Report 2018/2019 by the Rapporteurs on Integrated Maritime Policy

Report by the Rapporteurs of theBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference(BSPC) on developments inIntegrated Maritime PolicyFinal Version7 August 2019Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBSPCReport by the Rapporteurs ofthe Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference (BSPC) ondevelopments inIntegrated Maritime PolicyFinal Version7 August 2019Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBSPC2The BSPC Rapporteurs onIntegrated Maritime Policy© Schwerin, 2019T ext: Jochen Schulte and Jörgen PetterssonEditing: Bodo Bahr, Georg Strätker andCarmen HohlfeldLayout: produktionsbüro TINUSPhotos: BSPC SecretariatBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBodo BahrSecretary General+49 171 5512557bodo.bahr@bspcmail.netwww.bspc.netBSPC SecretariatSchlossgartenallee 1519061 SchwerinGermanyThe Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference(BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum forpolitical dialogue between parliamentariansfrom the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at rais-ing awareness and opinion on issues of currentpolitical interest and relevance for the BalticSea Region. It promotes and drives various in-itiatives and efforts to support a sustainableenvironmental, social and economic develop-ment of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at en-hancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Regionand its issues in a wider European context.BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11national parliaments, 11 regional parliamentsand 5 parliamentary organisations around theBaltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes aunique parliamentary bridge between all theEU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic SeaRegion.BSPC external interfaces include parlia-mentary, governmental, sub-regional and oth-er organizations in the Baltic Sea Region andthe Northern Dimension area, among themCBSS, HELCOM, the Northern DimensionPartnership in Health and Social Well-Being(NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Forum(BSLF), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Co-operation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Develop-ment Forum.BSPC shall initiate and guide political ac-tivities in the region; support and strengthendemocratic institutions in the participatingstates; improve dialogue between govern-ments, parliaments and civil society; strength-en the common identity of the Baltic Sea Re-gion by means of close co-operation betweennational and regional parliaments on the basisof equality; and initiate and guide political ac-tivities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowingthem with additional democratic legitimacyand parliamentary authority.The political recommendations of the an-nual Parliamentary Conferences are expressedin a Conference Resolution adopted by con-sensus by the Conference. The adopted Reso-lution shall be submitted to the governmentsof the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and theEU, and disseminated to other relevant na-tional, regional and local stakeholders in theBaltic Sea Region and its neighbourhood.3ContentsPreface ....................................................................................... 6A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteursand other Important Events ..................................................... 81. Activities of Jörgen Pettersson and Jochen Schulte ...................... 82. Blue Biotechnology in the BSR – From Science to Business ..... 253. High-level conference on EU ocean policy .............................. 264. 11th Baltic Tourism Forum ................................................... 275. Our Ocean Conference ......................................................... 276. T enth Strategy Forum of the European Union Strategyfor the Baltic Sea Region ...................................................... 307. BSPC Working Group Meeting on Migration andIntegration in Schwerin ....................................................... 318. Meeting of the CPMR Political Bureau in Brestand of the CPMR executive committee in Turku ................... 329. Shippax Ferry Conference ..................................................... 3210. European Maritime Day 2019 and Blue Economy Report ..... 33B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regardto all BSPC members .............................................................. 36I. Blue Growth and overarching aspects ................................. 361. World Bank and EU Commission promote Blue Economy ..... 362. The EU Commission‘s 2019 Work Programme ..................... 363. Maritime Spatial Planning: New international guidelines ..... 364. Common Fisheries ............................................................... 374 Contents5. Blue Bioeconomy ................................................................. 496. Assistance mechanism for investment in the Blue Economy ..... 547. Blue Economy: A new call for proposals to kindlesustainable maritime development across Europe ................... 548. Seafarers’ training: provisional agreement with EuropeanParliament on simpler framework ........................................ 569. Consultations ....................................................................... 56II. Energy aspects with regard to maritime policy ................. 581. Nordstream 2 and the Interregional Group in theEuropean Committee of the Regions ...................................... 582. EU competition rules also apply to gas pipelines fromthird countries such as Nordstream 2 ..................................... 583. Report on new technologies in the ocean energy sector ............. 594. Consultations ....................................................................... 62III. Infrastructural aspects with regardto maritime policy ................................................................. 621. The European Atlas of the Seas ............................................. 622. Port calls: Reporting obligations for ships will be simplified .... 623. EU invests 800 million euros in energy infrastructure ............ 634. Court of Justice of the European Union againstplanned state aid for Fehmarnbelt tunnel .............................. 635. Safer Seas through EU Common InformationSharing Environment .......................................................... 646. New insights into European maritime traffic ......................... 657. EMODNET launches new “street view” of the seabed ........... 668. Consultations ....................................................................... 675 ContentsIV . Environmental aspects with regardto maritime policy including climate protection ................... 681. Measures of the EU member states to protect seasand oceans ........................................................................... 682. Approaches to curb marine litter ........................................... 693. Report of the EU Commission on the implementationof the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: EU memberstates enhance their measures to protect themarine environment ............................................................ 704. Voluntary protection of harbour porpoises anddiving ducks in the Baltic .................................................... 715. The Challenges of Unexploded Munitions in the Sea .............. 716. Consultations ....................................................................... 72List of Abbreviations .............................................................. 736 PrefacePrefaceThis report summarizes the developments in the Integrated MaritimePolicy (IMP) field since the renewed appointment of MP Jörgen Pet-tersson (Åland Islands) and MP Jochen Schulte (Mecklenburg-Vor-pommern) as BSPC Maritime Rapporteurs by the Standing Com-mittee at the conference in Hamburg, Germany. It reflects the greatsignificance, which the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference attachesto maritime policy issues and to the common sea-related challengesand opportunities of our time, mainly addressing EU legislative de-velopments in the field and selectively referring to important mari-time events the BSPC Maritime Rapporteurs have attended: An over-view on a number of important events such as the Annual Forum ofthe European Strategy on the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) inGdańsk, the Our Ocean Conference in Bali, the European MaritimeDay in Lisbon and the Åland Maritime Day in Mariehamn is givenin Section A of the report. A focus also lies on activities and recom-mendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) andthe European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA).In Section B, legislative developments at the EU level with regard toBlue Growth and overarching aspects are presented next to energy,infrastructural and environmental aspects with regard to maritimepolicy.Jochen Schulte Jörgen Pettersson7 PrefaceA total of almost 20 million people live on the shore of the BalticSea, which is one of the busiest traffic areas in the world. It is an im-portant contributor to global maritime industry and trade, and itsregions generate an income above the EU average.The reporting period comprised the European elections of May2019, the tenth anniversary of the EUSBSR and its revision as wellas continued negotiations on the multiannual financial frameworkas significant landmarks affecting IMP .The European Parliament and the Council have reached importantagreements, for instance on single-use plastics and fishing gear,which was a crucial step to reduce marine litter.Yet, the EU-27, being also strong proponents of international oceangovernance, achieved in the global SDG-ranking on average theirworst results concerning the implementation of SDG 14 “Conserveand sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sus-tainable development”.1 The HELCOM’s “State of the Baltic Sea”assessment shows signs of improvements on the way to reach goodenvironmental status by 2020, but it also indicates persisting prob-lems: In the Baltic, none of the habitats assessed had a favourablestatus, and 71% had an unfavourable and declining status.Therefore, continuous efforts are necessary to preserve the BalticSea, our regional common good, as a basis for our well-being andeconomic success.As Baltic Sea Region Parlamentarians, we will continue observingthe developments in the important field of IMP .Mariehamn, 27 August 2019Jochen Schulte Jörgen PetterssonMaritime Rapporteur Maritime Rapporteur1 UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index Eurostat, Sustainable development in theEuropean Union, ed. 2018.8 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsA – Activities of the MaritimeRapporteurs and otherImportant Events1. Activities of Jörgen Pettersson and Jochen SchulteAmong the main maritime events and meetings rapporteur JörgenPettersson participated in, a meeting at the European CommunityShipowners’ Association (ECSA) headquarter with General Secre-tary Martin Dorsman on 22 February 2019 is to be mentioned, aswell as the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) Expert Group forSustainable Maritime Economy meeting in Jurmala/ the BSC Mar-itime Working Group on sustainable ports from 3-4 April 2019. Inaddition, Jörgen Pettersson participated in the Åland Maritime Dayin Mariehamn on 9 May 2019, in the Horizon Future Energy Dagin Oslo on 3 June 2019, as well as in the Nor-shipping trade fair inOslo from 4-7 June 2019 and the Nordic Marine Insurance Confer-ence 2019.The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) is a vital part of the global maritimeindustry. Since 2015, the Baltic became a part of the Sulphur Emis-sion Control Area (SECA), where only low-sulphur fuel or scrub-bers are allowed. Only in 2020, the rest of the world will follow,which puts the operators in the Baltic Sea in a good position interms of technical knowledge. The cluster is vital for the economicand social development in the BSR and the rest of the world.This section of the report focusses on areas where the internationalshipping associations, e.g. ECSA and the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO), call for action in order to attract personnel tothe sector and to build a more sustainable industry.Shipping in Europe and BSR make a real impact: Roughly 90% ofworld trade is carried by ships. 76% of the EU’s external trade isshipped by sea, and European shipowners control 40% of theworld’s fleet.Highlighted areas and game changers are gender equality, safety,sustainability, automation, digitalization, sulphur cap, blue growthand marine litter.9 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsGender equality is vital for the whole of the industryPromoting and empowering women is still a dominant themethroughout the maritime community: IMO hosted a special eventat the Nor-Shipping exhibition (6 June) to highlight some of thechallenges – and the solutions – around encouraging women to takeup seafaring roles.An all-female panel of experts, with many years’ combined seafaringexperience, addressed some of the issues they have faced and whichstill need to be tackled. Many were simple yet vital things. One pan-ellist spoke of the absence of sanitary products on board (despiteshaving equipment being readily available) or a means to dispose ofthem. Another mentioned the real threat of sexual harassment andeven assault. Another said she had experienced a stream of belittlingcomments from fellow crew members and felt a continuous need toprove herself.However, the overall tone was positive, with a strong feeling that anew generation of both male and female seafarers were no longerfinding women at sea so surprising or difficult to cope with. Therewas a clear view that more female role models and mentors, as wellas females in senior positions were needed, and that this idea wouldassert itself with the generational shift.All the panellists spoke in inspirational terms about the rewards ofa maritime career and praised the many networking and mentoringorganisations now established for women in the maritime area.IMO itself has a long-standing gender equality programme and hashelped establish seven regional associations for women in the mari-time industries.Earlier during Nor-Shipping, IMO’s gender equality programmemanager Helen Buni launched a new project with Women’s Inter-national Shipping and T rading Association (WISTA) to measureexactly how many women are working in the maritime industry.Encouraging more women to work in the shipping sector is widelyseen not only as desirable in its own right but also a vital source oflabour for an industry frequently predicting human-resource short-falls in the years to come.This year, IMO’s theme for World Maritime Day is “EmpoweringWomen in the Maritime Community”, and this is echoed in the2019 Day of the Seafarer campaign which will ask maritime profes-sionals regardless of gender to say “I Am On Board” with genderequality at sea.10 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsSafety Matters – always priority Number OneThe Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has met for its 101st sessionfrom 5-14 June 2019, with an agenda encompassing, among otherthings, maritime autonomous ships, polar shipping and goal-basedstandards. A number of draft amendments were to be adopted, includ -ing amendments to mandatory codes covering the carriage of poten -tially hazardous cargoes: the MSC was set to adopt the draft consoli -dated edition of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code(IMSBC Code), and a comprehensive set of draft amendments to theInternational Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Car -rying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code).The MSC was updat -ed on the regulatory scoping exercise on maritime autonomous surfaceships, taking into account different levels of autonomy. On polar ship -ping, the MSC was expected to approve draft guidance for navigationand communication equipment intended for use on ships operating inpolar waters and to further consider how to move forward with devel -oping requirements for ships operating in polar waters but not current -ly covered by the Polar Code. A new agenda item looked at fuel oilsafety. A range of guidance and guidelines were to be approved, includ -ing those related to standardization and performance standards fornavigational equipment, linked to the development of e-navigation.Sustainability and balance, future challengesIMO Secretary General Kitack Lim delivered a strong reminderabout the vital importance of balanced and sustainable develop-ment to the delegates at the Ocean Leadership conference atthe Nor-Shipping 2019 conference in Oslo on 4 June 2019.In a keynote address, Mr Lim spoke of the UN Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDGs) as a unifying factor animating global effortsto improve the lives of people everywhere. He confirmed IMO’sstrong commitment to the 2030 Sustainability Agenda and remind-ed the delegates that IMO’s environment regulations were drivingmany of the technology innovations being showcased at theNor-Shipping exhibition.He highlighted moves to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, re-ducing the sulphur content of ships’ fuel oil, requiring strict ballastwater management and adopting the Polar Code as outstanding re-cent examples of IMO’s own sustainability agenda.“Events such as this”, he said, “remind us that the world is no longerprepared to accept services or industries that are simply cost-effective.11 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsWe now demand them to be green, clean, energy-efficient and safe.Through IMO, governments ensure that shipping is responding tothat challenge.”Blue Growth is good for everyoneWhat is maritime development and why is it important? Isn’t one ofthe biggest challenges the failure to appreciate the value of the mar-itime sector? These are the questions being raised by IMO at theGrowing Blue Conference in Maputo, Mozambique (23-24 May).