Oceans in need
Congress "Rio+20: Are the oceans sinking? New impluses for the international protection of the sea"
German Bundestag, Berlin, 24 October 2011
As part of the series of events in preparation for the conference Rio+20 next year, the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag organized the Congress "RIO + 20: Are the Oceans Sinking?", with the participation of scientists and representatives of various protection and user associations, to discuss a vast array of topics related to the protection of the sea.
Commissioner Maria Damanaki took part in the Congress with Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel (Chancellor Merkel's speech) and Dr. Norbert Röttgen MdB, German Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Chairman, dear Dr Ruck, distinguished guests, meine Damen und Herren,
Our seas and oceans are in crises.
I seem to have the task to kick start our discussion today and I'm afraid this has to be the sad premise for it: ocean ecosystems are deteriorating, and this poses a direct threat to the costal communities and sea-based economies that depend on them and that are the key pillars of European economy and quality of life.
By contrast to that, if protected and well managed, marine resources can contribute to rebuilding Europe's economy. The oceans, seas and coasts of Europe can unlock new sources of sustainable and smart growth. And isn’t this what Europe needs right now?
So in my eyes, today's discussion is acutely needed and just in time. I want to congratulate the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag for looking ahead to next year's UN conference on sustainable development and for acknowledging in your newly adopted position paper on the protection of the seas, the vital importance of healthy oceans for humanity, the global environment and the economy.
The European Union is preparing for the Rio +20 conference by working on several fronts: an integrated maritime policy, a strong, proactive stance in international fora and a new common fisheries policy. For each of these, Germany has provided positive and meaningful input: you are a precious ally.
But let me spend a few words on each, as these are the building blocks of our stance for the Rio + conference: a stance that should be firm, clear and unequivocal: business as usual will not help the oceans. The oceans have entered a period of consequences and we have act affirmatively to save them.
Here we need a stance that should be firm and clear: business as usual will not help the oceans. The oceans have entered a period of consequences. Time is our enemy.
Another disappointing starting point for our debate today is that over the years, many international commitments have been taken for the sake of the environment: Rio in '92, Johannesburg in 2002, Nagoya last year...
But many of the goals agreed upon in those summits have not yet been achieved. Why?
Of course, a lot of reason can come along. But I would like to underline a very important one. We had decades of uncoordinated, sector-based management. We had persisted in developing each policy separately, with dedicated legislation and specialised tools. We kept acting on our own, with no connections across sectors and across borders. We had done it in other areas of course, but here we cannot afford it.
The seas and oceans are complex and interconnected systems: looking at one single sector at a time is not good enough. It inevitably ignores the impact that maritime activities have on each other and on the environment, and it also misses their possible synergies.
An adaptive and all-encompassing maritime governance is much more effective. And it is the key to sustainability.
This is why Rio + 20 is about the "institutional framework", ladies and gentlemen. It's time to change our method of governance. It's time to develop a common "See-anschauung".
This is precisely what the EU is doing with its Integrated Maritime Policy: we are looking at the "sea system" and pooling maritime sectors together to maximise the value and effectiveness of each of them.
In know I don’t have to convince this country, since Minister Peter Ramsauer just submitted to me its "Strategy for an Integrated German maritime policy". This excellent strategic document follows exactly this line of thinking.
You have covered the complex game of opportunities and challenges in Germany's maritime sector perfectly. I will be looking forward to watching your new policy unfold and balance your diverse social, environmental and economic objectives.
The environmental pillar of our integrated policy is the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which lays down a binding framework for a long-term vision of the seas and their environmental status.
This was our first cross-cutting step and it is essential that EU countries implement it fully across Europe. I cannot overstress this.
But the Commission is one step ahead. To make integrated policy making easier in practice, we are setting up several common tools that will enable authorities at all levels to share data, save money and develop maritime activities in a coordinated way.
Three of these tools will enable us to share different kinds of information.
The first type is information about the present and past state of the sea – waves, temperature, sediments, marine life etc. Our Marine Knowledge initiative is pooling all marine data together to make them freely and publicly accessible. This way, we will increase our understanding of seas and oceans.
And we really need to improve our knowledge of the oceans, which is still limited, far too limited.
Let me take two concrete examples: at the Commission we are striving to promote alternative energies (tidal and current sources of energy as well as thermal and algae) and stimulate the technology needed to harvest them, but many questions remain on how to build the infrastructure needed to bring offshore and marine renewable energy onshore to consumers.
Another example is bio-economy. The sustainable use of biological resources from both land and sea in order to replace fossil-based resources while guaranteeing food security will have to be one strand of our long-term economic strategy.
