By John Winn, Chairman, Haven Gateway private business forum, and Hon Consul for the German Federal Republic

EUROPEAN Maritime Day … I know, I know. Not the sort of flag day which will persuade Brits to part with their bus far to the old boy shaking a tin outside M&S.

Indeed, that is the trouble with ‘words’ from Brussels. They manage to mix hyperbole with what Auntie Winifred in Scarborough used to refer to as ‘small round things’. This is sometimes a great shame because, on occasions, they do actually start to deal with nitty-gritty issues to advance the benefit of European citizenry and not, as we all sometimes fear, to increase some sizeable individual pension pots.

But enough of this cynicism. There is something useful to report so, if you are still with me, please persevere. 

The good news, simply stated, is that the European Commission has now discovered The Sea and what happens on it, across it and under it, and how many people in coastal regions are dependent on it. Eureka! Hence the theme of European Maritime Day 2011, ‘Maritime Policy: Putting People First’. The theme was celebrated at the Polish port of Gdansk when more than 1,100 delegates were invited by the Commission to take part in realistic discussions about the controlled but innovative use of the sea.

To a man who has spent too many hours, over the years, loitering in Brussels trying to find the right listening ear on a number of topics, the encouraging thing about this huge gathering was that all were invited regardless of whether they were pro or anti any particular likely EC policy proposal, be it fisheries, wind farms or whatever. In short, the event was a genuine attempt at consultation and not an attempt – as has been known!! – to manipulate opinion to suit the policymakers.

So, the delegates included a considerable number of naval representatives (both military and merchant), associations of fishermen, environmental NGOs, pressure groups of left and right, harbourmasters, marina developers, cargo brokers, ferry operators, naval architects, maritime lawyers and surveyors, in addition to many coastal regeneration authorities, like the Haven Gateway Partnership.

Such a wide cross-section meant that many differences of opinion could be lessened by listening. The policymakers had to listen to the practical men/women and the practical men/women had to start to understand the day-to-day political barriers and problems faced by the policymakers.

The topics covered and mainly addressed by experts in their field covered e-navigation and e-maritime (in facts lots of e’s), together with more obvious topics like the lack of European merchant navy officers and the pressing need to promote careers at sea. How to protect the Baltic against negative eutrophication was a hot topic.

There was a full discussion about an EC initiative with the worthy title of ‘Blue Belt Pilot Project’. The purpose, simply stated, is to reduce the paperwork necessary when goods are transported within the EU but by sea and not by road. That is good nitty-gritty, since unless the bureaucratic burden on coastal shipowners is eased it will always be simpler to load the cargo on a road train and drive through EU land border after land border regardless of comparative emission and  other environmental disadvantages. That would be a practical step forward.

Watch this space …