“Ultimately, more efficient shipping, working in partnership with aport sector supported by governments, will be a major driver to-wards global stability and sustainable development for the good ofall people”, said IMO’s Chris T relawny, speaking at the event.IMO’s Maritime Development programme is assisting countries todevelop sustainable blue economies and achieve the Sustainable De-velopment Goals by working to help IMO Member States to devel-op innovative policies and strategies to respond to the needs ofcountries at the national, regional and global levels. This includessupporting development of national port and shipping sectors, pro-moting seafaring and shipping-related work as viable employmentoptions for young people, both male and female, and facilitating re-gional maritime trade to foster manufacturing and export of fin-ished products in addition to raw materials, leading to increasedand sustainable employment opportunities ashore.More than 500 participants, including UN Special Envoy forOceans, Peter Thomson, various ministers and the Presidents ofMozambique and the Seychelles took part in the Conference. Itbuilt on the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference held in Kenyain November 2018, which featured forward-looking IMO sideevents on sustainable blue economy, integrating women in the mar-itime sector and reducing GHG emissions from ships.Marine litter is a threat to all of usA new set of publicly available guidelines for monitoring plasticsand microplastics in the oceans will help to harmonize how scien-tists and others assess the scale of the marine plastic litter problem.The “Guidelines for the Monitoring and Assessment of Plastic Lit-ter and Microplastics in the Ocean” have been published by the12 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsJoint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Envi-ronmental Protection (GESAMP), a body that advises the UnitedNations system on the scientific aspects of marine environmentalprotection. The guidelines cover what to sample, how to sample itand how to record and assess plastics in the oceans and on the shore-line, including establishing baseline surveys. They include recom-mendations, advice and practical guidance for establishing pro-grammes to monitor and assess the distribution and quantity ofplastic litter, also referred to as plastic debris, in the ocean.The guidelines include common definitions for categories of marinelitter and plastics, examples of size and shape, how to design moni-toring and assessment programmes, samples and surveys. Sectionscover citizen science programmes, which involve members of thepublic in marine litter surveys and research. There are detailed chap-ters on monitoring sea surface floating plastic and plastic on the sea-floor.The full set of guidelines is available for download free-of-chargefrom the GESAMP website. The guidelines can be used by nation-al, inter-governmental and international organisations with respon-sibilities for managing the social, economic and ecological conse-quences of land- and sea-based human activities on the marine en-vironment.The guidelines are responding to the hitherto lacking international-ly agreed methodology to report on the distribution and quantity ofmarine plastic litter and microplastics. They directly contribute tothe UN SDG Goal 14 on the oceans. Specifically, the guidelines area response to target 14.1: “By 2025, prevent and significantly re-duce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based ac-tivities, including plastic debris and nutrient pollution.” Sea-basedsources of marine litter, in particular from the fishing and shippingindustries are a significant component of marine litter with severeimpacts on the marine environment, food security, animal welfareand human health, safety and livelihoods.Even though IMO pioneered the prohibition of plastics’ disposalfrom ships anywhere at sea almost 30 years ago, it is constantly re-viewing practices in order to improve them. More details about itsaction plan were presented at the event, such as the use of adequatereception facilities at ports and terminals for the reception of gar-bage and its recommendation, that “all shipowners and operatorsshould minimize taking on board material that could become gar-bage”.13 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsSulphur 2020 limit will make a differenceIMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has called for Member Statesand the entire maritime sector, including shipping and ports, tocome on board to achieve the ambitions set out in the historic IMOinitial strategy for reducing GHG emissions from internationalshipping, adopted last year. The strategy makes a firm commitmentto a complete phase out of GHG emissions from ships, a specificlinkage to the Paris Agreement and a series of clear levels of ambi-tion, including at least a 50 per cent cut in emissions from the sec-tor by 2050.“We need to focus on technology transfer and research and develop-ment (R&D), we need expertise, we need IMO’s Member States tocome together as one, we need the Member States to bring forwardconcrete proposals to IMO. We need to involve all maritime sectors– not just shipping. Investment in port infrastructure is just as im-portant”, Secretary-General Lim said. He was speaking at the HighLevel Conference on Climate Change and Oceans Preservation, inBrussels, Belgium (19 February). The strategy includes a series ofcandidate measures that might be applied to achieve these targets inthe short, medium and long term. The detailed work of agreeing,which of these scenarios will actually be adopted to realise these am-bitions, is now under way.Mr. Lim said that the initial steps – the candidate short-term meas-ures – are likely to include strengthening the Energy Efficiency De-sign Index (EEDI) and the Shipboard Energy Efficiency Manage-ment Plans (SEEMP) for ships, as well as gathering information un-der the fuel-oil data collection scheme.In the mid-term (before 2030), he highlighted the need to make ze-ro-carbon ships more attractive and to direct investments towardsinnovative sustainable technologies and alternative fuels. In thiscontext, the reduced sulphur limit for ships’ fuel oil, which entersinto force on 1 January 2020, “should be seen as not only a land-mark development for the environment and human health but alsoas a proxy “carbon price” – increasing the attractiveness of low-er-carbon fuels or other means of propulsion for ships”.T echnology and automationIMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has highlighted the need toconsider seafarer training and standards as shipping evolves, withincreasing levels of technology and automation. Speaking at IMO14 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsHeadquarters (15 January) at the launch of a new report “T ransport2040: Automation, Technology and Employment - the Future ofWork”, Secretary-General Lim set out key questions that will re-quire recognition by all stakeholders: “How will the seafarer of thefuture manage the challenges related to an increasing level of tech-nology and automation in maritime transport? How will the newtechnologies affect the nature of jobs in the industry? What stand-ards will seafarers be required to meet with respect to education,training and certification to qualify them for the jobs of the future?”An important strategic direction for IMO is the integration of newand advancing technologies into the regulatory framework - balanc-ing the benefits of new and advancing technologies against safetyand security concerns, the environmental impacts and implicationsfor international trade, the potential costs to the industry and theireffect on personnel, both on board and ashore. “Member States andthe industry need to anticipate the impact these changes may haveand how they will be addressed,” Mr. Lim said.The International T ransport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and theWorld Maritime University T ransport 2040 report is the first-ever,independent and comprehensive assessment of how automationwill affect the future of work in the transport industry, focusing ontechnological changes and automation in road, air, rail and mari-time transport. The report concludes that the introduction of auto-mation in global transport will be “evolutionary, rather than revolu-tionary,” and that “despite high levels of automation, qualified hu-man resources with the right skill sets will still be needed in the fore-seeable future.” Technological advances are inevitable, but they willbe gradual and vary by region. They will affect workers in differentways, based on their skill levels and the varying degrees of prepared-ness of different countries.Mr. Lim welcomed the report, noting that it would contribute tothe efforts of the global shipping community to help implement theSDGs, including the goals on quality education, gender equality,decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infra-structure.ECSA’s strategic priorities for 2019-2024The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) wasfounded in 1965 and represents the national shipowners’ associa-tions of the EU and Norway. The European shipowners control40% of the global commercial fleet, contribute 147 billion to the15 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsEU GDP and provide 2.1 million Europeans with careers both onboard and ashore. ECSA promotes the interests of European ship-ping so that the industry can best serve European and internationaltrade in a competitive free business environment to the benefit ofshippers and consumers.In a globalised world, the seamless and sustainable transport ofgoods and passengers is a key enabler for growth and prosperity.90% of everything we consume travels to us by sea. Without anydoubt, shipping is at the very centre of our globalised world. TheEuropean shipping industry is a success story and a geostrategic as-set to the EU to face global challenges. European shipowners oper-ate one of the largest, youngest and most innovative fleets in theworld. With its container ships, tankers, passenger ships, bulk car-riers and many other specialised vessels, the EU shipping fleet isvery diversified. The fleet also boasts one of the best safety recordsin the world. The industry is firmly anchored in the European econ-omy with a strong presence of shipping companies, the backbone ofthe maritime cluster and with a unique Short Sea Shipping sectorserving the EU transport network. With a global geographical out-reach, the EU shipping industry is also active in all markets aroundthe world, facilitating trade to and from the EU and substantiallyengaging in cross-trading. EU shipping directly employs over640,000 people working at sea and on shore. It supports over 1.4million people through indirect and induced employment. Throughthese professionals, this industry retains a wealth of maritimeknowledge, skills and heritage unique in the world. This Europeanknow-how should be cherished and protected, so as not to be lost toother regions in the world. Shipping is a sustainable mode of trans-port and is committed to working towards becoming carbon neu-tral within this century. Numerous efforts are being taken by EUshipowners to find innovative solutions to drive the industry to-wards a greener future, including in key areas such as air emissions,waste, and the protection of marine life. The industry embracesthese challenges and is committed to take the global lead for agreener future.The shipping industry is changingOur world is changing, driven by challenges such as climate changeand societal questions, barriers to free trade and security concerns.These challenges are global and should be addressed through robustregulations set by international bodies. Within the framework ofthese rules, the EU shipping industry is committed to placing itselfat the forefront of change. EU shipowners will keep contributing to16 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventsthis process through pro-active engagement and a drive towards in-novation. Effective representation of the industry is only possiblewith transparent and accessible regulators. We invite the EU to seeour contribution as an opportunity to strive for better regulation.This will benefit the quality of its rules and ensure an effective up-take of its initiatives by industry. With this in mind, EU shipownersare committed to fostering an open dialogue with regulators. We areconvinced this will help to achieve the goals we have set for our-selves in six priority areas: T rade, Human Resources, Competitive-ness, Climate, the Internal Market, and Innovation & Digitalisa-tion. Europe should be proud of its shipping heritage and of itsunique industry. Building its extensive knowledge and know-how,the EU shipping industry is committed to turning current challeng-es into a growth opportunity for Europe.TradeAs mentioned above, shipping is the backbone of global trade. Thesector enjoys a high degree of liberalisation, and EU shipowners stillbenefit substantially from free and open access to internationalshipping markets. However, current geopolitical developments arecalling into question the principles of free, rule-based trade andopen markets. This is putting global trade under increased pressure.It is important - now more than ever - to avoid taking open marketaccess for granted, and for the shipping industry to raise its voice inorder to ensure an open and level playing field worldwide. There-fore, ECSA will continue to:• Support the EU’s free trade agenda and oppose growingcommercial and maritime protectionism.• Advocate for the shipping industry to take centre stage inany EU trade and development policy agenda.• Call for free and equal access to international maritimetransport services through EU trade and maritimeagreements.• Support seamless movements of seafarers, personnel,passengers and goods in a post-Brexit Europe.• Advocate for EU efforts to ensure secure seas across theglobe.17 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Events• Advocate for a clear mandate for EU delegations in thirdcountries to assist EU companies with market access relatedissues.CompetitivenessThe EU shipping sector benefits from a policy framework which isoverall strong and consistent. The EU Guidelines on State Aid toMaritime T ransport and EU-approved measures in the form of na-tional tonnage tax regimes and seafarers’ taxation have been a pre-condition for the competitiveness of EU shipowners, allowing themto grow their controlled fleet to 40% of the overall world tonnage.However, as other global shipping centres around the world gainground with intensive support from their governments, preservingand improving the existing policy framework is essential to keep theEU shipping industry competitive. Going forward, ECSA callsupon regulators to:• Maintain the effectiveness of the existing Guidelines onState Aid to Maritime T ransport and ensure an efficient andswift EU approval process for national state aid measures.• Support the creation of attractive EU ship financingschemes. New instruments such as Horizon Europe and theforthcoming Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) II mustsupport the shipping sector in its research and innovation(R & I) and deployment efforts.• Retain ship financing expertise and capacity in Europe andensure EU shipowners can continue to secure adequate andattractive financing from banks in Europe.• Develop a benchmarking exercise to map out what thirdcountries are offering in terms of competitiveness and othergrowth initiatives, to ensure the EU is not losing out.ClimateIn April 2018, the IMO adopted a historic climate strategy, settingthe shipping industry’s path towards a carbon neutral future. It re-quires that by 2050, global shipping must reduce its CO2 emissionsby at least 50% compared to 2008 levels. Furthermore, GHG emis-sions from international shipping should be phased out as soon aspossible in this century. This is the first time, sector-specific CO218 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventstargets have been set on a global scale. EU shipowners support thisambitious step change and are committed to being part of the solu-tion through their continued investment in innovative and sustain-able solutions. New means of propulsion, new fuels and collabora-tion with partners in the supply chain are necessary to ultimatelyreach full decarbonisation. In this context, ECSA calls for:• Global rules developed at international level to avoidreducing the competitiveness of European shipping.• The EU to play a constructive role at IMO level.• EU support for R & I that will help drive the sector towardsa carbon-neutral future.• Funding from the EU that will help the deployment ofprojects aiming to reduce maritime GHG emissions.Internal marketsJust as much as global shipping “moves” the world, intra-EU ShortSea Shipping has the potential to move Europe. Short Sea Shippingtransports goods and people sustainably across Europe and its clos-est neighbours and enables trade with our neighbours. However, itis easy to see that more can be done to increase the share of goods(and passengers) carried by sea. Despite being a sustainable solu-tion, Short Sea Shipping only moves 32% of goods within the EUcompared, for example, to road transport (49%). To remedy this,ECSA calls upon regulators to:• Complete the internal market for shipping: other modesalready benefit from the absence of customs checks whencrossing Member State’s borders within the EU.• Fully and rapidly harmonise and digitalise reporting of shipformalities when entering EU ports.• Complete the T rans-European T ransport Network (TEN-T)and eliminate bottlenecks. A truly multimodal transportsector of which Short Sea Shipping is an important part canonly be achieved with safe, efficient and connectedinfrastructure.19 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsHuman resourcesThe overarching framework for human resources in the shipping in-dustry is the International Maritime Labour Convention and theInternational Convention on Standards of T raining, Certificationand Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW). Within this framework,EU shipping employs 640,000 people on board and onshore, andcreates meaningful career opportunities for young people. The EUshipping industry cannot exist without skilled professionals. Thisrepresents a wealth of knowledge and expertise that should be pro-tected and preserved. For this reason, ECSA is committed to:• Continue working with the European T ransport Workers’Federation (ETF) as social partners to maintain and buildon the successes of the Shipping Social Sector Dialogue.• Ensure that existing competences and skills remain inEurope by promoting seafaring and maritime careers inparticular for young men and women with a focus on skillsfor the future.Innovation and digitalisationIn these times of rapid changes, investing in innovation and digital-isation is vital for the sustainability and competitiveness of the EUshipping industry. With this objective in mind, ECSA calls for:• A fair and increased share of Research & Innovation supportto be allocated to waterborne transport.