New opportunities for employment in coastal regions

The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) welcomes the conclusions of the General Affairs Council Meeting on the Integrated Maritime Policy. This document is the first step taken by Member States on future developments of the Maritime Agenda for Growth and Jobs after the Limassol Declaration of 2012.

The CPMR has been advocating since its inception the importance of the increased commitment towards marketing and developing the image of maritime employment in Europe. “Vasco Da Gama” is the right answer that CPMR initiated with its member regions -particularly Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (DE)- as a response and a solution along the lines of a maritime Erasmus with the aim of developing high-level professional skills and Education and Training within the EU.

The CPMR therefore strongly supports the Council conclusions that state: “new opportunities for employment in coastal regions, reflecting the benefit for local communities and workforce in peripheral and outermost regions”, and particularly the explicit reference to the Vasco Da Gama Project. “The CPMR is proud of this decision and calls for its implementation with the active collaboration of key actors and experts already involved in shaping the project under the umbrella of the CPMR,” said Annika Annerby Jansson, President of the Regional Council-Region Skåne and of the CPMR.

“The transferability of skills between maritime sectors, as quoted in the Conclusions, is exactly what the CPMR has been asking for” added Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the CPMR. The CPMR, for instance, under the impetus of Pays de la Loire Region (FR), highlights the importance of renewable marine energies and emphasises the need to use existing industrial bases, including shipyards for their deployment.

The CPMR also encourages “sustainable aquaculture –as mentioned in the Conclusions– in meeting the EU demand and reducing pressure on wild stocks”, although it calls on the EU institutions to consider both fisheries and aquaculture when addressing blue growth and the European maritime agenda.

Share this article: