Activities of Gesine MEISSNER related to 2017/2055(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on international ocean governance: an agenda for the future of our oceans in the context of the 2030 SDGs PDF (580 KB) DOC (123 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on international ocean governance: an agenda for the future of our oceans in the context of the 2030 SDGs
Amendments (49)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
- having regard to the UN Ocean Conference held on 5-9 June 2017 in New York,
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2015 Paris Agreement, which entered into force on 4 November 2016 and its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to Directive 2012/33/EU of 21 November 2012 amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the sulphur content of marine fuels and the ongoing impact assessment on the extension of the Sulphur Emission Control Areas within the European Waters,
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to Directive 2000/59/EC on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
- having regard to the ongoing preparatory process forOur Ocean, Our Future: Call for Action adopted at the UN Ocean Conference to be held from 5-9 June 2017 in New York,
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
- having regard to the proposal of Baltic Sea and North Sea countries to the IMO to introduce designated Nitrogen Emission Control Areas (NECAs),
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Fully endorses the Commission's action plan set out in the 2016 Joint Communication on International Ocean Governance;highlights the urgent need for Commission and Member States to swiftly deliver on these actions and turn the EU's commitment to sustainable development for the oceans into concrete policies at EU and international level;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Reiterates the strong maritime dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, but not limited to, goal 14:Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Stresses the need for strengthened cooperation, policy coherence and coordination among all governments and institutions at all levels, including between and among international organisations, regional and subregional organisations and institutions, arrangements and programmes;notes in this respect the important role of effective and transparent multi-stakeholder partnerships and of the active engagement of governments with global, regional and subregional bodies, the scientific community, the private sector, the donor community, non-governmental organisations, community groups, academic institutions, business and industry and other relevant actors;recognizes the importance of gender equality and the crucial role of women and youth in the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Stresses that improving transparency, public accessibility of information, stakeholder involvement, and the legitimacy of UN organisations, including public accountability of country representatives at international bodies, such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is a matter of priority in addressing existing shortcomings in the governance framework;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Stresses the need for capacity building strategies for developing States, in particular the least developed countries, for the protection of the marine environment and the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, in particular regarding the establishment of adequate water treatment and waste- management facilities;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1 e. Notes, furthermore, with regard to international law on air pollution that, under UNCLOS, Member States are not permitted to board and inspect ships in the high seas or during innocent passages, even in cases of solid evidence of infringement;calls, therefore, on the UN parties to enhance the legal framework of UNCLOS with the aim of addressing any existing governance gaps and of establishing robust enforcement mechanisms for international environmental law;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Welcomes the progress made in Member States regarding the establishment of maritime spatial planning, however, stresses that further efforts are needed for a successful and coherent implement of the Directive 2014/89/EU in order to set an example for an introduction of MSP at a global level;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Reiterates the transnational and international dimension of maritime spatial planning and calls on the Commission to urge Member States to intensify the cooperation with third countries in the process of their maritime spatial planning, in particular in the framework of existing regional institutional cooperation;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Stresses the importance to promote MSP globally not only at a political level but also in the public sphere, in particular with regard to the education and training of future maritime spatial planners;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2 d. Emphasises the importance of land-sea interactions, related processes such as integrated coastal management, and the involvement of stakeholders for a successful implementation of maritime spatial planning in the Member States as well as globally;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on Member States, regional and local authorities and private bodies to focus on innovation projects, blue technologies and the use of clean energy in order to promote more ecological infrastructure and maritime transport, through EFSI, the Horizon 2020 programme and the CEF; calls on the Commission to develop ocean partnerships with the main stakeholdkey players in this area as a means of boosting cooperation on matters of common interest, such as Blue Growth;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses the threat of marine litter to the oceans and its crucial importance to achieve good environmental status for marine waters and therefore urges the Commission to intensify its efforts to combat marine litter in Europe and globally by addressing land-based sources through reducing drastically the amount of litter produced and increasing the level of recyclability as well as by addressing sea-based sources through tackling the problem of illegal dumping of waste such as fishing gear, the increasing amount of disposed wastewater outside the territorial waters and supporting financially the collection of marine litter as well as the improvement of waste management systems in ports and