• EU R&I schemes to support innovative shipping solutionssuch as alternative fuels and means of propulsion,digitalisation and automation of operations, as well as safeand secure navigation.20 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsSource: Eurostat.Rapporteur Jochen Schulte gathered information mainly from the8th Conference on the future of the Maritime Economy in Rostock,27-28 November 2018 and from the 12th Baltic Forum on cooper-ation in the field of digitalisation, which took place on 28 March2019 in Schwerin.Important topics identified by Jochen Schulte during the past re-porting period were, among others, the issue of digitalisation inmaritime transport as well as skilled labour in the maritime sector:Concerning maritime transport and the maritime data space, thereare new possibilities arising from overarching, unrestricted cloudapplications like for instance SeaSWIM (Sea System Wide Informa-tion Management) or MCP (Maritime Connectivity Platform) inSea T raffic Management. They allow for the provision and mainte-nance of a secure, harmonized way of communication within themaritime industry.In the realm of logistics, the project VESTVIND at the TechnicalUniversity of Hamburg is elaborating a predictive model, which isable to assess arrivals of lorries and vessels. Following digitizationtrends, harbours are modernizing, using electronic files, warehouseapps, automatic harbour entrances, radio frequency identification(RFID) transponders to make inventory and smartphones to giveworking tasks to employees. Additionally, they are stretching outfor internet of things (IoT) applications, 3-D truck control systemsfor staple commodities, blockchain-analyses for bulk commoditiesas well as drones for ground surveillance.21 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsRegarding combined transport, of which rail traffic forms an im-portant part (80%), Jochen Schulte emphasises the importance ofpaperless supply chains.Innovation has led to the creation of “smart waggons”, whose innercargo arrangement can be checked. Special apps are capable of lo-cating the position of single containers. Related problems still areIT and data security next to the dissemination of broadband and5G technology.Regarding autonomous ships and e-mobility, research is also ad-vancing: Already today, there are energy-saving ferries, tugs and fire-boats, which can drive autonomously in short ranges. There are spe-cial areas designated to test autonomous ships. Autonomous navi-gation systems to avoid collisions also have been successfully tried.The Norwegian Yara Birkeland project for example, approved bythe state of Norway, will probably be the first autonomous naviga-tion system in operation by 2020, saving 98% energy on its routeto transport fertilizers from a production site to the next place oftransshipment.Captain’s bridges’ automatisation is being enhanced through betterequipment with cameras, sensors and provision of weather data. Inaddition, research is done to display such data in a better way (vir-tual reality), and to improve itineraries by optimising the exchangeamong ships and their communication with authorities. Object rec-ognition is also being improved.In the area of shipbuilding 4.0, so-called digital twins, i.e. digitalcopies of material objects, are used as assistant systems to supportdata collection and processing during installation to reduce errorand costs. They are also useful in supporting maintenance on-boardin overcoming language barriers.Shipyards are applying robotics, automatised welding, laser paint-ing, laser measuring, laser sounding, and digitalisation has lead toprocess optimisation in sectional construction. Digital tools are alsomeant to be employed in production control. Shipyards also utiliseintelligent welding robots in shipbuilding (e.g. applying laser track-ers), where components are usually large and accessibility is limited.Yet, in the field of large structures in production engineering, thereare today almost no robots in use for niche applications; nowadays,mainly large robots, mobile robots, lightweight robots, bionic ro-bots (with trunk system) and cable robots are applied. Automatisa-tion has also reached routine tasks offshore, like inspections of22 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventspontoons carrying wind turbines, where underwater techniques arehelping to plan and supervise interventions. They are also support-ing production and first-aid measures. Remotely operated vehiclescan assess whether technical underwater equipment is damaged.This is done through immediate vicinity inspections, ultrasonicthickness gauge or potential measurement.For the future, visual and acustic monitoring is planned, and effi-ciency of the techniques is supposed to be enhanced through aug-mented reality (AR)1, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence(AI) applications.Among the several implications of autonomous shipping, thechanging job outline, jurisdiction, liability, profitability but alsohigh demands with regard to software security are to be named. Inthe field of autonomous shipping, the biggest challenges are to cre-ate international rules within the IMO and the flag states by mutu-al consent, next to the definition of industrial standards.In addition, informing young people about job opportunities in themaritime economy remains one of the biggest challenges.21 Augmented reality refers to applications where virtual reality and reality are combined withone another in real time three-dimensionally.2 8. Zukunftskonferenz der Maritimen Wirtschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns, IHK, 27./ 28.November 2018.23 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsLatest Studies on SECA ImplementationThree latest studies on the implementation of the SECA regulationswritten as part of the ”Environmental Impact of Low Emission Ship-ping: Measurements and Modelling Strategies (EnviSuM)”-Projectare analysing the SECA-related developments regarding innovation,administrative burden for the maritime sector, as well as the motivesfor “relatively good” SECA regulation compliance3 in the BSR.Evidence found by Lähteenmäki-Uutela et al. (2019a) is suggestingthat regulatory compliance regarding SECA led to a knowledge de-velopment that has made it possible for clean-tech companies to en-gage in entrepreneurial activities, which created new markets.4Some companies started selling emission abatement technologiesfirst to regional markets in the Baltic and North Sea SECA. Theyexpect an increasing demand due to the forthcoming global SOxemission/ carbon regulations, and some see their business harmedby the low SECA enforcement. The results of the study are empiri-cally supporting the Technological Innovation Systems theory andthe Porter hypothesis, implying that regulations on environmentalemissions can promote eco-innovation. The article is also providingqualitative evidence on how businesses see environmental regula-tion.5 The authors are mentioning the challenges of scepticismabout the reliability of clean technology, possible future regulationthat would render existing technology inadequate and possible3 Lähteenmäki-Uutela, Anu, Johanna Yliskylä-Peuralahti, Sari Repka and Johan Mellqvist(2019b): What explains SECA compliance: Rational calculation or Moral judgement?, in:WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs 18, pp. 61–78. The authors are concluding from inter-views conducted in April 2019 that shipowners’ motivation for SECA compliance was afeared loss of reputation and customers, but the response rate was rather low (27%). Regard-ing compliance with the forthcoming global 2020 sulphur limit (max 0.5% sulphur in shipfuel), respondents to the survey are expecting a great variation in compliance. In their view,this is due to lacking monitoring and enforcement mechanisms as well as ship registrationloop-holes and a lack of capability or willingness to enforce the rules by some coastal and flagstates.4 Lähteenmäki-Uutela, Anu, Johanna Yliskylä-Peuralahti, Eunice Olaniyi, T eemu Haukioja,Sari Repka, Gunnar Prause and Olena De Andres Gonzalez (2019a): “The impacts of thesulphur emission regulation on the sulphur emission abatement innovation system in the Bal-tic Sea region“, in: Clean T echnologies and Environmental Policy.5 Lähteenmäki-Uutela, Anu, Johanna Yliskylä-Peuralahti, Eunice Olaniyi, T eemu Haukioja,Sari Repka, Gunnar Prause and Olena De Andres Gonzalez (2019a): “The impacts of thesulphur emission regulation on the sulphur emission abatement innovation system in the Bal-tic Sea region“, in: Clean T echnologies and Environmental Policy.24 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventsproblems with finding skilled labour for the clean-tech companies.Scrubber technology, for instance, is reliant on keeping heavy fuelas main source of energy for ships while the need to abate GHG ispressing.6 SECA regulations have triggered incremental innova-tions, the authors are supposing, and in their eyes have been suffi-cient to create markets for low sulphur fuels, exhaust gas scrubbersand sulphur monitoring technologies. Yet, radical or systemic inno-vation would necessitate setting up a different set of regulatory re-quirements, whereas scrubbers are seen to be preventing or delayingdisruptive innovation in the maritime transports industry.7Olaniyi et al. (2019) are identifying SECA information obligations8of maritime actors and are showing that the administrative burden ofSECA regulations is different for ship owners and maritime authori-ties: The annual administrative burden for ship owners sums up toabout 2.7 million Euro (less than 2000 EUR per ship), whereas theadditional administrative cost for all maritime authorities in the BSRonly amounts to about 260.000 Euro.9 The authors are concludingthat the administrative burden related to SECA regulations is ne-glectable for the time being, and that the ex-ante calculation overesti-mated the impact on the maritime industry in this regard.Lähteemäki-Uutela et al. (2019b) are mentioning that overall airquality in the BSR has improved significantly and that the SECAcompliance rate in Danish waters is above 90%, which is also thecase near Gothenburg. The individual companies breaking the rulesare always the same. Another non-compliance pattern discovered inrecent research consist in vessels rarely entering the Baltic Sea breakthe rules more frequently; the most common breaches are6 Ibd.7 Ibd.8 Olaniyi et al. 2019 SECA regulatory impact assessment: Administrative burden costs in theBaltic Sea Region, in: Transport and T elecommunication, 2019, volume 20, no. 1, p. 66and p. 70: For shipwoners these consist in recording into bunker delivery notes, time spent re-cording regarding fuel sample/ scrubber emissions logbook/ waste disposal logbook/ fuelswitchover. The authors are also mentioning training/ hiring of staff, awareness raisingamong staff-members about SECA, installations and maintenance next to time spent on ap -plying for subsidies, grants and loans. For maritime authorities administrative tasks aremainly compliance checks of ships in national ports (on-board logbook checks and fuel testinginspections as well as installation of sniffing stations).9 Olaniyi, Eunice O. and Gunnar Prause (2019): SECA regulatory impact assessment: Ad-ministrative burden costs in the Baltic Sea Region, in: Transport and T elecommunication,2019, volume 20, no. 1, 62–73.25 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventsinadequate logs, and non-compliance occurs more often in areaswhere monitoring is not expected (e.g. in the Baltic proper as com-pared to the Great Belt Bridge).10The authors are assuming that a rise in marine gas oil (low-sulphurfuel) price makes companies shift to other fuels11 or scrubbers and/or lowers their compliance motivation. They are pointing to a con-trol gap: BSR port states cannot monitor whether installed scrub-bers and/or carried low-sulphur fuel have actually been used on theentire voyage of a vessel, and they can only apply sanctions for whathas happened in their respective territorial waters. Some ships thathave installed scrubbers have still been observed exhausting highlevels of sulphur on multiple occasions.Yet, on 1 March 2020, there will be a carriage ban for fuels non-com-pliant of the global sulphur rules.122. Blue Biotechnology in the BSR – From Science toBusinessFrom 22-24 August 2018, more than 100 scientists, entrepreneursand stakeholders from the realm of marine biotechnology gatheredfor the international conference „Blue Biotechnology in the BalticSea Region – from Science to Business“ which took place in Gre-ifswald, Germany. Current findings in the field of R&D served asthe basis for initiating new transnational business cooperation. Em-phasis also lay on broadening Blue Growth strategic networks.The event formed part of the flagship project “Baltic Blue Biotech-nology Alliance“, which is promoted within the framework of theEUSBSR.10 Lähteenmäki-Uutela, Anu, Johanna Yliskylä-Peuralahti, Sari Repka and Johan Mellqvist(2019b): What explains SECA compliance: Rational calculation or Moral judgement?, in:WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs 18, p. 65.11 Among possible alternative fuels there are ”hybrid fuels”, also called emission control are fu-els, ECA fuels or ultra-low sulphur fuel oils, which exist next to liquefied natural gas andmethanol as fuel.12 Lähteenmäki-Uutela et al. (2019b): What explains SECA compliance, p. 73.26 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Events3. High-level conference on EU ocean policyOn 19 March, this year’s largest EU event on oceans took place inthe European Parliament in Brussels. Organised by MEP GesineMeissner and European Commissioner Karmenu Vella, the eventhosted 1000 advocates for healthy, safe and sustainable oceans.With a large delegation of students and youth organisations in theroom, the conference was an interesting recapitulation of today’sstatus quo. Karmenu Vella asked for a “collective response” to thechallenges of ocean governance, namely international cooperationon the various aspects that influence the oceans’ health: fisheriespolicy, protection of habitats and biodiversity, development of theblue economy.The European Commission has published its progress report “Im-proving International Ocean Governance” in March. It is conclud-ing that the EU has already been acting on most of the 50 actionsidentified two years ago, and more actions are expected. Maria Da-manaki from the Nature Conservancy recognized this achievementand called the EU the champion of ocean governance.Making a difference is what two leaders of the international youthmovement were asking from the EU. Participants reminded every-one that we do not suffice with cleaning the oceans: Money talks, soinvestments and subsidies should steer public and private activityfor the better.The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani sharedthat view, as he called for a strong R&D budget for the EU underHorizon Europe. He sees huge opportunities in “clean seas as driv-ers of the EU economy”. Tiago Pitta e Cunha, CEO of the OceanoAzul Foundation, confirmed that we have to start looking at natureas the capital that it really is, and make marine protection bankable.The oceanographer Peter Herzig proposed a European Ocean Agen-cy, much alike the European Space Agency. Indeed, it is often saidthat we already know more about the surface of Mars than aboutthe ocean floor.Oceanography, ocean science, is indispensable if we want to devel-op impactful policies. To illustrate that point, several EU-supportedprojects were on display outside of the hemicycle, demonstratingwhat science and innovation can bring to ocean protection and theblue economy. Think automated submarines, highly advanced sat-ellite programmes, IoT, e.g.27 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsOn the other side of the spectrum was the stand of the EuropeanFisheries Areas Network (FARNET), which displayed how the EUhelps local communities to innovate while maintaining traditionand ensuring the viability of our coastal regions.4. 11th Baltic T ourism ForumThe 11th Baltic Tourism Forum took place from 13-14 November2018 in Riga. More than 400 participants from the BSR debatedthe further development of the tourism sector. The increasing trans-national interconnection of touristic offers, the reduction of envi-ronmental degradation/ pollution and the role of digital marketinghave been especially contested issues. Vice President of the Region-al Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ms. Beate Schlupp in-formed about the results of the BSPC Working Group on Sustaina-ble Tourism, addressing the growing challenges for the respectivedomestic populations resulting from tourism. She also emphasisedthe importance of effective measures to reduce pollution.5. Our Ocean ConferenceOn 29 October 2019, the European Commission announced at theOur Ocean Conference in Bali to provide additional 300 millionEuros for clean, healthy and secure oceans.This important contribution will be made additionally to the morethan 550 million Euros the EU has promised to spend as the hostof last year’s Our Ocean Conference in Malta.The High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Pol-icy of the EU, Vice President Federica Mogherini, declared: “With23 new commitments the EU continues its efforts to maintain secure,clean and sustainably managed oceans.