We need to have early warning on such things, or at least real-time information. For this I strongly believe that we need to support the achievement of a comprehensive mapping of the European seabed.
For this, we need scientists, researchers, students and institutes. I'd like to mention here the excellent contribution of the Leibniz Institute of Marine Science (IFM GEOMAR) which is an top player in the field of marine research.
The second is information about traffic at sea, like the ships' cargo or destination. If coast guard, police and navy share these data, not only can they combat crime and pollution better; they can also join forces for rescue operations.
The integration of maritime surveillance on which the Commission and Member States are working together, is contributing to a better climate for cooperation and trust building. A Common Information Sharing Environment for all EU sea basins is the vision enabling better tactical patrolling and improved reaction capabilities.
The third is information about planned and current activities and their environmental impact. At a time where we find more and more possible uses of the sea, it is not a bad idea to plan the use of space and coastal areas as carefully as we do on land. States must use Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management in European waters under a common framework to ensure a sustainable and balnaced exploitation of our seas.
We want to apply all these tools, regionally, through a sea-basin approach. Each of Europe's seas presents different opportunities and we are developing tailored strategies for each. The Baltic Sea Strategy is a genuine success story that has produced no less than 80 maritime projects so far. Each in its own way, they will contribute to sustainability.
In November, our new Atlantic strategy will set out how we can take advantage of the opportunities opened up by Europe's only ocean in a sustainable way.
Because the health of marine ecosystems depends on their biological diversity, biodiversity is a key environmental priority for this Commission's term.
To halt biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, we have a long-term 2050 biodiversity vision and a 2020 headline target.
I regret to say that, across Europe, while the process of designation of Natura 2000 sites is nearly complete on land, it is still lagging behind at sea, especially in offshore areas.
We are keen to see substantial progress by the Member States in designating sufficient marine areas to protect our most vulnerable habitats and species, such as coral reefs, sea turtles, seals and marine mammals.
We must also urgently take steps to protect and sustainably use marine biodiversity in the high seas and the deep-sea bed – in other words, in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
This is a good example of an issue requiring integrated governance. Right now it falls under the competence of bodies which generally act independently of each other. A multilateral agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea is clearly needed and the EU is striving to promote it internationally; but some countries still oppose it.
Next year's conference is an opportunity to convey to the UN General Assembly a strong message to help us overcome their resistance. We can confirm our targets and add some new ones: underwater noise or marine litter.
The same applies to other key international agreements, such as the UN fish stocks agreement or the FAO agreement on port state measures to fight illegal fishing. The 2012 Conference should mark a step forward in this regard.
Speaking of fish stocks, there is so much to do, from eliminating destructive fishing practices to reversing the decline of fish stocks all over the world.
In Europe, over two-thirds of the fish stocks are overexploited. We urgently need to tackle a legacy of overfishing, discard and by-catch practices.
Reform is a necessity, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot put it off.
But it is also an opportunity: we can now shape up a Common Policy that ensures the sustainable exploitation of our seas and oceans for years to come – and with that, economic stability for the industry.
I fully endorse the position paper submitted by the CDU/CSU group, especially where it says that each group – fishermen, scientists etcetera - have their own legitimate interests. It is up to us to reconcile those different interests and act for the common good - even when the choices are tough - without ever sacrificing environmental considerations.
Personally I can guarantee I will not tolerate any political priority that clashes with the principle of sustainability or with the conservation of ecosystems and of biological diversity.
I hope the Bundesregierung will do the same and support this plan.
The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is our real concrete gesture with which we can proudly go to Rio and say: this is what we are doing. And hope that other countries in the world might follow suit.
Meine Damen und Herren,
Do you remember where we were in '92? I was a Member of Parliament in Greece and leading a political party. The Rio summit came as a relief, and a promise. At last we were acknowledging our impact on the environment. At last we were going to do something about it.
Twenty years later, I have the chance to contribute to the EU position for Rio – and I will make sure it underlines the importance of the seas and oceans for mankind.
The seas are simultaneously ways of transport; sources of raw material; sources of energy; sources of food; water reservoirs; the world's climate engine; and a place for leisure. In Europe the maritime economy accounts for a production value of some 450 billion euro.
A return to the sea can create the high-value jobs that our young people are rightly asking for. It can regenerate coastal communities, it can ensure Europe's food and energy security and it can improve our competitiveness in emerging industries.
On condition that we keep marine resources healthy and that we find a dynamic yet responsible way to use them.
So yes: at the UN conference next year, we need to reiterate our commitment to the targets set in the past. We have to add new targets, for instance for underwater noise or marine litter.
We need to prepare a strong EU stance for the summit. Let's get to work.
There are 224 days left.
