostering the Atlantic dimension of our existing policies. To do this, the strategy must tie in with regional policy and with the integrated maritime policy. It must also attempt to develop links with other policies such as trans-European transport networks, the common fisheries policy, tourism, environmental protection, energy policy and the research and development framework programme.
The strategy should be introduced in 2014 and coordinated with the next multiannual financial framework. The land-based aspect of the strategy will contribute towards the EU’s territorial cohesion objective, primarily through actions to promote better access and communications. These aspects will naturally need to be tied in with maritime policy in order to develop land-sea links in these regions. It is essential that we strengthen North-South connections along our Atlantic seaboard, in particular, by creating motorways of the sea running from Andalusia to Scotland. At the same time, West-East transport infrastructure will need to be developed, along the lines of the high-speed train line model.
I call upon the Commission to propose an action plan setting out its priorities through concrete actions as quickly as possible, with a view to implementing these actions in coordination with EU policies for 2013 and beyond. It will also be essential to get the many partners concerned on board, especially local and regional public bodies and civil society organisations.
Cooperation within the framework of the strategy for the Atlantic region must be based, first and foremost, on the needs of the stakeholders concerned. A consensus must therefore be reached on the political priorities that are established within this framework. In this respect, the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation could be a useful instrument for fostering cooperation between stakeholders in the Atlantic region.
This summarises the outcome of Parliament’s discussions on this strategy. We will be paying close attention to the Commission’s forthcoming proposals and will certainly make a clear, concrete contribution to them.
Commissioner, please could you tell us, if you are in a position to do so of course, what the Commission’s priorities are, how you envisage that this strategy will be introduced, and to what extent you will take Parliament’s proposals into consideration? Mr President, it is definitely better to repeat oneself than to contradict oneself, so I repeat: we are just fine here in Strasbourg.
In June 2010, the Council asked the Commission to develop a European strategy for the Atlantic region by June 2011. I took the initiative, together with a number of fellow Members, to put an oral question to the Commission about this strategy. This oral question was initially signed by over 50 MEPs from all the groups, and I would like to thank them for their support.
A motion for a resolution will also be tabled on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development. I would like to thank the coordinators of the various political groups for their cooperation, which has allowed us to obtain a broad-based consensus. I would also like to thank those Members who have enhanced this text by contributing amendments.
The Atlantic region has its own specific characteristics. In the first instance, it is, of course, a dynamic maritime area, in view of the maritime transport, fisheries and marine energy it is home to. It is also an area with a fragile environment that must be preserved – take the green algae problem for instance – and one that is affected by the consequences of climate change. In addition, it is an outlying area of the European Union that is characterised by access and connectivity problems and by a low number of major city centres.
These particular characteristics give rise to problems that go beyond national borders and for which political solutions must be sought at European level.
The European Parliament resolution therefore asks the Commission to propose that the strategy for the Atlantic region should take the form of an integrated strategy dealing with both maritime and land-based issues. The maritime aspect is vital, as the Atlantic regions share the common feature of being close to the sea. Links with the integrated maritime policy should therefore be encouraged.
The land-based aspect of these strategies is just as important. This concerns issues such as improving access and communications, developing urban and rural areas and strengthening land-sea links. This strategy for the Atlantic region could be incorporated into the ‘territorial cooperation’ cohesion policy objective and could be based on an integrated, cross-domain and territorial approach.
The aim should be to coordinate policy more effectively between the different governance levels, with particular focus on the most relevant issues. The strategy should encompass all the EU regions with an Atlantic coastline, including the adjacent sub-basins and the outermost regions in Macaronesia.
It will also be important to take the strategy’s external dimension into consideration, especially in the areas of maritime safety and surveillance and international trade relations. The strategy for the Atlantic region must facilitate stronger coordination of goals and resources by linking in with the EU 2020 strategy and with EU policy for 2014 and beyond."@en1
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