“In addition, several EU Member States have made their own com-mitments.They comprise for example the provision of 100 million Euros forR&D projects to fight environmental degradation caused by plas-tics. Another 82 million Euros are foreseen for marine und mari-time research in the field of ecosystem assessment, seafloor mappingor research on innovative aquaculture systems. A further new meas-ure is an investment of 18,4 million Euros aiming at the sustainabil-ity of the blue economy in Europe, i.e. all economic branches based28 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventson the ocean and its resources. Concerning the list of new projects,the EU’s satellite monitoring programme (Copernicus) is of signifi-cance: The programme will be provided with an additional sum of12,9 million Euros for maritime security and with another one mil-lion Euros for research on coastal environmental services. Coperni-cus with its maritime surveillance system has significantly contrib-uted to the EU obligations for the enhancement of maritime secu-rity and law enforcement.The EU is also acting on the international level: Corresponding toone of the obligations, the European Commission together with theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other inter-national partners has started a coalition of aquariums to fight plas-tic pollution. Within the framework of a project endowed with9 million Euros, marine litter shall be reduced in South East Asia,especially China, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore,Thailand and Vietnam. Further 7 million Euros will be provided forthe protection of the marine ecosystems in this region.T wo years ahead of the initial time limit, already 10% of all EU wa-ters have been designated as Marine Protected Areas. Meanwhile,the EU has implemented almost half of the 35 self-commitmentsagreed upon at the Our Ocean Conference in 2017.These self-commitments provide an example for the EU’s activitiesto accelerate the shift towards circular economy. On 16 January2018, it had adopted the European Plastics Strategy, on 28 May2018, it made its Single-Use Plastics proposal for ten of the mostfrequently found single-use plastics found at European beaches andseas. The latter was approved by the European Parliament in Octo-ber 2018. The Council has finally adopted the directive on 21 May2019. The European Parliament also approved the EU-wide regula-tions on lost or left fishing gear proposed by the EU Commission.Our Ocean Side Event on the Sustainable Blue Economy FinancePrinciplesDuring the Our Ocean Conference 2018, the European Commis-sion together with the European Investment Bank (EIB), WorldWide Fund For Nature (WWF) and the World Resources Institutehave organised a side event on the Sustainable Blue Economy Fi-nance Principles.29 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsFinancial institutions and organisations with a keen interest in sus-tainable finance have participated.The event was part of an international campaign to build a coalitionof financial institutions, which endorse the Sustainable Blue Econ-omy Finance Principles and are willing to demonstrate their sup-port for healthy oceans in their investment decisions.Since its start at the World Ocean Summit in March 2018, this in-itiative is attracting new signatures, from public and private inves-tors around the world.The world’s first global framework to finance a sustainable oceaneconomy subsequently was launched at the Our Ocean conference.The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles were developedby the European Commission, WWF , the World Resources Insti-tute, and the EIB. Having started as a commitment by a dozen fi-nancial institutions and key stakeholders, they are now set to be-come the benchmark to invest in the blue economy in a sustainableway.Ocean ecosystems are under enormous pressure. With Blue Growthexpected to double over the next decade, action is urgently neededto reverse this trend. Sustainable finance can be a powerful solution.By engaging investors, insurers and banks, the Sustainable BlueEconomy Finance Principles bring sustainability into the board-rooms of all ocean-based industries, from shipping, fisheries andtourism, to aquaculture, energy and biotechnology.In order to put the principles into practice, an IT-based tool is be-ing developed to help investment managers assess whether their in-vestment decisions are verifiably sustainable. The organisations be-hind the principles are convinced that this will show in practicehow profitability can go hand in hand with environmental and so-cial stewardship, and how SDG 14 can be achieved.The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles will become partof a new sustainable blue economy finance initiative under the aus-pices of the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), whichjoins the European Commission, WWF , World Resources Instituteand the EIB as a founding partner. The initiative, anticipated for2019, will receive initial support from the European Commission.30 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important EventsThe principles are endorsed by the major international sustainablefinance initiatives, including UN Environment’s Principles for Sus-tainable Insurance Initiative (PSI) and the World Bank.A growing number of financial institutions and stakeholders havealready supported the initiative. With the new UN-hosted sustain-able blue economy finance initiative planned for 2019, it is expect-ed that many more institutions will join in. Meanwhile, interestedorganisations can consult „Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Prin-ciples“ under https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/befpOne week after the Our Ocean Conference, on 5 November 2018,Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Mari-time affairs and Fisheries, received the German Ocean Award as rec-ognition for his work for protecting and preserving the ocean, andmaking it part of our economy in a sustainable way. Over the last 6years the number of EU-wide stocks that are fished at sustainablelevels has risen from 20 to 54 – out of 76 for which such advice wasavailable from the International Council on the Exploration of theSeas. The German Ocean Award, under the patronage of the Min-ister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, is awarded to well-known in-dividuals who have shown special commitment to the cause of pre-serving and protecting the world‘s oceans.Commissioner Vella donated the prize money valued at EUR10.000 to Sustainable Ocean Alliance, an international nonprofitthat empowers young innovators to become leaders in preservingthe health and sustainability of the ocean.6. T enth Strategy Forum of the European UnionStrategy for the Baltic Sea RegionThe Tenth Strategy Forum of the EUSBSR was organised in Gdanskon June 12-13. The conference topic was „Circular and sharingeconomy as an answer to demographic changes and environmentalchallenges in the Baltic Sea Region“.Three main sessions, eighteen thematic panels and a networking vil-lage set the ground for discussions about business opportunities, de-mographic change and the socioeconomic development in the BSRas well as about the improvement of the implementation of the EU-SBSR in the framework of its Action Plan revision. Furthermore,the current state of the ecosystem in the Baltic Sea was addressednext to measures how to realise a circular, eco-friendly economy.Speakers presented, among other things, concrete circular economy31 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventsexamples from the Baltic, ranging from aquaculture and blue bio-technology to renewable ocean energy and green shipping, whilethe Commission introduced the upcoming technical assistancemechanism.On 21 May 2019 the Council of the European Union had pub-lished an assessment of the four macroregional strategies of whichthe EUSBSR forms part. It was the second assessment of this kindsince 2017. It is undertaken every two years based on a EU Com-mission report: The report from January 2019 contains an analysisof the activities in the context of the EUSBSR and gives recommen-dations for future work, which the Council mainly supports in itsconclusions: A stronger focus on less but especially relevant topics isrequired, relying on former experience and results. National and re-gional actors are supposed to more strongly embrace the strategy inview of its potentials. The programming for the period 2021-2027should be used to integrate the strategic priorities into the structur-al funds, the more so since the update of the action plan for the EU-SBSR coincides with the programming. In addition, the Councilsupports a better communication of the successes of the strategy,whose visibility should be enhanced next to cooperation with thirdcountries.7. BSPC Working Group Meeting on Migration andIntegration in SchwerinFrom 27-28 May 2019, the 6th meeting of the Baltic Sea Parliamen-tary Conference Working Group on Migration and Integrationtook place in connection with the Baltic Sea Parliamentary YouthForum in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.The delegates and young participants exchanged their views and ex-perience of integrating migrants in their home countries in therealm of vocational training, employment and school education.The results of the conference will lead to political recommenda-tions, which will be adopted during the Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference in August 2019 in Oslo.32 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Events8. Meeting of the CPMR Political Bureau in Brest andof the CPMR executive committee in TurkuOn 7 March 2019, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regionstook place in Brest, France, where the CPMR progress report waspresented by Secretary General Eleni Marianou. Main topics ad-dressed during the Political Bureau Meeting were migration policy,Brexit challenges for the CPMR regions next to fisheries/ EMFF ,climate and energy issues and cohesion/ the renewal of the EU ter-ritorial agenda.Only one position paper was adopted, in which CPMR demands aEuropean strategy for the maritime industry (“LeaderShip 2030“).Many participants were concerned about the future of the EU, es-pecially about the upcoming EU policy on cohesion, including ter-ritorial cooperation, transport, maritime industry and research andmaritime policy. In regard to the foreseen consequences of Brexit,the participants supported the request of the EP to create a fundsupporting regions strongly affected by Brexit. A representativefrom Cornwall presented the “Channel Alliance“, designed to bun-dle future cooperation between Cornwall, Wales, Brittany and Nor-mandy.From 9-10 May 2019, the executive committee of the CPMR-Bal-tic Sea Commission gathered in T urku mainly to prepare the revi-sion of the EUSBSR and the annual meeting of the Baltic Sea Com-mission which was about to take place on 11 June 2019.9. Shippax Ferry ConferenceThe Shippax Ferry Conference 2019 was held on board of the SiljaSerenade, sailing the route Stockholm-Helsinki-Stockholm from12-14 March 2019.The conference was attended by 500 delegates.Jan Eliasson, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden andDeputy Secretary-General of the UN gave a keynote speech. He ad-dressed the shifting of economic power to the East, militarisation ofrelationships between countries, the weakening of the transatlanticlink, refugee problems, and the issue of Brexit.Other main conference topics were talent recruitment, digitalisa-tion, reducing emissions and pollution with on shore power supplyand related costs, e.g. expected increase of average bunker expendi-33 A – Activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and other Important Eventsture by 25% as a result of the upcoming IMO 2020 global 0.5%sulphur emission limit. But also the 2018 ro-pax & ro-ro industryperformance and megatrends were core themes, as well as the ABBAbilityTM Marine Pilot Vision on board of the Silja Serenade with itsbenefits for safety, efficiency, and ergonomics through augmentedreality, sensor fusion and machine learning in real time.According to the Shippax and individual ferry company data, in2018 the fleet capacity increase accelerated.13 Altogether 46 ro-paxnewbuilds were delivered, with a freight capacity totalling 20,000lanemetres and a passenger capacity totalling 30,000. China consol-idated its position as the biggest ro-pax builder in the world. Finan-cial performance of top ferry groups continued to be mixed, withfreight volumes rising and passenger numbers stagnating. The threemajor European ferry groups – Grimaldi, Stena, and DFDS – areexpected to further increase their market shares. Competition inEurope is expected to remain strong.In response to new rules and regulations for the ferry and ro-ro in-dustry, several recommendations on how to tackle the issues of to-day and of the near future were presented. They included measuresintroduced to look at hazardous materials as an element in ship re-cycling, 0.5%-sulphur-emissions-limit compliant fuels, SOLAS2020 vs. EU regulations, cold ironing, underwater noise regula-tions, GHG emissions and the 2030 goal.10. European Maritime Day 2019 and Blue EconomyReportOn 16-17 May 2019, the European Maritime Day took place inLisbon with eight breakout sessions organised by the EuropeanCommission, focusing on a number of strategic EU policy initia-tives to support Blue Economy, and 28 thematic workshops de-signed and organised by maritime stakeholders. Among otherthings, the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aqua-culture Products (EUMOFA), a market intelligence service of theEuropean Union developed by the European Commission, hosted aworkshop titled „Blue bioeconomy: innovations and investments“,and shared the main results of its latest study.13 6 SHIPPAXINFO – JUNE 1934B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe main focus of the European Maritime Day 2019 lay on blueentrepreneurship, innovation and investment, and it also hosted abroad array of 105 exhibitors from around Europe who showcasedtheir innovative ideas, products and services related to the confer-ence themes. 1.400 participants from 53 countries have attendedthe event.On this occasion, the European Commission launched the secondedition of its Blue Economy Report.According to Commissioner Vella, the EU’s coastal regions arehome to 214 million people and generate 43% of EU GDP . The re-port is confirming the blue economy’s role as an important growthsector, with opportunities both in established sectors like tourismand shipbuilding, and in emerging areas like ocean energy or theblue bioeconomy. Yet, the blue economy start-ups and small com-panies often struggle to realise their good ideas. That is why the Eu-ropean Commission is currently developing an investment-readi-ness support tool to help them mature and eventually access thefunding they need to scale up.Using the opportunities of the oceans sustainably was also at theheart of Commissioner Vella’s speech at the international ministeri-al conference on smart ocean governance, organised by Portu-gal. He reiterated the key role of oceans – in particular ocean energy– towards achieving a carbon-free Europe by 2050.This year’s blue economy report incorporates various new elementsand content, including the maritime defence and the maritimeequipment sectors. A preliminary analysis by sea basin has beenadded, as well as a number of in-depth case studies, e.g. on the eco-nomic impacts of marine protected areas or the contribution of theresearch and education sector to blue economy jobs. Finally, thesecond edition comprises a section on ecosystem services and natu-ral capital, addressing the costs and economic impact of climatechange and mitigation measures.A Blue Indicators IT tool, which was also launched on 16 May2019, allows citizens to easily visualise, extract and download muchof the report data. Users are also able to download the full report, aswell as the accompanying infographics and detailed methodology.In addition to the report launch, the European Commission usedthe European Maritime Day to update participants in-depth aboutseveral other ongoing maritime policy initiatives:35B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members• the T echnical Assistance facility for Investment in the BlueEconomy , which will assume its activities before summer2019 and help blue economy start-ups and small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become bankable forfuture calls within a planned Blue Economy InvestmentPlatform.• the launch of the operational phase of the CommonInformation Sharing Environment (CISE), an importantbuilding block of the overall EU maritime surveillanceframework, with the involvement of the European MaritimeSafety Agency.• progress on the ocean literacy platform ‘EU4Oceans’ , to belaunched in autumn, which will bring together Europeangroups, networks and organisations active in oceanpreservation and ocean literacy, thereby paving the way for a‘European Ocean Alliance’. The call for tenders closed on 14June.The EU executive agency EASME has showcased EU-funded pro-jects, focusing on tidal energy, recycling of old fishing nets and us-ing large sails to reduce emissions from large ships among otherthings.Established in 2008, European Maritime Day has become an annu-al meeting place for maritime professionals, entrepreneurs andocean leaders. This year, the Commission’s biggest maritime policyevent was organised together with the Portuguese Ministry of theSea and the City of Lisbon.36 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersB – Legislative Developments atthe EU level with regard to allBSPC membersI. Blue Growth and overarching aspects1. World Bank and EU Commission promote BlueEconomyIn February 2019, the World Bank and the European Commissionlaunched the Blue Economy Development Framework (BEDF).The Framework is a novelty in the area of international ocean gov-ernance. It supports coastal states transition to diverse and sustain-able blue economies while building resilience to climate change.2. The EU Commission‘s 2019 Work ProgrammeFocal points of the EU Commission’s work programme for 2019consist of fifteen new initiatives and ten REFIT evaluations‚ revis-ing prevailing legal norms in order to assure their continued appro-priateness. Additionally, the Work Programme lists 45 initiativesgiven priority treatment in the legislative process within the frame-work of the Joint Declaration on EU legislative priorities. The EUCommission also proposed to withdraw or suspend 17 pendingproposals and prevailing legislative provisions.13. Maritime Spatial Planning: New internationalguidelinesPlanning human activities at sea so they happen safely and sustain-ably is a pre-requisite to good ocean governance. This requires ahigh level of coordination, not just within a same country but alsoacross borders. This is why since 2017, the European Commissionand Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO(IOC-UNESCO) have been working together to develop trans-boundary maritime spatial planning.1 https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20181023-eu-kommission-arbeitsprogramm-2019_de,Access: 25 October 201837 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersIn November 2018, as a follow-up action to their Joint Roadmap toaccelerate Maritime/ Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) processesworldwide, the two have launched MSPGlobal, a new three-yearlong initiative that will call on regional experts to develop guidanceon international cross-border MSP .By 2030, the results of MSPGlobal, combined with the other 9 ac-tions of the Joint Roadmap, are expected to triple the area of terri-torial waters that benefit from an effectively implemented MSP sys-tem.MSPGlobal is co-financed by the European Commission throughthe European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).Title: Supporting internationally accepted maritime spatial plan-ning guidanceDuration: from 01.11.2018 to 31.10.2021 (36 months)EC contribution: EUR 1,400,000Total cost: 1,750,000Partners: DG MARE and IOC-UNESCO4. Common FisheriesNew tool to strengthen EU’s fight against illegal, unreported andunregulated fishingThe launch of the EU’s IT tool “CATCH” was announced by theEU Commission in May 2019. The tool is supposed to streamlinethe checks of seafood products entering the EU market. The catchcertification scheme was established to protect the EU marketagainst products stemming from illegal fishing. Certificates are re-quired for each consignment of fishery products entering the EUterritory, ensuring that fishery products from third countries comefrom legal sources. CATCH will digitalise the current paper-basedcertification scheme. It will support EU Member States (MS) intheir illegal, unreported and unregulated fishery-related verificationtasks and help reduce the risk of fraud, facilitate the trade flows, andreduce the burden on operators and administrations.Adoption of new technical conservation measuresThe European Parliament has adopted the political agreementreached in February between the co-legislators on the Commission’sproposal for decentralised and simplified technical rules. The new38 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersrules will give fishermen a stronger say in deciding on the best meas-ures for sustainable