The European Commission has adopted ambitious policy initiatives relevant to the management of the oceans, seas and coasts, to be implemented within the next 10 to 20 years. This includes the Data Collection Framework, Water Framework Directive, the Integrated Maritime Policy, the common fishery policy (CFP), the Habitats Directive, the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) or the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) to mention but a few. The operational application of these European policies by Member States, and in particular by Spain and the Basque Country are analysed within this research topic. Special emphasis has put on the application of new regulation coming from the MSP, MSFD and the CFP. The reform of the Common Fishery Policy (CFP) started in 2011 and an agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission was reached on 30th May 2013. This resulted in a new regulation under the CFP (COM (2014) 1380/2013 of 11th December of 2013), which came into force on the 1st January 2014. With the competition for maritime space and the need to reduce conflict between competing developments (Douvere, 2008), the EU has recently adopted a new framework directive addressing Maritime Spatial Planning (2014/89/EU) (EC, 2014).
Development of innovative tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good environmental status (DEVOTES)
Aim of the project: To better understand the relationships between pressures from human activities and climatic influences and their effects on marine ecosystems, including biological diversity, in order to support the ecosystem based management and fully achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters. In this framework, this project will: i) Test indicators and develop new, innovative ones to assess biodiversity in a harmonized way throughout the 4 regional seas; ii) Develop, test and validate innovative integrative modelling and monitoring tools to improve our understanding of ecosystem and biodiversity changes, for integration into a unique and holistic assessment; and iii) Propose and disseminate strategies and measures for ecosystems’ adaptive management, including the active role of industry and relevant stakeholders.
Funding: European Union (FP7) and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of the Basque Government (2013-2015).
Partners: AZTI-Tecnalia, NILU, SKYE, AU, UHULL, CEFAS, PML, IMAR, IO-BAS, JRC, HCMR, KUCORPI, APN, CONISMA, NIOZ, ICM-CSIC, DEU, EPA, MHI NASU, CNRS, NOAA, Ecoreach, MariLim, OceanDTM.
Marine Atlantic Regions Network (MARNET)
Aim of the project: To create an EU Atlantic marine socio economic network that will develop a methodology to create and collate comparable marine socio-economic data across the Atlantic regions and to use this data to support marine socio economic development initiatives along the Atlantic Area. In this framework, Marnet will: i) Examine the economic utility of the marine environment; ii) Enhance the competitiveness of the Atlantic Periphery economy; iii) Establish a formal charter for sharing marine socio economic research facilities; iv) Create an Atlas of marine socio economic indicators for the Atlantic Area; and v) Act as a framework to collaborate on further marine research initiatives.
Funding:EU INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of the Basque Government (2012-2014).
Partners: Border Midland and Western Regional Assembly, NUIG, AZTI-Tecnalia, Instituto de Economía Pública (UPV/EHU), CIMAR, IFREMER, Regional Council of Bretagne, Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, University of Stirling, Comissao de Coordenacao e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro.
Technical basics for ensuring the sustainability of coastal fisheries in the Basque Country, based on marine spatial planning (BATEGIN).
Aim of the project: To order and manage coastal fishing activities in the national fisheries up to a limit of 12 miles, based on information about each fishery and each port of discharge, bearing in mind both the shared use made of coastal marine areas (by the inshore fishing fleet and other fleets such as the seine net fleet, etc.) and the environmental-economic value of said marine zones. Through this management, the aim is to contribute to maintaining the socio-economic activity of this fleet and the region's fishing resources.
Funding: fondos FEP.
Partners: AZTI-Tecnalia and the Basque Government.
EU Environmental and Fisheries Policies: their impact on real convergence
Aim of the project: To assess the impact of environmental policy from a broader perspective than the strictly environmental one. To develop models that strike a general balance and enable us to quantify the effects of EU environmental and fisheries policies on employment and income distribution. The project also aims to extend the economic analysis of environmental agreements to include not only international aspects but inter-generational aspects also.
Funding: Ministry of Science and Technology SEC2001-0687 (2001-04).
Partners: Instituto de Economía Pública and Departamento de Fundamentos del Análisis Económico.
| Naomi S. Foley, Rebecca Corless, Marta Escapa, Frances Fahy, Javier Fernández-Macho, Susana Gabriel, Pilar González, Stephen Hynes, Regis Kalaydjian, Susana Moreira, Kieran Moylan, Arantza Murillas, Michael O'Brien, Katherine Simpson, and Dugald Tinch (2104). Developing a Comparative Marine Socio-Economic Framework for the European Atlantic Area. Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics, Vol. 2014, Iss. 1, Art. 3.
| Ansuategi, A., M. Escapa (2004), Is International Cooperation on Climate Change Good for the Environment?, Economics Bulletin 17, 1-11.
| Ansuategi, A. (2003), Economic Growth and Transboundary Pollution in Europe: An Empirical Analysis, Environmental and Resource Economics 26, pp. 305-328.
| Barañano, I., M. Escapa (2002), Crecimiento Endógeno, Polución y Cooperación Internacional, Ekonomiaz, Vol. 49, 36-53.
