It is with particular interest that I attend, today, in Lisbon, the Conference organized over the launching of the European Union Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Region.

This Strategy is a result of the Union’s Integrated Maritime Policy, very timely developed through the initiative of the European Commission, and which has attracted the support of the European maritime regions, stakeholders linked to the economy of the sea and also, the approval of the European Institutions, including the Council and the European Parliament. The recent approval, by a large majority of this Parliament, of a financial regulation for the Integrated Maritime Policy for the next two years is a clear signal of the relevance attributed to this new European policy.

Portugal, due to the fact that it is the country in the European Union with the largest maritime jurisdiction, is obviously very interested and, I hope, enjoys a special standing in the discussion of European maritime affairs. In effect, our Country can take pride from having been one of the inspiring countries of the European Commission’s initiative, through the work carried out by the Portuguese Ocean’s Strategic Commission.

Portugal has displayed a clear leadership since the very birth of the Integrated Maritime Policy, supporting the Commission in all the key issues of this policy’s development. I recall and emphasize the tripartite positioning paper, containing a view for Europe and the sea, submitted by Portugal, Spain and France, as well as Portugal’s diplomatic activity developed during our last presidency of the Union, which I believe decisively contributed for the swiftness with which the December 2007 Council of Europe approved the new maritime policy, presented by the Commission barely two months earlier.

One of the main merits of the Integrated Maritime Policy is to show a geo-strategic and long term view for Europe: a Europe that recognizes its global influence in maritime affairs; that views its maritime resources and its coastal regions as critical for the well being and the quality of life of its citizens; and that takes the decision to rule the affairs of the sea as widely as possible, with an integrated vision that, however, we are still far from achieving.

Integrated governance is thus a key issue of the European Maritime Policy and one which has great interest for Portugal. There are those who consider it an illusion and those who consider it an objective that is, in effect, important to achieve. Portugal, due to its leadership, as I have referred, has the right to demand progress in this field, but equally has accrued responsibilities to carry out its own work on the matter.

We should, for this reason, move with greater energy from a stage of strategic definition to action, transforming the principle of integrated governance into a practice, not limiting maritime affairs to a given ministerial portfolio but dealing with such affairs across the board of our Country’s Government. The same should also apply to the Parliament that, in this legislature has shown signs that it intends to consider the affairs of the sea with greater interest.

Only through truly integrated governance for maritime affairs will Portugal be able to muster the reforms required to increase the Country’s attractiveness for blue economy investors and thus to create a new productive base for the national economy based on maritime activities.

Such reforms, which must not be postponed due to the difficult economic environment we are going through, must drive towards the creation of maritime spatial planning that, while preserving the marine ecosystem, will be sea-economy friendly, and will require simplifying licensing and administrative concessions of the area enclosing the maritime public domain; and it must include more favourable fiscal regimes for the maritime transport sector.

It is also important to find means to encourage investment by Portuguese economic groups and direct foreign investment in the use of the vast Portuguese sea, as well as to create conditions to shift research and knowledge from the universities and the laboratories and provide, with this raw material, the innovation we require.

We must expect the same from the European Commission: that it substantiates the slogan of its Blue Paper, “A Sea of Opportunity”, passing from strategy to action, specifically through measures that strengthen the competitiveness of the European sea-based economy, that generate internal demand for that economy and that confer it with comparative advantages regarding the global maritime economy.

The Commission has a great responsibility, since the expectations that arose with the launching of the European Union Integrated Maritime Policy were extremely high. In the case of Portugal I must state that the expectations for the success of this policy were, at least, proportional to the efforts we placed in supporting it and bringing it to life.

I believe therefore that re-launching the European Integrated Maritime Policy is extremely important, commencing a new cycle in its life focused in policies that effectively develop the European economy and that contribute to improve the life of European citizens.

In this sense, and as an example, great advantages would surely derive from the development of a policy guided towards supporting shipbuilding, an industry so grievously threatened today throughout Europe. Careful thought should also be placed in linking support for shipbuilding with a strong stimulus for intra-European short sea shipping and for Europe’s motorways of the sea. Through incentives for maritime transport, the European Union could decrease the amount of energy used on its transport sector and, with the modernizing of the short sea shipping fleet decrease the emission of pollutant gases or greenhouse gases, thus contributing towards achieving the objectives of the European environmental and climate policies.

It would equally be very positive to develop a specific policy for offshore renewable energies, which would allow us to exploit our immensely vast Atlantic areas, thus enlarging the current focus of the Commission on the North Sea. Such a policy should support types of energy such as offshore floating wind farms, in which Portuguese companies have invested, as well as ocean wave energy, or the production of bio fuels originating from macro algae. There are other areas that, in my belief, should deserve measures from the European Commission, such as adapting European coastal areas to climate change, duly supported by the European 2014-2020 funds; and granting, within the scope of the future “Horizon 2020” Programme, funds for scientific and technological research addressed towards the sciences of the sea.

To carry out such policies, which are transversal to several sectors of governance, it is essential that the European Commission strengthens coordination amongst its directorates and porfolios and collaborates still closer with the European Institutions and with the Member States and their coastal regions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to add a few words on the Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Region, which is at the core of this Conference’s works and that, I am certain, will be a powerful topic in the addresses of other speakers, starting with, of course, Commissioner Maria Damanaki.

For Portugal, a country that possesses a large exclusive economic zone and a vast continental shelf over the Atlantic Ocean, that enjoys a more than 2,500 km long coast line, and that has two European outer peripheral regions in the Atlantic Ocean, the relevance of this Maritime Policy is evident. And yet more so, when we detect in the Commission’s Communication the wish to promote themes that are particularly important to Portugal, such as linking, in the Atlantic basin, programmes covering territorial cohesion financed by the European Union, promoting safety of navigation, the development of maritime tourism, of maritime transport and aquaculture, or promoting transatlantic cooperation. For our Country, these themes, as well as others, such as the particular case of deep sea exploration, are structural topics for the stake we have placed in our national policy for the sea. Thus, we have reasons to place a special hope in the outcome of the Action Plan that the new Atlantic Forum shall be developing.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I believe that the European Union has much to gain if it gives the sea the attention this asset deserves, considering the important contribution it can bring to the quality of life and to the economic development of our Continent. The Strategy for the Atlantic Region, presented here today, can constitute an important step for the economic development of the Member States and for the regions surrounding that maritime basin. I am however convinced that advancing the European Maritime Policy will require the opening of a new cycle, a cycle that should generate policies coordinated across the board of the many governance portfolios which are linked with the affairs of the sea, and that will allow Europe to put into practice measures such as those I have pointed out here. Such policies naturally require joint work by the European institutions, by the Member States and by their respective maritime regions.

Europe, which has always benefited from the sea, has everything to gain with the “rediscovery” of its maritime resources but, for this to come about, it must go from words to acts.

In this context, Portugal must be exemplary and, through its example, actively contribute in order for Europe to preserve, in this 21st century, its global supremacy in the sustainable development of our oceans and the seas.

Thank you very much.