fishing, adapted to their specific needs.The new rules, in line with the Common Fisheries Policy andthe Commission’s Better Regulation agenda, streamline thetechnical measures guiding how, where and when fishermenmay fish, as well as determining the type of gear, catch com-position and ways to deal with accidental catches.The Regulation simplifies the existing technical conservationmeasures that over the years have become highly complex. Itincludes provisions for the protection of the marine ecosystemand marine habitats. The new rules confirm the EU’s strongcommitment to sustainable fisheries by introducing addition-al measures to avoid by-catches of non-commercial and sen-sitive species.Training and certification for fishermenIn March 2019, the EU Commission has adopted a report urgingEU Member States (MS) to ratify the International Convention onStandards of T raining, Certification and Watchkeeping for FishingVessels Personnel (STCW-F Convention) as soon as possible. Thiswill offer extra protection to fishers, one of the most hazardous pro-fessions in Europe.The Convention sets standards of training for personnel on board offishing vessels and is an important contribution to the promotion ofsafety at sea. It contains stricter provisions for vessels of 24 metersin length or above, but it also contains important provisions on ba-sic safety training and watch keeping applying to all fishing vesselsregardless of their size.In 2015, Council Decision 2015/799 had authorised MS to ratifythe STWC-F Convention in the interest of the European Union,and encouraged them to do so by May 2017. On 28 March 2019,the European Commission adopted a report to the Council review-ing Member States’ progress in the ratification of the STCW-FConvention.The report shows that only nine EU Member States have becomeParties to the STCW-F Convention (Belgium, Denmark, Latvia,Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain).39 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersQuotas2019 is a crucial year for European fisheries: the full landing obliga-tion entered into force as of 1st January while the agreed deadline toachieve sustainable fishing is right around the corner. The Commis-sion is determined to bring commercial fish stocks to healthy levelsby 2020, in line with the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) objec-tive. This enables the fishing industry to catch a sustainable amountof fish that would not hinder the regeneration of the stocks. Thelanding obligation will put an end to the wasteful practice of throw-ing large quantities of unwanted fish back into the water. The Com-mission has put forward concrete solutions to advance on sustaina-ble fishing and to ease the implementation of the landing obliga-tion, but it is dependent on the support of the MS.After the EU Commission had adopted its proposal for fishing op-portunities for 2019 for the commercially most important fishstocks in the Baltic Sea in the end of August 2018, Council negoti-ations took place and the European Ministers for Fisheries adoptedthe Commission proposal during their meeting of 15-16 October2018.The council agreed to increase fishing opportunities for plaice (by43%), Western cod (by 70%), sprat (by 3%), Gulf of Riga herring(by 7%) and to roll-over the total allowable catches (TAC) for theMain Basin salmon stocks. For the remaining stocks covered by theCommission proposal, the Council decided on a reduction in catch-es, eg. Eastern cod (by 15%), Gulf of Finland salmon (-3%), West-ern herring (by 48%), Central herring (by 26%) and Gulf of Both-nia herring (by 7%).Leisure fishermen will be allowed to keep seven cod per day (previ-ously five).The proposed TAC are based on scientific advice from the Interna-tional Council on the Exploration of the Seas and follow the Balticmultiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by MS and the Eu-ropean Parliament.In view of the EU Commission, further action remains necessary toensure all stocks grow to levels that allow for sustainable exploita-tion.40 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersSustainable fisheriesAccording to the EU-Commission, the high revenues of the EUfishing fleet in 2016 were mainly a result of low fuel prices andhigher average fish prices (more value for less quantity landed).They were also closely linked to sustainable fishing methods, as theAnnual Economic Report 2018 presented in October 2018 is dis-playing. The report is showing record-peak levels in economic per-formance of the EU fishing fleet in 2016 and is pointing to a signif-icantly improved economic performance of the EU fishing fleetfrom 2009 onwards.The EU fleet produced a total net profit of EUR 1.3 billion in 2016,which corresponds to an increase of 68 percent compared to 2015.Projections for 2017 and 2018 have been favourable, too. In 2016,the EU fleet‘s gross added value, (i.e. the contribution of the fishingsector to the economy through wages and gross profit) amounted toEUR 4.3 billion, a 15% increase compared to 2015. This has led toan increase in the average salaries of the EU fleet employees. Sincethe large majority of vessels operates in a more efficient and envi-ronmentally friendly way, fuel consumption has decreased.The report is also highlighting that economic performance stagnat-ed, if fleets were dependent on stocks that were still overfished. Incontrast, sustainably fishing fleets could increase their profitability.The overall economic performance of the Baltic fishing fleet im-proved from a loss-making position in 2014 to post a modest netprofit in 2016. In terms of employment and effort, the small-scalecoastal fleets provided 68% of all employment and were responsiblefor 85% of days at sea.The large-scale fisheries dominate the Baltic Sea fisheries, account-ing for 92% of landed weight and 77% of the landing value. Her-ring, sprat and cod remain the most important species.Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for environment, maritime affairsand fisheries, said: „It is encouraging to see an ongoing positivetrend, which has led to higher profits for the fishing sector and morevalue added for the EU‘s fishing and coastal communities. Thisclearly demonstrates that our joint commitment towards sustaina-bility pays off. The Ministerial Declaration signed in Malta in 2018between MS and third countries from the Mediterranean and BlackSea offers a 10-year Action Plan so that their small-scale coastalfleets can also benefit from this positive trend.“41 B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe 2018 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet is basedon data provided by national authorities and is the result of combinedwork by economic experts from the Scientific, Technical and Eco-nomic Committee of Fisheries and the European Commission.Sustainable Fishing Partnership AgreementsOn 19 October 2018, the EU and The Republic of The Gambiasigned a new Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement protocol.Both parties welcome the start of a new cooperation period in thefisheries sector.This fisheries agreement allows EU vessels to fish in the Gambianwaters and thus, extends the network of tuna fisheries agreements inWest Africa. The new protocol covers a period of 6 years. It will of-fer EU vessels the possibility to fish 3300 tons of tuna and tuna-likespecies as well as 750 tons of hake per year in the Gambian waters.In return, the EU will pay The Republic of The Gambia a financialcontribution of 550 000 € per year. Half of this yearly contributionwill be used to strengthen the sustainable management of fisheriesresources and the development of the Gambian fishing sector. Theagreement covers the cooperation in the fight against illegal, unre-ported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and the promotion of theblue economy, including aquaculture. A special support will be giv-en to the artisanal fisheries sector.The new protocol will enter into force when the necessary legislativeprocedures for its conclusion have been completed.In November 2018 and June 2019, the EU and Guinea Bissau alsosigned new Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement protocols.Among other things, the new fisheries protocols will allow the EUfleet to fish in Guinea Bissau waters for a duration of 5 years.Around 50 EU vessels targeting demersal fisheries (including ceph-alopods and crustaceans) as well as tuna and small pelagic specieswill benefit from the agreement. In return, the EU will pay GuineaBissau a financial contribution of 15.6 Mio € per year, an increasefrom the 9.2 Mio € foreseen under the previous protocol. Part ofthe EU-funding will target the development of a sustainable fisher-ies sector in Guinea Bissau. In addition, EU ship owners will con-tribute around 4 Mio € per year.The protocols foresees the transition from the current system basedon vessel capacity to a system based on TAC, applicable for the last42B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersthree years of the agreement. The EU believes this is very positive asit reinforces the transparency and sustainability of the fishing activ-ity. The catch limits are 1,500 t for cephalopods, 2,500 t for crusta-ceans, 11,000 t for demersals and 18,000 t for small pelagics.The protocol also includes improved monitoring, thanks to the in-troduction of an Electronic Reporting System, which will becomemandatory from the third year on. The quantities agreed upon arefully in line with scientific advice and management plans adoptedby Guinea Bissau.The new protocol will enter into force when the necessary legislativeprocedures for its conclusion have been completed.The EU and Korea also have pledged to work closely together tofight illegal and unreported fishing. During a bilateral EU-Republicof Korea Summit in October 2018, both parties have signed a jointstatement.After there had been concerns of the EU Commission in the pastabout Korean illegal, unreported fishing activities, the EU Com-mission lifted the yellow card in April 2015 (the yellow card hadbeen adopted in 2013 to the Republic of Korea), recognising thecountry‘s efforts to bring its legal and administrative systems in linewith the international standards.Outermost regions: Commission adopts new rules to develop sustain-able fisheriesOn the occasion of the annual conference of the outermost regions,in Gran Canaria, President Juncker has announced that the nineterritories can now use state aid to support the renewal of thesmall-vessel fishing fleet, whilst fishing sustainably.The Commission has adopted a communication amending theguidelines for the examination of state aid to the fishery and aqua-culture sector. Subject to strict sustainability requirements, the revi-sion enables state aid for purchasing fishing vessels in the outermostregions of the EU. The aim is to facilitate fleet renewal in order toincrease the safety of fishers, ensure food supplies, and allow thefishery sector to play an important role in the overall developmentof the regions.The new measures will allow MS to offer public support for buyingnew fishing vessels to individual fishermen and companies based in43B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersone of the nine outermost regions of the EU. The state aid can beused to replace outdated and unsafe vessels with new ones. If the ca-pacity limits of a region have not yet been reached, the funding canbe used to buy new vessels of different types and lengths that aremore suitable for current fishing opportunities. Before paying aid toindividual beneficiaries, the Commission has to assess the plannedaid schemes and authorise them. The guidelines set out the specificconditions under which the Commission will do so.The guidelines put particular emphasis on avoiding any negativeimpact on the sustainability of fish stocks. State aid can only begranted if there is a proper balance between fish resources and thefishing capacity of the fleet segment acquiring a new vessel. Further-more, the introduction of a new vessel must be done in full respectof the capacity ceilings set out in EU law. Aid is particularly neededin the case of small and medium-range vessels. The maximum in-tensity of public aid does therefore vary depending on the length ofvessels.The Guidelines also ensure that the benefits of public support re-main within the outermost region concerned. Aid can thereforeonly be granted to beneficiaries registered in the region at the dateof granting the aid. Furthermore, the vessel must remain registeredin the outermost region concerned for at least 15 years and must,during that time, land all of its catches in an outermost region.BackgroundArticle 349 TFEU recognises the specific structural and economicsituation of the outermost regions of the EU: Guadeloupe, FrenchGuiana, Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, theAzores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, and indicates the factorsthat severely and permanently constrain their development: re-moteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate,and economic dependence on a limited range of products.In its communication on a new EU strategy for the outermost re-gions of 24 October 2017 (COM(2017) 623 final), the Commis-sion highlighted persisting challenges such as climate change and acritical divergence in the level of development, wealth, and eco-nomic and social opportunity between some of the outermost re-gions and continental Europe. Given that all outermost regions areislands or have access to the sea, successfully using the opportunitiesoffered by a sustainable blue economy, including fisheries, is centralto their continued socio-economic development.44B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersLanding obligation entered into force in January 201923% of worldwide catches, that is, 30 million tons of fish are thrownoverboard every year. In most cases, the fish do not survive.The landing obligation, which compels fishermen to bring to shoreall catches, fully entered into force in January. This will end the un-sustainable practice of throwing unwanted fish back into the sea.Researchers have anticipated the market‘s needs and have beenworking on creating innovative fishing gears. Fishermen across Eu-rope are investing in selective nets that allow them to better targettheir fishery and reduce unwanted catches. The landed fish that isnot suitable for direct human consumption will not go to waste ei-ther. It can be used to produce fish meal, fish oil, pet food, food ad-ditives, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.At the beginning of 2019, a Euronews team has visited fishermenand researchers in Sweden and France. There it tagged along fishingtrips to film innovations in action. The Euronews magazine“OCEAN” exploring sustainable EU fisheries can be watched on-line.European Fisheries Control Agency – a cornerstone of ocean gover-nance in EU and beyondIn 2018, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) per-formed 26,922 coordinated inspections, a 28% increase comparedto 2017. 714 suspected infringements, 15% less than in 2017, weredetected, mostly concerning non-compliance with recording obli-gations and technical measures.Ten years after its creation, EFCA has established itself as a corner-stone of the EU’s fisheries and ocean governance policies.Since 2008, the agency based in Vigo, Spain, fosters cooperationbetween national control and inspection activities in the fisheriessector. Its main task: to ensure that EU rules on fisheries manage-ment and conservation are implemented equally across the EU andbeyond. This leads to fair competition for the EU fisheries industryon a European level playing field, as well as more sustainable fisher-ies overall.An important part of EFCA’s daily task is supporting national au-thorities with training programmes or new tools and offering them45B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersa neutral platform to exchange technical solutions. By pooling as-sets and intelligence, EFCA helps MS setting up strategic andcost-efficient control campaigns.EFCA’s field of action has significantly increased over the last 10years, and is set to encompass nearly all the EU-regulated species inEuropean and international waters in 2019.Recently, the agency is also cooperating operationally with mixedteams of inspectors in so-called multipurpose operations. In coop-eration with Frontex (European border and coast guard agency) andEMSA (European maritime security agency), it supports nationalauthorities carrying out coast guard functions.EP wants more than EUR 7 billion for future European Maritimeand Fisheries FundOn 4 April 2019, the EP adopted its position on the new EuropeanMaritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the period 2021-2027.With EUR 7,739 billion the EMFF shall continue supporting thefisheries sector to become more sustainable and innovative. Fur-thermore, investments in safety, working and life conditions of crewmembers and in the quality of catched fish will be supported. Thecapacity of fishing vessels shall not be enlarged.Other measures comprise compensation for temporary or final de-commission of vessels in cases where a considerable restructuring ofthe fleet is necessary. The MS will be able to complement EU com-pensations more easily with state aid.Small-scale fisheries and outermost regions shall receive special at-tention and aquaculture shall be promoted. The fund will also sup-port measures to restore biodiversity.Negotiations with the Council of the European Union on the newregulation will only begin after the constitution of the newly elect-ed EP .Brexit/ Fisheries: Commissioner Vella presents contingency plans tomitigate “no-deal” impactThe European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairsand Fisheries Karmenu Vella has presented contingency measures tomitigate the impact on fisheries in case of a “no-deal” Brexit.46B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe acts, tabled by the Commission in January, have been agreed bythe MS and the European Parliament at the end of March. The firstpreparedness measure amends the Regulation on the SustainableManagement of the External Fleets, with the aim of creating the ap-propriate legal framework for continued reciprocal fishing access byEU and United Kingdom vessels to each other’s waters during 2019,provided the UK grants such access for EU vessels.The second measure allows fishermen and operators from MS to re-ceive compensation for the temporary cessation of fishing activities,due to Brexit, under the EMFF . This will help to off-set some of theimpacts of a sudden closure of UK waters to EU fishing vessels.Release of “EU fish market – 2018” editionEUMOFA‘s annual report on the EU fish market offers a compre-hensive analysis at EU-level of all market dimensions of fisheriesand aquaculture products.In this edition we learn that the EU is not only the world’s largesttrader of fishery and aquaculture products, but also ranks fifth glob-ally in fishery and aquaculture production.According to the