Activities of Isabelle THOMAS related to 2014/2240(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Research and innovation in the blue economy to create jobs and growth (short presentation) FR
Amendments (30)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas it is currently believed that the number of molecules in the sea is considerably greater than the number of molecules on land, and that they offer incredible potential for research in the fields of healthcare, cosmetics and biotechnology;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas peripheral and island regions often have a maritime focus, and the development of the blue economy contributes to ensuring the balance and equality of all territories of the EU;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas particular attention should be paid to the outermost, island regions that are intrinsically linked to the blue economy, whose biotope is especially rich and whose specific climate offers opportunities for the development of new forms of marine energy production;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas, despite the move away from ICZM at EU level, it is essential to take account of land-sea interaction, to organise all maritime activities in such a way that they can co-exist and to avoid conflicts of use, manage interdependencies and ensure cooperation and good governance;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas land-sea interaction concerns in particular the pollution of the sea, often by land-based activities, while sea-based activities can also have consequences for operators on land, e.g. the fish processing sector, the construction of power plants, ports, dockyards and training facilities;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the sustainable development of maritime policies should not replicate the mistakes that have been made on land, and environmental impact surveys should be carried out before the launch of new activities;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas there is a great deal of ignorance about the seas and oceans, their resources and biodiversity, and the ways in which these interact with human activities – whether taking place or still to be developed – and whereas inadequate knowledge on those points severely inhibits sustainable use of the resources concerned and poses an obstacle to innovation;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the sustainable development of maritime activities should in addition have a strong social focus, and improved workers’ rights and job security will also help to drive growth;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. Whereas barriers to success in innovation in the blue economy lie not just with the scientific knowledge gap, which universities, businesses and research institutions are seeking to address through cutting edge research; but also lie significantly with barriers to funding from both public and private resources;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas a political aim is not a priority until it has a dedicated budget;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. Whereas the potential for exploiting marine resources to develop sustainable renewable energy resources could significantly contribute to the EU's energy security strategy through reducing Member States' reliance on non EU sources of energy;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Urges the European Commission to focus not only on innovation in new activities but also to consider the potential for innovation offered by all maritime activities;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out that while activities like fishing can have a traditional aspect, they also inherently contain the potential for innovation, e.g. the development of new fishery control tools, or the building of highly selective fishing vessels that are fuel efficient, emit relatively little CO2, and are safer and more comfortable;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Reminds the European Commission that the aim of the European Strategic Investment Fund is to foster significant infrastructure investments and ensure the financing of innovative projects; thus asks the European Commission to add the development of the blue economy to the list of aims to be met for a project to be eligible for access to the European Strategic Investment Fund;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Insists that a blue economy KIC be set up to promote research in this field and to identify it as a priority aim of the EU rather than an optional maritime strand of an energy or food objective;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Invites the European Commission to set up an agency responsible for the development of the blue economy, data gathering, and the coordination of projects seeking to achieve this aim;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Maintains that the blue economy should be defined in broadspecific terms covering all sectoral and inter-sectoral activities connected with oceans, seas, and coastal areas, including forms of direct and indirect support; draws attention to the cross-cutting importance of innovation for all these activities, be they traditional or emerging;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Insists that every encouragement be given to the setting up of training programmes bringing together all the maritime professions; stipulates in this respect that the interaction between the various maritime training courses should foster the development of integrated maritime activities and ensure that the skills acquired can be used in a broader context;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the development of the blue economy requires greater investment in knowledge and that, in order to improve understanding of the marine environment, the EU and the Member States must provide substantial funding under arrangements making for continuity and predictability over the long term, not jeopardising, in the meantime, the financing of already existing and running programmes;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for clear-cut objectives and time- frames to be laid down with a view to making data – whether relating to the sea- floor or to the water column and living resources – more accessible and, more fully interoperable and harmonised for information about seas and oceans to be supplied to the public;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Believes that in order to ensure the sustainable development of the blue economy, it will be necessary to create and successfully manage cohesive marine and maritime actions; calls for the setting up of a European Maritime Super Agency that will take ownership of all aspects related to the sea and oceans and that will bring together the relevant agencies that already exist under one management team to coordinate all the activities that directly impact different aspects of the blue economy;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that the Member States and regional authorities have a key role to play in developing the blue economy and urges the Commission to support and encourage all forms of cooperation between Member States and regional authorities, for example joint programming initiatives;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to establish favourable regulatory and legal conditions for investing in renewable energy in the blue economy, and to bring forward a clear and stable framework of support for research, businesses and government that will allow for increased investment in innovative projects to develop renewable energy;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for an appropriate financial framework to be established in order to stimulate the development of the blue economy and job creation, combining and, coordinating and facilitating the access to the financial instruments available – structural and investment funding (EMFF, ERDF, ESF, Cohesion Fund), the research framework programme, and so forth; points out that the instruments should be better geared to the needs of individual stakeholders – public institutions, businesses, especially SMEs, non- governmental organisations, etc. – and the opportunities being offered widely publicised;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for an appropriate financial framework to be established in order to stimulate the development of the blue economy and job creation, combining and coordinating the financial instruments available – structural and investment funding (EMFF, ERDF, ESF, Cohesion Fund, and EFSI when available), the research framework programme, and so forth; points out that the instruments should be better geared to the needs of individual stakeholders – public institutions, businesses, especially SMEs, non-governmental organisations, etc. – and the opportunities being offered widely publicised;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Emphasises that investment in the blue economy requires a mix of project focuses, from big infrastructure projects which require the market confidence of public funding, to diverse, small scale investments in SMEs, which require additional assistance in accessing funding;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Emphasises that the onshore industries which support the offshore blue economy are the vital link to ensuring marine innovation improves the lives of everyone across the EU, and calls on the Commission to provide for greater support for these onshore industries;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls for increased support for SMEs, which constitute the vast majority of the aqua tourism sector, in ensuring that existing and new jobs are sustainable, high quality, and all year round;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses that renewable marine energies are an industrial sector for the future that can combat climate change and EU energy dependence, achieve greater energy sustainability and meet the Europe 2020 targets; points out that in this regard offshore grids between the Member States are of great importance;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Believes that a maritime safety "Erika IV" package should be launched to prevent further major maritime disasters; considers that this package should recognise the ecological damage to marine waters in the European legislation;