Minister Füle attends European Maritime Day
Czech Minister for European Affairs Štefan Füle delivered the opening address at a conference held today in Rome on the occasion of the European Maritime Day that has been celebrated on 20 May since last year.
The conference was attended by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, other European Commissioners, MEPs and Italian Transport Minister Altero Matteoli. The attendants highlighted the role of the sea and the associated areas that include, in particular, transport, tourism, industry, research, environmental protection and internal security.
"There is no doubt that all the Member States benefit from the common maritime policy, regardless of whether they have access to the sea or are landlocked. I am very glad that a much more comprehensive approach towards maritime policy is now being adopted after the EU has made a number of achievements in maritime safety, among other issues. The EU is aware of the need for an ambitious, clearly defined and correctly integrated maritime policy", he added.
40% of the EU population lives in seaside regions, which generate 40% of the EU's GDP. About 170 direct and a further 13,000 indirect industrial contractors in the Czech Republic alone participate in shipbuilding for the maritime industry.
In addition, the Czech Republic is home to many businesses that focus on maritime technologies, such as off-shore products (windmills and tools for their installation in the sea) or the manufacture of special containers for maritime transport of liquidised gas. In addition to these purely economic and industrial aspects, the maritime policy also brings security and environmental benefits for the Czech Republic. These are related to monitoring and control of illegal migration from Northern Africa via the Mediterranean to the EU and the protection of the environment of European seas at the level of fauna and flora within a balanced ecosystem.
Contact:
- Michaela Jelínková, Spokesperson for the Czech Presidency of the EU Council in Prague
- tel.: +420 224 002 796, mobile: +420 724 258 939; e-mail: jelinkova.michaela@vlada.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:20