report, consumption of fish in the EU increasedfor nearly all of the main commercial species. It reached 24,33 kgper capita, 3% more than in 2015. Portugal is the absolute champi-on, with an average of 57 kg of fish and seafood per person, per year.This is more than twice the EU’s average per capita.The top five species eaten in the EU – tuna, cod, salmon, Alaskapollock, and shrimps – amounted to 43% of the market in 2016.These species were mostly imported from non-EU countries.Wild fish continued to predominate in the EU seafood market, ac-counting for 76% of the total per capita consumption.Fish prices grew significantly in the recent years (+ 10% between2013 and 2017), whereas prices of meat and of food in general re-mained essentially stable. The amount spent for purchasing fish in2017 (EUR 56,6 billion) was around one quarter of the amountspent on meat.In 2017, EU remains the world’s largest trader of fishery and aqua-culture products. The trade volume between the EU and the rest ofthe world surpassed China’s by more than EUR 2,3 billion.47B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersImports from non-EU countries reached a 10-year peak of EUR25,3 billion, mainly due to increased imports of frozen cuttlefishand squid, mostly from India and China, and of prepared/preservedskipjack tuna from Ecuador.The US and China were the main destinations of EU exports in val-ue terms, with more than EUR 5 billion. Norway and Nigeria wererecipients of the highest volume of EU exports, with Norway main-ly importing fish oil and Nigeria importing mainly herring andmackerel. Intra-EU trade also grew, reaching EUR 26,7 billion. Thelargest trade flows involved salmon that entered the EU from Nor-way and was exported by northern MS to other EU countries.The EU became the fifth biggest world fish producer, followingChina, Indonesia, India and Vietnam. The total value of EU land-ings reached EUR 7,38 billion, the highest of the last 10 years. Atthe same time, the value of aquaculture products farmed in the EUreached an all-time high of EUR 4,25 billion.Public consultationsState aid guidelines for fisheries in EU outermost regionsConsultation period: 2 August 2018 – 27 September 2018The EU Commission aimed at collecting the views of concerned ad-ministrations, vessel owners, fishermen, NGOs and other interestedparties. By this means, it aims at further assessing the potential roleof state aid for the purchase of fishing vessels in the development ofthe Blue Economy in the outermost regions and to collect views onthe draft amendment of the State aid Guidelines proposed by theCommission.The purpose of this initiative was to add a section on state aid to thefisheries sector in the EU’s peripheral regions to the guidelines forexamining state aid to the fishing and fish farming sector. It willalign them with the Commission’s new approach to the outermostregions, taking into account these regions’ special characteristicsand constraints, as set out in Article 349 TFEU.Evaluation of the European Fishery StatisticsConsultation period: 18 January 2019 - 12 April 2019The aim of the consultation is to gather information about profes-sional and personal experience on European fisheries statistics48B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC memberscollected by Eurostat. European fisheries statistics provide officialstatistics on fish catches, fish landings, aquaculture production andfishing fleets across the EU. They are contributing to policy makingand monitoring of the Common Fisheries PolicyPublic consultation on EU marketing standards for fishery andaquaculture productsConsultation period: 17 July 2018 – 9 October 2018On 17 July 2018, the EU Commission opened a public consulta-tion to evaluate and gather feedback from all relevant stakeholders,including consumers, on the marketing standards in the fishery andaquaculture sector as a tool to ensure supply of sustainable productsto the EU market, fair competition among operators and improvedprofitability of the fishery sector as well as a level-playing field be-tween EU and imported products.Evaluation of the Eel RegulationConsultation period: 14 December 2018 - 8 March 2019The European eel stock (Anguilla Anguilla) is in critical condition.Recruitment is at an all-time low and exploitation of the stock iscurrently unsustainable. The decline in eel stock has numerouscauses including human activities such as fisheries (commercial andrecreational), hydropower turbines and pumps, pollution, habitatmodification and the creation of obstacles to eel migrations. A fur-ther deterioration of the status of the stock should be avoided. In2007 a framework to ensure the protection and sustainable use ofthe European eel stock was established at EU level (Regulation (EC)No 1100 /2007 – the so called ‘Eel Regulation’).This Public Consultation is part of the evaluation of the Eel Regu-lation. The evaluation aims to assess the measures for the recoveryof the stock of the European eel under the Eel Regulation, and inparticular the contribution of the Eel Management Plans estab-lished and implemented under this Regulation. These plans includemeasures to ensure the long-term escapement of at least 40% ofadult eels and include limiting professional and recreational fisher-ies, facilitating fish migration through rivers and restocking inlandwaters with young fish.49B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members5. Blue BioeconomyEU aquacultureThe 2018 Economic report of the EU Aquaculture Sector shows astrong and growing sector. In 2016, the EU aquaculture sector hasproduced and sold 1.4 million tonnes of seafood, worth almost €5billion. Profits of the sector have doubled between 2014 and 2016.Employment figures demonstrate that aquaculture firms are provid-ing more and more stable employment opportunities.The acquaculture report provides a comprehensive overview of thelatest information available on the production, economic value,structure and competitive performance of the aquaculture sector atnational and EU levels for the years 2008 to 2016.Production has increased by 2.2% yearly between 2014 and 2016in volume and 3.1% in value. Profit almost doubled over the sameperiod, reaching €0.8 billion total earnings before interests and tax-es in 2016. This marks a strong recovery from the bad year of 2013in most of the large aquaculture countries.The EU is home to some 12,500 aquaculture enterprises, mostlymicro-businesses employing less than 10 employees. Employmenthas remained stable in terms of total employees (73,000) but hassignificantly expanded in terms of full-time equivalents: from36,000 in 2013 to almost 44,000 in 2016. This implies that aqua-culture firms are providing more stable employment opportunities.This positive trend is likely to continue. With investment being sig-nificantly higher than depreciation, the sector has a positive percep-tion about its future development.Yet, there are large differences across MS and subsectors: The EUaquaculture sector distinguishes three subsectors: marine, shellfishand freshwater production. With €2,731 million in turnover, ma-rine aquaculture is the largest, followed by shellfish (€1,134 mil-lion) and freshwater (€1,028 million) production. The main speciesproduced in terms of value are Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout andEuropean seabass.EU production is dominated by five countries: United Kingdom,France, Greece, Italy and Spain.In the marine sector, the United Kingdom is the main producer of50B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC memberssalmon (91% total value), whereas Greece is the main producer ofseabream and seabass (47% total value). In the shellfish sector,France produces 86% of the oysters and Spain leads on mussels,covering 45% of the volume. Italy is the main producer of clams(80%).By far the most frequently farmed freshwater species is trout. Italy(19%), Denmark (17%) and France (14%) are taking the lead.Carp is another important species, especially for Eastern Europe:Poland (24%), Czech Republic (23%) and Hungary (14%).Also in terms of average wages, there are strong regional differences.The average yearly wage in 2016 was €25,000 per year, correspond-ing to an annual increase of 3.5% since 2014. However, nominalsalaries range from less than €3,000 per year in Bulgaria to about€65,000 a year in the Netherlands or Denmark.Economic performance indicators for the EU aquaculture sector, 2016Country GVAmillion €EBITmillion €ROI%Averagewagethous-and €Labourproduc-tivitythous-and €Capitalproduc-tivity%FutureExpecta-tionsIndicator%Bulgaria 23.1 18.6 22.1 2.6 11.9 27.4 2.8Croatia 49.5 22.4 8.1 13.5 30.0 18.0 3.1Denmark 44.9 12.1 5.9 65.7 122.7 21.9 0.4Finland 39.4 5.0 2.1 40.6 57.8 16.8 -1.0France 421.1 130.8 12.7 25.1 47.7 40.8 -1.4Greece 209.9 145.8 13.4 16.2 60.3 19.3 0.1Ireland 71.0 40.3 21.1 28.5 69.2 37.2 0.8Italy 185.0 103.8 24.1 37.2 97.7 42.9 28.2Latvia 5.6 1.5 2.8 12.2 16.5 10.6 -4.5Malta 37.0 26.6 50.5 17.1 82.6 70.1 0.8Netherlands 35.4 18.9 14.0 67.0 172.4 26.2 3.5Portugal 83.6 55.9 60.2 13.7 100.8 90.0 14.9Slovenia 0.8 -0.1 -1.0 9.5 42.4 11.0 -9.5Spain 238.9 74.0 10.8 22.4 36.6 34.7 -0.6Sweden 43.3 19.7 15.3 28.4 68.3 33.8 -1.4United Kingdom 573.3 127.2 33.0 36.6 101.8 33.0 3.7Total EU 2,062.0 802.6 19.4 25.0 59.7 32.0 3.0Source: STEFC EWG on Aquaculture.51B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersEUMOFA study on the EU bioecomomyOver 50% of any fish caught or farmed is not consumed directly. Inthe case of tuna, as much as 70% of the animal ends up as waste orby-product.T raditionally, the rest goes into production of fish oil, fishmeal, an-imal feed, pet food or fertilizer. According to a new study from EU-MOFA, the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aqua-culture Products, there is more to gain from the aquatic biomass. Asnutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients or cosmetic products,fish by-products and algae can generate high added value, and boostthe blue bioeconomy.An EUMOFA study looks into the value and activities comprisingthe EU bioeconomy. It offers an overview of the types of invest-ments underpinning the sector, the size of demand and main play-ers involved, future requirements, as well as public policies promot-ing the biotech sector.One finding of EUMOFA is that policy changes that incorporatetechnological changes to capture methods and fishing equipmentmay be needed to deal with some structural challenges to reductionof discards. The scale of loss of biomass to further use should be re-duced. I.e., according to the study, about 7% of the cod catch in theBaltic Sea was discarded, whereas the amount of unwanted flatfishalso caught in trawl-nets is unquantified.The study notes that the amounts of biomass available from eachtype of resource varies widely. As a rule of thumb, more than 50%of any finfish does not directly enter the human food chain. Whitefish such as cod may generate almost 60% waste, ocean fish such astuna as much as 70%. For shellfish such as scallops, wastes are ashigh as 88% of catches and harvests. Exceptions might includecephalopods (c. 65% of cuttlefish is edible) and “reduction fish”, ofwhich 100% is used for fishmeal and fish oils.Algae and other aquatic plants have also considerable developmentpotential. The study shows an increasing number of SMEs develop-ing high added value products from macro- and microalgae. How-ever, EU algae production is still very small, compared with the restof the world. The vast majority of the supply is therefore imported.The study identifies the opportunities and challenges to create prod-ucts, such as novel foods and food additives, nutraceuticals (food52B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC memberswith health benefits), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, materials (e.g.clothes and construction materials) and energy.High value added ingredients found in algae or seafood are, for ex-ample, omega-3 fatty acids, collagen, chitin, gelatin, minerals, ca-rotenoids, enzymes, amino-acids, etc.Very often, the cost of development is high and the time to marketlong. Investing in R&D and innovation to make good use of sea-food resources requires significant financial resources. Nevertheless,the study confirms that this new stream of the blue bioeconomy canbring a new impetus for long-term economic growth and employ-ment.EUMOFA is accessible via www.eumofa.eu. It is a platform devel-oped by the European Commission that offers information on theEuropean Union fisheries and aquaculture sector. EUMOFA pro-vides, among others, industry data, access to studies and reports aswell as market overviews at EU and MS level.Blue Bioeconomy ForumWith the Blue Bioeconomy Forum, the European Commission hasa new tool to boost the blue bioeconomy in Europe.The blue bioeconomy is an exciting field of innovation, turningaquatic biomass into novel foods, feed, energy, packaging and muchmore. Thanks to the forum, all stakeholders can help shape the fu-ture of this promising area.The Blue bioeconomy forum was launched at the high-level eventon the Sustainable and circular Bioeconomy, the European Way on22 October in Brussels.Marine Genetic Resources: Bridging policy, law, science and researchand developmentOver 65% of the biomass in the ocean is made of plankton. Marinemicrobes bring services to our ecosystem and their genetic diversityis remarkable. Moreover, marine genetic resources (MGR) haveenormous potential in fields such as pharmaceutical, bioremedia-tion, cosmetics, nutraceutical, or biomedical innovation.53B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersMarine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction arenot regulated. Therefore, the European Commission organised aninternational workshop on “Marine genetic Resources in areas be-yond national jurisdiction: bridging policy, law, science and re-search and development” on the 21st and 22nd of May in Brussels.Negotiators of the international treaty on marine biodiversity be-yond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), top scientists, legal experts andrepresentatives from the private sector and the civil society came to-gether to better understand the scientific process related to the dis-covery, analysis and use of those resources from areas beyond na-tional jurisdiction, e.g. the high seas. In total, 90 participants from32 countries attended the workshop, discussing technical aspects re-lated to: the sampling of marine genetic resources; their scientificanalysis; their storing in collection; the transformation of samplesinto digital scientific information; examples of applied research; le-gal issues, such as intellectual property rights.Molecular biologists described how DNA is extracted and trans-formed into digital data, which then needs to be curated before be-ing analysed.The scientific community stressed the importance of having openaccess to data, as this is the foundation of scientific investigation.Oceanographers gave an overview of the technologies employed forsampling the deep sea and explained how difficult and costly it is toorganise cruises in the high seas. International cooperation is there-fore essential and there are plenty of good examples to follow. BBNJnegotiations is a political priority for the European Union. ThePresident of the BBNJ intergovernmental conference at the UN,Rena Lee, underlined the need to base the negotiations on solid sci-entific knowledge and to look for practical solutions, through apragmatic approach.The BBNJ negotiation to elaborate the text of an international le-gally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention onthe Law of Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable useof marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,is currently ongoing. The negotiation focuses on four elements of a“package deal”: areas based management tools, including marineprotected areas – environmental impacts assessment – capacitybuilding and transfer of marine technologies – marine genetic re-sources, including benefit sharing. The EU and its Member Stateshas been a strong promoter of this political process since its incep-tion in 2006.Reaching an effective and universal agreement is a keypriority for the EU, within the Ocean Governance Agenda.54B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members6. Assistance mechanism for investment in the BlueEconomyA call for tenders, in a form of an open procedure, was launched inAugust 2018 with a view to establish an assistance mechanism forinvestment in the blue economy, to be branded as “Blue EconomyAssistance Platform”, with a view to facilitating access to investmentfor maritime ventures.The purpose of this call for tenders was to select a service providerto set up and operate an “Assistance Mechanism” that supports ac-cess to finance for SMEs, start-ups, early stage businesses and scale-ups in the blue economy.The goal of these services is to select ventures and companies in or-der to increase their level of investment readiness, and ultimately fa-cilitate investment in these by private and/ or public investors.7. Blue Economy: A new call for proposals to kindlesustainable maritime development across EuropeRealising the full potential of the ocean will demand responsible,sustainable approaches to its economic development – says a recentreport by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Devel-opment (OECD).But what are the barriers to such responsible development? Whatare the factors still preventing eco-friendly sectors from growing upand shaping a sustainable ocean economy?Having identified a few of them, the Commission has been pilotingits recent policies and investments to overcome obstacles such as themismatch between workers’ skills and labour market needs; thescattering of research efforts; and the conspicuous absence of fundsto scale up promising projects from pilot to demonstration phase.The latest Blue Economy Call launched by the EMFF (out in Oc-tober 2018, €18.7 million) took an even more targeted approach byfocussing on some specific needs of the maritime players. The BlueLabs section (€5 million) supports new, multidisciplinary partner-ships between maritime stakeholders that can drive innovation for-ward in the blue economy. Blue labs‘ multidisciplinary partnershipsbetween young scientists and experienced mentors have led beforeto innovations such as microbes cleaning up oil spills and dronesfighting marine litter.55B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe Blue Careers section (€5.5 million) – in view that the labourmarket is changing quickly - supports the development of innova-tive vocational training schemes that boost both industry engage-ment and entrepreneurial/ social skills. And the blue economygrants (€8.2 million) help innovative technologies and services findthe capital they need to become market ready. These grants for in-novation are the largest in terms of budget in the maritime econo-my which will help companies to fund pre-commercial demonstra-tion projects, so they can go to market and scale up much faster.The