Jean-Yves Le Drian is the president of the French Region of Brittany. He is a member of the EU’s Committee of the Regions and leads, within the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), the ‘Aquamarina’ working group, which follows the progress of the Integrated Maritime Policy action plan.

Which areas would the maritime regions like to see work started on as part of the Integrated Maritime Policy?

Before tackling new areas, I think that we need to be aware that all those that have been launched must now deliver. In terms of actions to launch, I would first of all point at what has not really been carried out for two and a half years: the human and social dimension of the EU’s maritime policy. We were relatively satisfied by the blue paper on this point but today it has to be noted that actions have still not been carried out. This must be a priority in the coming months.

In this context, I think that a simple but very symbolic measure could be the creation of an ‘Erasmus maritime’ type programme - ie a mobility programme for young people who are doing maritime courses, whatever their level. Such a programme would considerably contribute to fulfilling two aims that Europe is setting for its maritime policy: beefing up the attractiveness of maritime professions, in the sense of a ‘blue growth’, and contributing to the emergence of a European maritime identity – which has to be done through young people. I notice that Commissioner Damanaki is making ‘blue growth’ a priority of her mandate. This growth is based on innovation, knowledge, the potential of the sea in terms of, for example, marine energies and biotechnologies, but also the attractiveness of the more traditional maritime activities, such as fisheries and transport, for young people. It is about seeing the sea as a response to the major challenges that we have to face. This is a major area that I fully sign up to.

Can we talk today about a type of governance that involves local and regional players more directly?

I think that a very constructive dialogue has been going on for the last two and a half years between the regions and the Commission on the Integrated Maritime Policy. References to the regional and local authorities are becoming regular in the documents adopted by the EU institutions. The role of the regions is welcomed. The Commission underlines the positive contribution of maritime territories and it makes use of our experience in terms of cooperation at the level of maritime basins, such as on public policies that we have developed. From my side, I am seeing some very attentive listening and a clear desire to work together in the context of the Integrated Maritime Policy.

In the first place, in an institutional way, the dialogue takes place via the Committee of the Regions and via the opinions that it has delivered on the Integrated Maritime Policy. Then it takes place via the networks of regions and in particular via the CPMR’s Aquamarina group. I think that it is now time to envisage new forms of cooperation, which would go beyond just dialogue. In a multilevel governance approach, what role does the Commission intend to give regional and local authorities? How is the Commission going to organise the association of these partners, which are not stakeholders ‘like the others’? It is about drawing up together the modalities for a governance that directly associates local and regional actors and which is essential in the context of an Integrated Maritime Policy.

In its report on the implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy, the Commission cites the Brittany coast charter as a “major initiative”. How have the Commission’s initiatives been useful in the Breton case?

Originally, the Brittany coast charter was clearly an application of, for the Breton coastal area, an approach in favour of the integrated management of coastal areas launched by the Commission. This charter bases itself directly on the principles underpinning the establishment of an integrated maritime policy as well as on its methodology – especially by taking into account the link between all the dimensions of maritime issues: economic, territorial and environmental. In the charter, we see approaches promoted by the Integrated Maritime Policy: a broad form of governance with all the actors concerned; the development of tools, in particular for maritime and coastal data and the importance of basing oneself on scientific knowledge.

The Commission’s initiatives have been very important for Brittany. For the charter for coastal spaces, they have supported the approach. They have accompanied the regional thinking about putting in place an integrated maritime policy and have served as a framework of reference to launch new approaches on the territory in favour of the maritime sector.