harbours;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. States that the discharge of garbage from ships is a serious element of the problem of marine debris;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. States that the major obstacle to the implementation of MARPOL has been the lack of, or insufficient, reception facilities in many ports worldwide;takes note that inadequate port reception facilities are a particularly acute problem especially for small island developing States, whose ports are frequently visited by cruise ships of a capacity larger than their facilities can handle;therefore calls on the Member States to support developing Countries and particularly Small Island Development States to better implement the MARPOL convention and thereby protect the environment and livelihoods of people in harbour areas;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Stresses that action by both the Member States and the Commission to tackle the illegal export and dumping of plastic waste need to be stepped up, including stricter enforcement of EU shipment regulations, as well as stricter monitoring and inspection schemes at ports and at all waste treatment facilities, targeting suspected illegal transfers and combating the export of waste for reuse, and to ensure that exports only go to facilities that fulfil the requirements of environmentally sound management, as laid down in Article 49 of the Waste Shipment Regulation;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. States that the exchange of ballast water is a possible route to avoid the introduction of invasive alien species;stresses that while the IMO Ballast Water Convention, which is intended to control and manage this problem, will soon enter into force, its successful implementation will depend on more widespread ratification;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Underlines that maritime transport has an impact on the global climate and on air quality, as a result both of CO2 emissions and non-CO2 emissions, such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, methane, particulate matter and black carbon;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6 f. Notes that the Third IMO Greenhouse Gas Study of 2014 states that, depending on future economic and energy developments, maritime CO2 emissions are projected to increase by 50 % to 250 % in the period up to 2050, while Parliament's 2015 study entitled 'Emission Reduction Targets for International Aviation and Shipping' states that if an IMO action plan to combat climate change were further postponed, the share of maritime CO2 emissions within global GHG emissions might rise substantially to 17 % for maritime transport by 2050;stresses therefore that shipping would alone consume a large share of the remaining green house budget to limit the temperature increase to well below 2 degree Celsius;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 h (new)
Paragraph 6 h (new)
6 h. Notes that nitrogen oxide emissions especially in port cities and coastal areas are generated to a large extent by shipping and are a major concern for public health and environmental protection in Europe;regrets that overall nitrogen oxide emissions from shipping in the EU remain largely unregulated and, if left unabated, are estimated to surpass land- based nitrogen oxide emissions already in 2020;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 i (new)
Paragraph 6 i (new)
6 i. Calls on the respective bodies to ensure a level playing field internationally with regards to sulphur- and nitrogen oxide-emissions, by adapting the respective limit values to the lowest existing limit values;calls on the Commission to explore and propose measures to significantly reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions from the existing fleet, including an impact assessment of a possible introduction of a nitrogen oxide levy and fund system to reach considerable reductions fast and effectively;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 k (new)
Paragraph 6 k (new)
6 k. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess and to promote the application of speed restrictions to ships on IMO level in order to reduce emissions, taking into account the Energy Efficiency Desing Index (EEDI) and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and the fact that speed limits in the road and rail sector is commonplace;underlines that the internal and external economic benefit of lower ship speeds outweigh the costs;notes that slow steaming is comparatively easy to monitor and to enforce, imposing a low administrative burden on stakeholders;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 m (new)
Paragraph 6 m (new)
6 m. Calls on the European Commission and the EU member states to work actively towards rapid finalisation of the protracted IMO work plan on reducing black carbon (BC) emissions from ships sailing in the Arctic with the view of slowing down rapid temperature increases and the accelerated melting of polar ice in the region;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Urges the Commission to strengthen the maritime cooperation and capacity building in the framework of its external policy framework such as development cooperation and trade agreements, in particular Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements, to build capacities to tackle the impacts of climate change, marine litter as well as for a better ocean governance and a sustainable blue growth;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls to intensify efforts to increase ocean literacy in Europe and globally through a closer cooperation and exchange between researchers, stakeholders, decision-makers and the public with a strong focus on educational programmes on the importance of oceans and seas as well as information about careers in the blue economy;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Calls in accordance with the UN Our Ocean, Our Future:Call for Action for thorough assessments on the state of the ocean, based on science and traditional knowledge systems;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Emphasises the importance to include coastal local authorities and outermost regions in the process to bring international ocean governance closer to EU citizens;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Stresses that ocean governance should build on the best available knowledge and therefore calls for increased research and innovation to govern the ocean and its resources in a way which ensures the conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems, including the sustainability of the exploitation of its resources.