call was open to applicants until 31 January 2019. An informa-tion session on the Blue Economy was scheduled on 22 November2018 in Brussels. During the event, participants learned about eli-gibility, budget, submissions and applications process. The eventalso showcased some of the most notable Blue Labs, Blue Careersand Blue Tech projects generated by the first call of this kind in2016.The Blue economy call is a recognition that we need to continue in-vesting to ensure healthy oceans which would become part of oureconomy supporting jobs and growth.In January 2019, already 22 sustainable blue projects had been se-lected for funding by the European Commission under the EMFF ,benefitting 104 companies from 22 countries (€15.1 million). Thehad been divided into 4 strands. The biggest share has been ad-dressed to demonstration and market projects (almost 9 mil-lion). Blue networks and fighting marine litter shared € 2.3 millionfor each strand. One project was selected in the strand of restoringecosystems and received €1.5 million.These projects have been the result of a selection made under a callfor proposal launched to accelerate the deployment of a sustainableblue economy across the EU and the Mediterranean. They work onthe following topics: innovation (de-risking investment in demon-stration projects), environment (fighting marine litter and restoringecosystems), cooperation for a sustainable blue economy, amongother things.56B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members8. Seafarers’ training: provisional agreement withEuropean Parliament on simpler frameworkThe EU has streamlined its regulatory framework on seafarers‘training and certification. On 4 April 2019, the EP has approvedthe simplification of the rules on training and recognition of seafar-ers. The Presidency of the Council and EP representatives hadreached an agreement already on 11 February 2019. The EU rulesare supposed to closely relate to the STCW. The EU Commissionregularly checks that EU member states and third countries complywith the requirements of the EU directive and the STCW Conven-tion. The new directive shall make the recognition of seafarers fromthird countries more efficient and effective, but it also aims at pre-serving high qualification standards. The Council still has to for-mally adopt the directive.9. ConsultationsBlock-exempted state aid – fishing and fish farming sector (2021-27)Period of consultation: 28 June 2019 - 20 September 2019 (mid-night Brussels time)State aid control in the fishery and aquaculture sector is regulatedby a specific framework of rules: (1) De minimis Regulation (Com-mission Regulation (EU) No 717/2014), (2) Block ExemptionRegulation (Commission Regulation (EU) No 1388/2014), and (3)Guidelines for the examination of State aid to the fishery and aqua-culture sector (Communication 2015/C 217/01, as amended). TheCommission has embarked on the exercise of the review of the Stateaid framework, which should ensure consistency of the Regulationsand the Guidelines with the new rules governing the EuropeanMaritime and Fisheries Fund. The review should also ensure thatany potential for simplification and increased legal certainty is tak-en into account when designing future rules. As the two regulationswill expire at the end of 2020, a review and replacement of these in-struments will be needed for the period from 2021 to 2027. Theconsultation will cover all the three State aid instruments.State aid (small amounts) – fishing and fish farming sector (2021-27)Period of consultation: 28 June 2019 - 20 September 2019 (mid-night Brussels time)57B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersState aid guidelines for fisheries – amendmentPeriod of consultation: 28 June 2019 - 20 September 2019 (mid-night Brussels time)Consultation on the evaluation of the Consortia Block ExemptionRegulationPeriod of consultation: 27 September 2018 – 20 December 2018Liner shipping services consist of the provision of regular, scheduledmaritime cargo transport on a specific route. They require signifi-cant levels of investment and therefore are regularly provided byseveral shipping companies cooperating in „consortia“ agreements.Consortia can lead to economies of scale and better utilisation ofthe space of the vessels. A fair share of the benefits resulting fromthese efficiencies can be passed on to users of the shipping servicesin terms of better coverage of ports (improvement in the frequencyof sailings and port calls) and better services (an improvement inscheduling, better or personalised services through the use of moremodern vessels, equipment and port facilities).Article 101(1) of the T reaty on the Functioning of the European Un-ion („TFEU“) prohibits agreements between undertakings that re-strict competition. However, Article 101(3) TFEU allows declaringsuch agreements compatible with the internal market provided theycontribute to improving the production or distribution of goods or topromoting technical or economic progress, while allowing consumersa fair share of the resulting benefits without eliminating competition.Council Regulation 246/2009 provides that, in accordance with theprovisions of Article 101(3) TFEU, the Commission may, by wayof Regulation, exempt consortia agreements from the application ofArticle 101(1) TFEU for a period limited to five years with the pos-sibility of prolongation. Accordingly, the Commission has adoptedRegulation 906/2009 (hereafter the „Consortia Regulation“),which sets the specific conditions for the exemption of consortiaagreements. These conditions notably aim at ensuring that custom-ers enjoy a fair share of the resulting benefits. The Consortia Regu-lation will expire on 25 April 2020, and the proposed evaluation isscheduled to be finalized before the expiry date.This public consultation was a part of the evaluation of the Consor-tia Regulation, which started in May 2018. The objective of theconsultation was to collect evidence and views from stakeholders inorder to assess the impact and relevance of the Consortia Regula-tion and provide an evidence base for determining whether it shouldbe left to expire or prolonged (and if so, under which conditions).58B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersII. Energy aspects with regard to maritimepolicy1. Nordstream 2 and the Interregional Group in theEuropean Committee of the RegionsOn 10 October 2018, the 6th meeting of the Interregional GroupNord Stream 2 took place in the premises of the European Com-mittee of the Regions (CoR) on the sidelines of the 131st CoR Ple-nary. Members of the CoR discussed energy security, sustainabilityand environmental issues with Nord Stream 2 AG representatives.Member of Parliament Jochen Schulte participated from the Ger-man region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.The Interregional Group had been constituted in December 2017.The 15 founding members are mainly from Poland and Lithuania.In June 2019, Nord Stream 2 AG has withdrawn its application forthe route through Danish territorial waters south of Bornholm,thus terminating a more than 2-year lasting procedure. The secondand third applications for routes north-west and south-east of Born-holm international waters remain unchanged.2. EU competition rules also apply to gas pipelines fromthird countries such as Nordstream 2Following the EU Member States’ ambassadors decision on 8 Febru-ary 2019 to adopt a common position to reform the EU Gas Direc-tive, already during the first round of negotiations with the EuropeanParliament an agreement was reached on the new regulation on Feb-ruary 2019 (the EP had already adopted its position in April 2018).In the future, the same competition rules shall apply for gas pipe-lines from third countries as for those within the EU. This means,for example, a necessary separation of grid infrastructure and trans-port up to the border of the territory and territorial sea of the Mem-ber State in which the line joins the EU network. Exceptions arepossible. For existing pipelines, belonging to a vertically integratedenterprise at the time of the adoption of the directive, MS maygrant a derogation within one year of the entry into force of the di-rective, provided it does not affect competition within the EU. Ex-isting technical agreements between transmission system operatorson the operation of pipelines should continue to apply, if they donot infringe EU law.59B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe new directive provides for a procedure for the negotiation ofagreements between MS and third countries on the operation of agas pipeline, which regulates, for example, differences between EUlaw and the legislation of the third country. MS are required to in-form the EU Commission, if they wish to enter into negotiationsfor the conclusion, amendment or extension of such an agreementwith an impact on EU law. For the part that could affect EU rules,the Commission must authorize the MS to open formal negotia-tions. If exceptions to EU law are envisaged, the Commission willexamine, whether they are necessary and the conditions are met.The provisional agreement requires formal adoption by the Counciland the Parliament. After entry into force, MS must bring their na-tional legislation into line with the directive within nine months.3. Report on new technologies in the ocean energy sectorWhile the ocean energy sector is still at an early stage of develop-ment, a new report analyses ten future emerging technologies togenerate energy from the ocean tides and waves.An integrated systems approach is necessary for their successfulcommercialisation.Moving to economically viable ocean energy technologies is a hugestep towards decarbonisation and the growth of the blue economyin many coastal areas.With only 17 MW compared to 15.8 GW of offshore wind of op-erating capacity installed in European waters, mostly as demonstra-tion or first-of-a-kind precommercial projects, every technologicalsolution proposed to bridge the gap between R&D stage and thecommercialisation of ocean energy devices can be seen for the timebeing as a future emerging technology.As part of the European Commission‘s internal Low Carbon Ener-gy Observatory project, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is develop-ing an inventory of future emerging technologies relevant to energysupply.30 experts in the ocean energy analysed the needs for the sector, andthe type of innovations to bridge the mentioned gap.A new report called “Future emerging technologies for the oceanenergy sector: innovation and game-changers” offers policy makersand all other ocean energy stakeholders an array of innovations that60B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members– provided further R&D expenditures are made at private, nationalor European level – can bring ocean energy to the market and wouldhelp maintain European leadership in this emerging sector.The authors are giving a description of the progress in each of thetechnology family, of advantages, technological limitations, as wellas their technological readiness.In Europe, a large variety of concepts has been developed for oceanenergy conversion, with more than 200 different devices proposed.The experts are reviewing about ten technology families, groupingwave or tidal converters, subsystems and components that are char-acterised by a common operating or design principle.Tidal energyIn terms of speed of development, the first generation of tidal ener-gy converters is heading the group. They have reached the pre-com-mercial stage with the total installed capacity of around 12 MW inEurope and the speed of development is medium, with devices hav-ing reached maturity after 10+ years of R&D.Floating tidal devices do not require heavy and costly foundationsystems.Speed of the technology development is medium/fast (meaning be-tween less than 5 to 15 years), with some floating tidal platforms al-ready at an advanced stage of development.Third generation tidal energy converters extract energy from a tidalflow or water flow using the sails, kites, or simulating fish-swim-ming motion.The speed of development is medium/fast, and is affected by the de-velopment of materials and ancillary technology.Wave energyAs for wave energy, the research goes back 40 years.Testing facilities and new computational tools render research moreaccessible and open up new opportunities leading to novel ap-proaches to the first generation of wave energy concepts.61B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersThe advancement of artificial intelligence and learning algorithmsoffer an opportunity for developing designs, which are more effi-cient. Development speed is in medium-slow range.Novel wave energy concepts exploit the material-flexibility and theorbital velocities of water particles to convert wave power to elec-tricity.They are characterised by an overall simplicity of design comparedto first generation wave energy devices. Yet, they are at early stagesof development, with no device installed in real sea and the maxi-mum power rating for the device yet to be identified.Direct drive, hydraulic and inertia systemsMechanical systems can be at a relatively fast pace, while dielectricelastomers offer fast speed of development but require more R&D.Further information on those concepts is available through Marinet2 P Horizon 2020 project, the Wave Energy Scotland programmeand the European Marine Energy Centre list of wave and tidal en-ergy technology.The researchers are concluding that an integrated systems approachis required to develop successful marine energy systems; therefore,collaboration with industry and engagement with original equip-ment manufacturers from the early stage of development is recom-mended.System capabilities and requirements should be properly definedand made transparent to increase the effectiveness of future technol-ogies and applicability to ocean energy technologies.The impact of the future emerging technologies should be put inthe context of the priorities for the ocean energy sector as identifiedthrough the Ocean Energy Roadmap and the SET-Plan implemen-tation.A further analysis is needed to prioritise which options could havethe greatest impact on the sector in achieving short-term goals(2025 targets) and long term ambitions (100 GW of installed ca-pacity by 2050).62B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members4. ConsultationsPublic consultation on the evaluation of the offshore safety directiveConsultation period: 19 September 2018 - 21 December 2018The Offshore Safety Directive (2013/30/EU) established minimumrequirements for safety and environmental protection across the EUfor offshore oil and gas operations. The consultation gathered viewson the implementation of the directive, its effectiveness, relevance,coherence, EU added value and efficiency, as well as any needs forits further development and adjustment.III. Infrastructural aspects with regard tomaritime policy1. The European Atlas of the SeasThe European Atlas of the Seas is an interactive web-based toolavailable for the general public, non-expert professionals andschools in the 24 official EU languages.The atlas hosts a wealth of information about Europe’s marine envi-ronment and related human activities, covering topics such as na-ture, tourism, security, energy, passenger transport, sea bottom, sealevel rise, fish consumption, and much more. Users have access toan enriched catalogue of more than 200 map layers.2. Port calls: Reporting obligations for ships will besimplifiedThe EU Council Presidency and EP representatives agreed on 7February 2019 to simplify all reporting formalities associated withport calls. In the future, they will be bundled in a “maritime singlewindow”. To this end, the existing national maritime single win-dows will become linked in a coordinated and harmonized way. Thereform will improve interoperability between various systems, mak-ing it easier to share and reuse data. With the „once-only“ principleapplied, the data transmitted during a port application can also be63B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersreused for subsequent port calls. The regulation still has to be for-mally adopted by the Council. The EP has adopted the regulationon 18 April 2019.3. EU invests 800 million euros in energy infrastructureMember States approved on 23 January 2019 a proposal from theCommission to invest almost € 800 million from the CEF pro-gramme in European energy infrastructure projects. These include aproject to better connect the Baltic States to the EU electricity gridand the Baltic Sea pipeline between Denmark and Poland.In the electricity sector, the project for the synchronisation of elec-tricity networks in the Baltic States will receive a grant of EUR 323million. The Baltic states are synchronically connected to the cen-tralised Russian distribution system, which hampers their full inte-gration into the EU electricity markets. The project aims to improvethe security of supply and reliability of electricity systems in the re-gion through synchronisation with the continental European net-work. In June 2018, EU leaders agreed on the political frameworkfor the completion of synchronisation.In addition, nearly € 215 million from the CEF will be used in thegas sector to support the Baltic Sea Pipeline project, a new bidirec-tional offshore gas interconnector between Poland and Denmark.This pipeline will be critical to the security of supply and market in-tegration of the region.The CEF foresees a total of EUR 5.35 billion for the trans-Europe-an energy infrastructure for the period 2014-2020. For a project toqualify for a grant, it must be a „project of common interest”. TheUnion-wide list of projects of common interest is updated everytwo years. The current list of projects of common interest was pub-lished by the Commission in November 2017.4. Court of Justice of the European Union againstplanned state aid for Fehmarnbelt tunnelThe Court of Justice of the European Union challenged the pro-posed state funding of the planned Fehmarn Belt tunnel betweenDenmark and Germany on 13 December 2018 for procedural er-rors. In 2015, the Commission decided not to oppose Denmark‘sproposed state aid to the state-owned Danish group Femern A / Sfor the design, construction and operation of the tunnel. The Courtconsiders, however, that a formal investigation procedure should64B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membershave been carried out. It partly upheld the complaints of the ship-ping companies Scandlines Danmark and Scandlines Germany aswell as the Swedish Stena Line Scandinavia.5. Safer Seas through EU Common Information SharingEnvironmentThe common information-sharing environment (CISE), men-tioned already in section A, is being developed jointly by the Euro-pean Commission and EU/ European Economic Area memberswith the support of relevant agencies such as EFCA. It integrates ex-isting surveillance systems and networks, and all authorities con-cerned can have access to the information they need for their mis-sions at sea. CISE makes