A strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Seas

 The European Commission has adopted a new strategy tailored to a specific sea basin, this time a sub-basin. Discussions between the Commission, coastal countries and regional maritime takeholders focused on the Adriatic Sea and its southern extension, the Ionian Sea. This compact, coherent area harbours maritime assets that could be optimised to boost Blue Growth and jobs in the region.
Member States with borders along this basin are Italy, Slovenia and Greece, and will soon include Croatia which is currently in the process of acceding to the European Union (EU). The strategy proposed by the Commission is based on the four-fold challenge facing these countries which must be overcome to ensure their maritime economies contribute to Blue Growth: creating the right conditions for the blue economy to flourish, improving the quality of the marine environment, guaranteeing the safety of the maritime area and implementing sustainable and responsible fishing.
The Commission’s approach is similar to those already undertaken in previous strategies tailored to specific maritime basins (such as the Baltic and Atlantic). Since the goal is to set maritime activities on the path towards sustainable growth, the starting point was to identify existing problems and assets that can be harnessed to address this goal. This important work was the fruit of four regional workshops held over the
past year. These workshops saw constructive discussions take place between public authorities, economic players and social partners. The Adriatic and Ionian Seas constitute an important maritime area.
Coastal tourism has long been a key activity and has led to increased urbanisation. Due to their proximity to landlocked countries in Central Europe, maritime traffic is growing. This development is not without serious threats to a rich but fragile marine environment. These threats need to be tackled rapidly by introducing and effectively implementing legal obligations, such as those imposed by the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive.
The strategy also focuses on other conditions which need to be established in order to foster Blue Growth. Maritime surveillance should be enhanced, particularly in the area of maritime traffic monitoring, cooperation between bordering states, effective emergency procedures and mapping of maritime routes. Finally, fisheries must move towards sustainability, for example by improving cooperation between fishermen and scientists, strengthening the involvement of stakeholders in fishery management and promoting a culture of compliance.
Investing in promising sectors
The Communication identifies three main activities with strong potential for blue growth. The first is maritime transport, which needs to be developed in a sustainable way through improvements to infrastructure, as well as inter-modality and environmental impact analysis.
The second is tourism which is booming in this attractive, sunny region, and can produce increasing benefits for the local population, but which can further minimise its own footprint on the environment.
The third is aquaculture, which is already well established, for instance in Greece, but which could benefit from joint research for innovative solutions or better marketing of local production. This list of promising sectors is not exhaustive and further activities needing specific support or with strong growth potential may be identified at a later stage.
This Adriatic and Ionian strategy paves the way for further work leading to the adoption of an action plan during 2013, before the start of the next structural fund programming period. This strategic approach to maritime affairs will guide the best possible use of EU funding possibilities.(Article's Source)