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that improving transparency, access to information, stakeholder involvement and the legitimacy of UN organisations, such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is a matter of priority in addressing existing governance shortcomings;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Emphasises the importance to include coastal local authorities and outermost regions in the process to bring international ocean governance closer to EU citizens;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the European Commission to develop ocean partnerships with key players in the form of multicultural cooperation mechanisms or bilateral dialogues to ensure a better coordination and cooperation for a successful implementation of the ocean- relevant SDGs, the promotion of a sustainable blue growth as well as the preservation, conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems and biodiversity;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Urges the Commission to strengthen the maritime cooperation and capacity building in the framework of its external policy framework such as development cooperation and trade agreements, in particular Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements, to build capacities to tackle the impacts of climate change, marine litter as well as for a better ocean governance and a sustainable blue growth;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the Commission to increase its efforts to combat marine litter by phasing out microplastic ingredients in personal care products, promoting cost free recovery systems for garbage in all European ports, funding more research on the distribution and impact of marine litter, strengthening the EU's contribution to international efforts to reduce marine litter at regional and global level as well as accessing the effectiveness of international, regional and sub-regional strategies to combat marine litter and other pollutants.
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission and on the Member States to step up their efforts to implement a holistic approach to the design, management and evaluation of Marine Protected Areas, in order to reach their full potential for protecting marine biodiversity; calls on the Member States to increase the number of designated Marine Protected Areas; while still respecting other activities taking place at sea as part of an efficient maritime spatial planning process outlined in the MSP Directive 2014/89 EU;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls to intensify efforts to increase ocean literacy in Europe through a closer cooperation and exchange between researchers, stakeholders, decision-makers and the public with a strong focus on educational programmes on the importance of oceans and seas as well as information about careers in the blue economy;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls on the European Commission to increase the efforts at international level for the establishment of a coherent regulatory framework for the exploration and exploitation of deep sea minerals which should be based on the precautionary principle;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Believes that a maritime safety 'Erika IV' package should be launched to prevent further major maritime disasters; considers that this package should consider to recognise the ecological damage to marine waters in European legislation;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates that, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, all sectors of the economy are required to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions; urges the adoption of clear targets to reduce international maritime CO2 emissions at global level through the IMO; notes, furthermore, that the EU should contribute in parallel to the reduction of CO2 emissions from shipping by introducing a robust pricing mechanism as soon as possible;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that ocean governance should build on the best available knowledge and therefore calls for increased research and innovation to govern the ocean and its resources in a way which ensures the conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems, including the sustainability of the exploitation of its resources;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls for sufficient funding to support marine and maritime research and innovation actions, notably those across sectors in a dedicated mission ocean for research and innovation;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Reiterates the importance to work together with international partners to strengthen mapping, observations and research in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Atlantic in line with the BlUEMED initiative and the Belém and Galway Statements and with global or regional alliances such as the Belmont Forum;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Calls in accordance with the UN Our Ocean, Our Future: Call for Action for thorough assessments on the state of the ocean, based on science and traditional knowledge systems;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 e (new)
Paragraph 21 e (new)
21e. Stresses the need to move forward to fit for purpose ocean observation systems, access to marine data and handling of large quantities of data (including the blue cloud) in line with the G7 S&T Ministers Tsukuba Communiqué;