Brussels, 13/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 13 September, MEPs adopted a “Marshall Plan for the Atlantic Arc”, as Alain Cadec (EPP, France) put it. The vote was by a show of hands, in Strasbourg, and priority was for the coastal area of Europe. The European Parliament specifically calls on the Commission to establish an Atlantic macro-region and to set in place an action plan 2014-2020 for that purpose. This comes in response to a Commission communication in late 2011 on a strategy for the Atlantic area, to be launched in 2014 with European, national and regional funding. The MEPs' report thus aims to steer the Commission's forthcoming work.
Atlantic Strategy. The French, British, Irish, Spanish and Portuguese coasts are concerned by Atlantic Strategy, which is expected to place emphasis on marine energy, shipbuilding, tourism and sustainable fishing, MEPs point out. The rapporteur, Cadec, explained that Europe's “maritime industries are sectors of excellence with great potential”. His report, moreover, places emphasis on the need for the strategy to support these economic sectors but also to promote the training and access by young people to maritime professions. He also feels that the Parliament's vote will, through improved access, allow the coastal areas and hinterland to be given fresh impetus. MEPs call for the future of the motorways of the sea to be ensured and for more rail links to be developed towards Europe. They regret that the report does not include the Atlantic corridor but covers the area as a whole in Commission proposals for the future of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). Also, they note that too few Atlantic ports are taken up in the network.
Fishing fleet. Cadec welcomes Parliament's support in favour of public aid for renewing the fishing fleet. This, he believes, is an essential point, as the European fishing fleet is ageing, which causes major security problems on board and for the protection of the marine environment. He specified that investment is needed to ensure the sustainability of the fishing model with less polluting, less powerful and safer vessels, which do not increase the overall capacity of the fleet. According to the rapporteur, this stance taken by MEPs “augurs well at a time when talks are beginning on the maritime and fisheries affairs fund”.
Macro-regions highly rated. MEPs are counting on the fact that the next Irish presidency will have this Atlantic strategy adopted as one of the priorities of its mandate, one reads in the report. A similar report by François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, France) in favour of macro-regions in the Mediterranean was adopted in July this year by MEPs. (MD/transl.jl)