DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES ATLANTIC, OUTERMOST REGIONS AND ARCTIC MARITIME POLICY ATLANTIC, OUTERMOST REGIONS AND ARCTIC
Blue Growth: sustainable growth from the oceans, seas and coasts Summary Report of the Online Public Consultation Results
1. Blue Growth
To make it through the crisis, Europe needs the contribution of all sectors of its economy. In this context, the marine and maritime sectors the 'blue economy' have an important role to play in the overall road to Europe's economic recovery. Marine and maritime activities, which provide work for 5.4 million people and account for a gross value added (GVA) of just under 500 billion per year, have a great potential and could make a major contribution to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Blue Growth initiative aims at highlighting economic opportunities in the blue economy, identifying sectors with the highest growth prospects and exploring further measures that need to be taken to support Member States to realise fully this potential. To draw a comprehensive picture of the marine and maritime economy in Europe and identify bottlenecks and opportunities for the future of maritime activities, a twenty month study was commissioned in 2010, building on desk research and interviews with relevant experts and economic operators. Three interim reports of the Blue Growth Study have been issued before the launching of the consultation, accompanied by separate sectoral analysis of maritime activities. The third interim report has been provided as background document to the consultation questionnaire. The final report of the study will be published in July. To get direct input from stakeholders that would feed in the Communication to be adopted in September 2012, an eight-week online public consultation was launched from 16th March to 11th May 2012. The extensive consultation (33 questions) was aimed at gathering the views of entities, individuals and key stakeholders that have an interest in and would like to shape EU actions vis--vis the marine and maritime sectors. 66 replies in total were received, with over a third from national and regional government institutions from all around Europe and 14% from private business. Most of the respondents claimed to have a very good knowledge of maritime affairs. The results of this public consultation will be taken into consideration in the formulation of the Blue Growth Communication.
recognise the value of Structural Funds and ask for a higher concentration of existing funds on marine and maritime projects. 90% of respondents agree with the definition of maritime economy: "The maritime economy consists of all the economic activities related to the oceans, seas and coasts. This includes the closest direct and indirect supporting activities necessary for the functioning of these economic sectors, which can be located anywhere, including in landlocked countries." 83% agree with the classification of maritime activities in three categories, as defined in the Blue Growth study (pre-development, emerging and mature sectors).
projects; supporting infrastructures and the provision of business development services; and supporting access to finance for start-ups. 3.3 Research, development and innovation In order to bridge the knowledge-transfer gap in pre-development sectors, the following initiatives were deemed as being the most effective: i) For blue biotechnology and marine aquatic products: bridging gaps between science / industries and education; improved access to risk capital or loans for startup SMEs; and improved intellectual property management. ii) For ocean renewable energies: increased investments in demonstration projects to prove commercial feasibility; and large public-private partnership initiatives to gather the necessary critical mass. iii) For sea bed mining: large public-private partnership initiatives to gather the necessary critical mass to overcome technological obstacles and improved access to risk capital or loans for start-up SMEs. Some respondents mentioned the need for more dialogue between public and private sectors and universities, particularly as there is a lack of awareness in the research community about the knowledge gap the industry has to face. Several underlined that a key issue was the access to funding to overcome the knowledge-transfer gap. In order to bridge the knowledge-transfer gap in other growth sectors, the following initiatives were deemed as being the most effective: i) For offshore wind: large public-private partnership initiatives to gather the necessary critical mass; improved access to risk capital; and increased investment in demonstration projects to facilitate commercial growth. (Reference was also made to the need to encourage grids and interconnector technology and deep-water floating wind farms.) ii) For maritime monitoring and surveillance: bridging gaps between science/ industries and education; and improving intellectual property management. 3.4 Clusters and synergies In terms of achieving synergies between economic actors, respondents highlighted the following as the most relevant actions: strengthening European networks of maritime clusters, and case studies outlining integrated investment strategies for business cases. Moreover, maritime clusters can mainly push forward innovation and develop new business concepts. The promotion of maritime clusters could also address the fragmentation of the maritime economy, via cross-border cooperation and European projects.
3.5 Regulatory bottlenecks National (indicated by nearly half of the respondents) and European governance levels are identified as 'problematic' in terms of bottlenecks to sustainable growth. Regional and local levels, on the other hand, are not considered to be problematic in this respect. As examples of regulatory bottlenecks, respondents referred to the following: A complex and unstable legal framework: e.g. no regulatory certainty post-2020 for offshore wind; The lack of integrated maritime spatial planning: access to space and conflicts linked to space for aquaculture and offshore wind; barriers to the establishment and funding of pilot farms; increasing conflicts between maritime navigation and ocean renewable energy farms (tidal, wave, OTEC); Complex permit and licensing procedures: offshore wind, blue biotechnology; Gaps in EU regulation for some activities: exploitation of seabed marine resources, offshore aquaculture, offshore wind.
o Remove bottlenecks at national level o Ensure the integration of environmental protection and sustainability issues. ---------