different systems interoperable, so thatdata and other information can be exchanged easily through the useof modern technologies.Safer seas and a safer Europe got one step closer since 27 March, dayof the final conference of the European security research project EUCommon Information Sharing Environment (EUCISE2020) inBrussels. The project has shown how European coordination onmaritime surveillance could become a reality even when the dozensof authorities and their information and telecommunication infra-structures all speak a different (human or digital) language. A re-search project funded by the EU’s 7th Research and Innovationfunding programme (FP7 2007-2013), it aimed to create an envi-ronment that enables information sharing across all relevant sectorsand user communities. The project involved about 60 Europeanmaritime authorities from 15 States, all connected through 12“nodes”. These nodes receive information from the coast guard, thenavy, fisheries ministries, customs authorities and allow national au-thorities in different MS to communicate quickly. The Italian SpaceAgency ASI coordinated the effort and worked with 39 partners, in-cluding maritime authorities, universities, research centres andoceanographic institutes.The final conference also demonstrated that intelligent informationsharing between maritime authorities makes surveillance less expen-sive and more effective. The Common Information Sharing Envi-ronment will make European seas safer, better controlled and moreprotected.CISE has entered a new phase, funded through a direct grant of 3,5million € by EMFF , during which it will build upon the successfulcompletion of the EU interoperability project EUCISE 2020 as65B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC memberswell as upon the knowledge gained through important nationalprojects.The CISE Stakeholders Group, which will be the governance bodyfor the transitional phase, was set up by Directorate-General forMaritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) and held its kick offmeeting in Lisbon on May 15, 2019. All EU Member States, manyEU agencies (EFCA, Frontex, European Union Satellite Centre -SatCen, European Defence Agency - EDA) and the European Ex-ternal Action Service (EEAS) are members of this group. The nextmeeting of the CISE Stakeholders Group will take place in October.The leading institution EMSA, the European Maritime SafetyAgency, will assist MS in the course of the next three years to imple-ment CISE on a voluntary basis and examine how it fits with otherEU information exchange systems.Integrated Maritime Surveillance is the effective understanding ofall activities carried out at sea that could affect the security, safety,economy, or environment of the European Union and its MS. En-suring a more secure maritime environment is a key precondition toallow blue economy to grow. CISE will improve maritime surveil-lance and mitigate the diverse risks that might have a negative effecton European seas and shores, such as pollution, illegal and criminalactivities, piracy, or terrorism.A Staff Working Document was being drafted in June, presentingthe review of CISE, the achievements of last years and the mainchallenges that lie ahead for its further implementation.6. New insights into European maritime trafficEuropean seas are a hub of human activity. Maritime transport is soomnipresent that it inevitably affects anybody working in or withthe ocean.For the first time, those responsible for monitoring shipping emis-sions, identifying the best routes to lay pipelines and cables, assess-ing the impact of fishing on the seafloor or planning offshore windfarms can have maps of vessel activity on their desktops.The new EMODnet digital vessel density maps will help themvisualise vessel movement patterns and distribution of maritimetraffic in European waters. This allows users to access monthly com-posite maps by ship type for the year 2017 (with more to come).66B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersMaps are available free of charge for viewing, downloading, process-ing and use for commercial and non-commercial purposes alikefrom the EMODnet Human Activities portal.The EMODnet Human Activities team has developed a bespokemethod for developing the vessel density maps, in close consulta-tion with the Joint Research Centre (JRC).In March 2019, the data available in the maps covered the year2017, but 2018 data is due later this year. Regular updates will bereleased on the portal as soon as they become available.7. EMODNET launches new “street view” of the seabedEMODNET also has launched a high-resolution, 3D underwaterterrain model for the European Seas.The model is a significant upgrade of the “bathymetry DTM”, aservice that visualises the „beds“ or „floors“ of water bodies. TheDTM is useful for a whole range of applications in marine science,ocean governance, and the blue economy.Available free of charge, it helps companies and scientists when trac-ing out new pipeline trajectories, deciding on locations of offshorewind farms or planning harbour extensions. It enables biologists todraw seabed habitat maps, geologists to study morphological pro-cesses and oceanographers to develop their hydrodynamic models.The DTM helps to reduce risks for coastal and offshore installa-tions, and improves forecasting storm surges.First launched in 2010, the EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM)has now become a reference for government, science and industry.Regularly visited by more than 10 000 persons per month, withover 3 000 downloads per month, it provides the best publicly avail-able gridded bathymetry model for European marine waters.With the ambition to refine further the quality and the resolutionof the DTM, considering both European offshore waters and coast-al zones, EMODnet invites potential high-resolution bathymetricdata providers to help generate an even better DTM product. Formore information on the EMODnet Data Ingestion portal: www.emodnet-ingestion.eu67B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC members8. ConsultationsEx-post evaluation of the Trans-European Transport Network(TEN-T) Programme 2007-2013Consultation period: 15 November 2018 – 14 February 2019The ex-post evaluation of the TEN-T Programme 2007-2013 wassupposed to present the progress in the achievement of the meas-ures‘ objectives, the efficiency of the use of resources, and an evalu-ation of the relevance, coherence and European added value of theTEN-T programme.Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Guidelines –evaluationConsultation period: 24. April 2019 - 17.Juli 2019The purpose of the evaluation was to assess progress made since theguidelines took effect. Key areas include alternative clean fuels,combining different means of transport (multi-modality) and digi-talisation.Evaluation of EMODnetConsultation period: 6 March 2019 - 29 May 2019The purpose of this consultation was to evaluate the performanceand functioning of the European Marine Observation and DataNetwork (EMODnet). The findings of the evaluation will be usedto guide activities undertaken in support of marine knowledge inthe remaining years 2019-2020 of the EMFF and to feed into thepreparatory process for a possible follow-up post 2020.68B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersIV. Environmental aspects with regardto maritime policy including climateprotection1. Measures of the EU member states to protect seas andoceansA new European Commission report on the implementation of theEU Marine Strategy Framework Directive shows that MS havemade considerable efforts to address pressures on the marine envi-ronment. Yet, these measures are not yet sufficient to achieve good,healthy and productive seas by 2020.The concept of ‘good environmental status’ is defined by measuresconserving biodiversity and tackling pressures like overfishing, sea-bed damage, marine litter and contaminants.The programmes of measures set up by MS under the Marine Strat-egy Framework Directive are the last step of their 6-year strategies.In their programmes of measures, MS have relied on regional coop-eration more than ever before, and integrated different national, EUand international policies. For example to fight overfishing and re-duce the negative impacts of fishing, MS have reported measurestaken under the EU Common Fisheries Policy, in regional and in-ternational agreements, as well as new measures, such as introduc-ing the use of specific and less damaging fishing gear.One in four measures announced by MS has been developed specif-ically for the purposes of this Directive to target pressures on themarine environment that would otherwise not be covered. Never-theless, the assessment shows that the goal of ‘good environmentalstatus’ of European marine waters by 2020 will not be achievedwithout further improvements. In some cases, such as marine litter,where MS lacked coordinated measures, this shortcoming is partlyaddressed at EU level, through the EU’s Strategy on plastics and itssubsequent actions.In the report and its annex, the Commission makes a number ofgeneral and specific recommendations to MS, guiding them onnext steps.MS are required to set up six-year strategies through which they as-sess the status of their marine waters. This involves to determine‘good environmental status’ on the basis of 11 descriptors (such asbiodiversity, commercial fish stocks, marine litter and sea-floor69B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersintegrity), to set environmental targets, to develop and implementmonitoring programmes and, finally, to develop and implementmeasures to achieve this good environmental status objective. Theframework relies on the ecosystem approach to the management ofhuman activities that have an impact on the marine environment,integrating the concepts of environmental protection and sustaina-ble use.2. Approaches to curb marine litterIn 2018, the European Commission launched legal proposals tocurb marine litter from single-use plastics, as well as from derelictfishing gear. The directive on single-use plastics was finally adoptedon 21 May 2019 (see above).Through the various EU funds, innovative projects to reduce, reuseor recycle marine litter get EU support. Also in international fo-rums such as the G7 and the UN, the EU is taking the lead and en-couraging other countries to take action.The EU Commission has also welcomed an agreement on port fa-cilities to reduce and recycle waste on ships on 12 December 2018.The European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agree-ment on a Directive on port reception facilities for the delivery andprocessing of waste from ships. This was based on a Commission pro-posal of January 2018 and part of the European strategy to reduceplastic waste. Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for Mobility and T rans-port said: “Pollution is killing our oceans and urgent action is neededto reduce marine pollution and marine litter. Shipping and ports playa central role in collecting waste generated from a sea going vessel. To-day’s agreement is a further proof of the EU’s determination to pro-tect the oceans from pollution while fostering new and innovativebusiness models to make our economy more circular and sustaina-ble.” The Directive tackles waste from ships, with a focus on sea-based marine litter. It sets measures to ensure that waste generated onships or collected at sea is always returned to land, recycled and pro-cessed in ports. The new rules will enable a mix of incentive and en-forcement measures such as a targeted inspection regime, supportedby a digital reporting system, as well as cost recovery systems, basedon an indirect fee that will give incentives for ‘green ships’ thatdemonstrate sustainable waste management on board.On the occasion of World Cleanup Day, some 50 EU delegationsand representations have been teaming up with NGOs, embassies,70B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersschools and volunteer networks to organise beach clean activitiesacross the world.Every year, some 8 million tons of plastic enter the sea. Made to last,plastic can survive hundreds of years in the ocean environment. Asit slowly degrades, plastic marine litter turns into microplastics, be-comes ingested by animals and in turn enters the human foodchain.Public policy and legislation alone cannot solve this problem. In-deed, a clean ocean is the responsibility of all. Each person’s way ofpurchasing and consuming, and of treating waste affects the entireplanet.By cleaning beaches, riversides and even cities, the EU representa-tions and delegations (its embassies in EU and non-EU countries,respectively) want to send a strong statement. The #EUBeachClean-up campaign had started on 11 September in Fiji and ended on 27October in Singapore, a few days before the Our Ocean 2018 con-ference in Bali.These events are mapped in the European Atlas of the Seas (https://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/atlas_en), mentioned above in this re-port.3. Report of the EU Commission on the implementationof the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: EUmember states enhance their measures to protect themarine environmentThe European Union is a strong advocate of international oceangovernance. In September 2018, the first round of negotiations onan international law to preserve and sustainably use marine biodi-versity at the high seas took place in New York and marked a signif-icant step towards delivering an effective legal instrument, with uni-versal application, as soon as possible. The EU works towards thisinternational legal instrument under the UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS) in order to play its part within the glob-al community’s commitment to implement the UN SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs).More than 170 States, international government organisations, civ-il society representatives, academia and industry were present at theintergovernmental conference tasked to elaborate this internationalagreement. The negotiations were held around the four elements of71B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC membersthe future instrument: marine genetic resources, including ques-tions on the sharing of benefits, area based management tools, in-cluding marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments,capacity building and transfer of marine technology.The next round of negotiations took place between 25 March and 5April 2019.4. Voluntary protection of harbour porpoises and divingducks in the BalticA conservation project of the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germa-ny, financed through the EMFF is helping to support local fisher-men, ecologists and administrative bodies in adopting measures toprotect harbour porpoises and diving ducks.Both species have been affected by bycatches in the region, and gill-net fishing has been identified as the main cause of death amongstporpoises washed up on the beach. The project brings people to-gether to identify and put a solution in place. 240 local fishermenout of about 300 active in the area are taking part. They are now us-ing shorter gillnets during summer months and avoiding areas withmany diving ducks in winter. Both these measures were judged byscientists to be suitable ways to protect the two marine species. Theproject is running between 2016 and 2019 and is supported by EUfunding of around €400,000.5. The Challenges of Unexploded Munitions in the SeaOn 20 February in Brussels, the European Commission, in cooper-ation with the European External Action Service, organised a Col-loquium on the Challenges of Unexploded Munitions in the Sea.In Europe, this problem is also particularly felt in the Baltic Sea.The sunken munitions pose growing safety, security and environ-mental risks, especially as they often contain chemical agents likesulphur mustard, nerve gas and lewisite. Leakage could pose a threatto marine ecosystems and, possibly, human health.Unexploded munition can also be a barrier to blue economy oppor-tunities, deterring or blocking the development of blue activities indumping sites.The event gathered representatives from MS, regional and interna-72B – Legislative Developments at the EU level with regard to all BSPC memberstional organizations, researchers and other relevant stakeholders.A map with the dumped munitions in EU waters can be found atthe European Atlas of the Seas.6. ConsultationsFitness Check of the Water Framework Directive and the FloodsDirectiveConsultation period: 17 September 2018 – 12 March 2019The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) is the most compre-hensive instrument of EU water policy and its main objective is toprotect and enhance EU water resources to achieve good status. Thefitness check will evaluate this directive, two other directives direct-ly linked to it (Directive 2006/118/EC on Groundwater and2008/105/EC on Quality Standards) and the Floods Directive(2007/60/EC), which has been the catalyst for introducing a riskmanagement approach to water floods across the EU.73List of AbbreviationsAI Artificial intelligenceBSR Baltic Sea RegionCBSS Council of Baltic Sea StatesCEF Connecting Europe FacilityCISE Common Information Sharing EnvironmentCoR European Committee of the RegionsDTM Digital BathymetryECSA European Community Shipowners’ AssociationEFCA European Fisheries Control AgencyEIB European Investment BankEMFF European Maritime and Fisheries FundETF European T ransport Workers’ FederationEUMOFA European Market Observatory for Fisheries andAquaculture ProductsEUSBSR European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea RegionFARNET European Fisheries Areas NetworkGESAMP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects ofMarine Environmental ProtectionGHG Greenhouse gasIMO International Maritime OrganizationIMP Integrated Maritime PolicyIoT Internet of ThingsITF International T ransport Workers’ FederationJRC Joint Research CentreLCEO Low Carbon Energy ObservatoryMCP Maritime Connectivity PlatformMS EU member states74MSC Maritime Safety CommitteeMSP Maritime Spatial PlanningNGOs Non-governmental organisationsSDGs UN Sustainable Development GoalsSeaSWIM Sea System Wide Information ManagementSECA Sulphur Emission Control AreaSMEs Small and medium-sized enterprisesSTCW International Convention on Standards of T raining,Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarersSTCW-F International Convention on Standards of T raining,Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing VesselsPersonnelR&D/ R&I Research and Development/ Researchand InnovationRFID Radio frequency identificationTAC Total allowable catchesTEN-T T rans-European T ransport NetworkUNCLOS United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaUNEP United Nations Environmental ProgrammeVR Virtual realityWISTA Women’s International Shipping and T radingAssociationWWF World Wide Fund For NatureBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conferencewww.bspc.netBSPC SecretariatSchlossgartenallee 1519061 SchwerinGermany