The COM of Saint-Martin at the General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions of Europe, in Greece

The Community of Saint-Martin participated in the 50th General Assembly of the Conference of European Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR) which was held on October 27 and 28 in Crete (Greece). Ms. Martine BELDOR, territorial advisor in charge of European Affairs and alternate member, represented the Community. Ms. Valérie FONROSE, advisor in charge of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Mr. Élie TOUZÉ, Director of the Blue Economy, as well as Ms. Karine BERTAUX and Ms. Rudya LAKE, project managers for European Affairs based in Paris, were also of travel.

This General Assembly brought together the member regions as well as representatives of the Commission and the European Parliament.

On this occasion, several themes of strategic interest for our territory were addressed like the challenges of European island regions in the current context of 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, or the challenges of accessibility to means of transport; a major subject for the outermost regions which suffer from a significant deficit in this area given their great distance.

These discussions also focused on cohesion policy, at a time when the Commission European Union has published its 8th report on this theme and where the new programming period for structural funds 2021-2027 is now launched. The regions' reflections on the future of this essential policy for the implementation of structuring projects will prove decisive.

The general assembly closed with the adoption of a Final declaration “CPMR regions are shaping the future of the European project” which will be taken to the European institutions.

Two seminars on the blue economy and ports

The Community participated in two seminars dedicated to the blue economy and ports, organized on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

The seminar on intelligent specializations for the sustainable blue economy was organized by the European Commission (DG MARE), the CPMR and the region of Crete. An opportunity to better understand the networking of maritime basins, by sharing the S3 concept (Smart Specialization Strategy). In addition, this seminar also made it possible to inform blue economy actors on the possibilities of improving their capacities, establishing interregional partnerships and identifying financial opportunities.

The CPMR inter-committee seminar on “Ports as hubs for the blue economy” was co-organized by the AspBAN project. The aim was to learn from the experience of the Balkans and Black Sea region regarding the development of ports as innovation ecosystems open to SMEs in the maritime sector and to assess its potential transferability in our geographical area.

In parallel with these meetings, the Territorial Advisor, Martine Beldor spoke with young people from the Youth Council of the Inter-Mediterranean Commission on shared challenges such as employment, education, higher education, connectivity and health. “A great opportunity to promote the territory of Saint-Martin as well as its specificities and to share know-how.”

By participating in these exchanges, the Collectivity of Saint-Martin is part of a European approach to sustainable development. The next General Assembly will be held in November 2023 in Saint-Malo, Brittany.