Neptune’s turn : maritime policy during the Maltese presidency

Abstract

It was not surprising that Malta included initiatives in the maritime sector in its six-month presidency priorities. As an island state at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta could hardly sidestep the sector. The justification for its inclusion was couched in much broader political terms: that the EU was increasingly becoming dependant on the seas and hence the need to further strengthen the maritime sector under the EU Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP). In the words of the “Maltese Priorities”, the oceans offered “a diverse spectrum of innovative research and commercial activities that could be developed into high value-added job opportunities in line with the Blue Growth Initiative towards growth and competitiveness”. In this respect, the Maltese Priorities mentioned two concrete steps: international ocean governance aiming to secure “political endorsement on the way forward on a more coherent, comprehensive and effective EU policy to improve the international ocean governance framework and the sustainability of our oceans”; and the launching of the Western Mediterranean Initiative (Government of Malta, 2017). In its appraisal of the performance of the Maltese presidency of the Council of the EU in the maritime sector, the newspaper Politico gave Malta a 10/10. The same source described as a “crowning achievement” a political agreement reached on technical measures to limit fishing (Politico, 2017). This agreement was reached on 11 May 2017, when according to a Council statement, “the Agriculture and Fisheries Council agreed on a common position on a proposal for new rules on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems, often referred to as ‘technical measures’.” The decision is intended to permit the modernization of existing rules on how and where fishermen fish and regulate the landing of fisheries resources, technical specifications of fishing gear and measures to protect depleted fish species. [excerpt]