Attending the conference and seminar in Crete were (from left) Blue Economy Director Élie Touzé, European Affairs officers Karine Bertaux and Rudya Lake, and Territorial Councillors Martine Beldor and Valérie Fonrose.
MARIGOT--The Collectivité took part in the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions of Europe (Conférence des Régions Périphériques et Maritimes Européennes (CRPM)) 50th General Assembly in Crete, Greece, October 27-28.
Representing the Collectivité were Territorial Councillor in charge of European Affairs Martine Beldor, Councillor in charge of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Valérie Fonrose, Blue Economy Director Élie Touzé and Karine Bertaux and Rudya Lake, European Affairs Officers based in Paris.
This General Assembly brought together the member regions and representatives of the European Commission and Parliament.
Several topics of strategic interest for St. Martin were discussed, such as the challenges of European island regions in the context of the current crisis; the Common Fisheries Policy with regard to the needs of the sector, such as the renewal of fishing fleets in compliance with European environmental objectives; and the challenges of accessibility to means of transport, a major issue for the outermost regions, which suffer from a significant deficit in this area, given their great remoteness.
These discussions also focused on cohesion policy, at a time when the European Commission has published its eighth report on this topic and the new programming period for the Structural Funds 2021-2027 has now been launched. The regions’ reflections on the future of this policy, which is essential for the implementation of structuring projects, will prove to be decisive.
The General Assembly closed with the adoption of a final declaration entitled “CRPM regions shape the future of the European project”, which will be submitted to the European institutions.
The Collectivité also took part in two seminars dedicated to the blue economy and ports, organised on the fringe of the General Assembly.
The seminar on smart specialisations for the sustainable blue economy was organised by the European Commission, the CRPM and the Region of Crete. It was an opportunity to better understand the networking of sea basins, by sharing the Smart Specialisation Strategy S3 concept. This seminar also provided an opportunity to inform stakeholders in the blue economy on the possibilities to improve their capacities, to establish interregional partnerships and to identify financial opportunities.
The CRPM inter-commission seminar on “Ports as hubs for the blue economy” was co-organised by the AspBAN project. The aim was to learn from the experience of the Balkan and Black Sea region regarding the development of ports as innovation ecosystems in the maritime sector and to assess its potential transferability to the geographical area that includes St. Martin.
In parallel to these meetings, Territorial Councillor Martine Beldor exchanged with young people of the Inter-Mediterranean Commission Youth Council on shared challenges such as employment, education, higher education, connectivity and health. By participating in these exchanges, the Collectivité of St. Martin is part of a European approach to sustainable development.
The next General Assembly will be held in Saint-Malo, Brittany, in November 2023.
