Friday, December 7, 2012

Countries on Adriatic and Ionian seas adopt EU's sustainable growth model

The European Commission said the people of the Adriatic and Ionian seas will adopt the ER's "blue economy" maritime strategy to support sustainable growth.

EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will meet with leaders in Croatia at a conference on Friday to discuss implementation of the plan in the region. Hailing it as the first such initiative in the Mediterranean Sea, Damanaki said the strategy "underlines the need to step up cooperation" and is designed to spur "local, regional and national actors toward common objectives."

Damanaki said that the goals of EU's Blue Growth plan and shipping and passenger growth in the Adriatic and Ionian have caused Brussels to look for foreign partnerships to help achieve economic and environmental goals.

The Adriatic-Ionian effort will focus on adjusting the area's money-making maritime concerns such as fishing, tourist cruises and ferry connections "to the impact of climate change," which in turn will "foster smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of the maritime economy."

Croatia and Slovenia continue to argue over the placement of the seaside border between them and how it affects Adriatic fishing rights.

Damanaki said meeting EU environmental goals on the busy seas will test the ability of the region's often feuding governments to come together on common goals. "Preserving the marine habitats and ensuring the sustainable development of the region will be challenging -- and it is a challenge that we need to prepare for," she said.

Croatia, whose EU membership had been held up by border and fishing fights with Slovenia, worries that the requirements of the EU Common Fisheries Policy will open the waters of its Adriatic fisheries protection zone to rivals from Slovenian, Italian and Greek fleets.

For more of the UPI.com story: upi.com

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