How can the EU and the US work together to improve management of coastal and ocean affairs, not only within their own territories, but across the North Atlantic? What are the obstacles to establishing integrated and science-based frameworks formaritime governance in the EU and US, and how can they be overcome?  How can management be improved through the involvement of key players from science, industry, civil society and government? These questions and more were debated at the Cooperation Across the Atlantic for Marine Governance Integration (CALAMAR) final conference that took place in Lisbon (Portugal). 

From 11 to 12 April 2011, Ecologic Institute brought together more than 50 experts from the EU and US to present and discuss policy recommendations on how to improve integrated maritime governance across the Atlantic, so as to produce management that better reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of coastal and ocean affairs. This discussion comes at a time when both the EU and US are charting a new course for the oceans and coasts by implementing new overarching maritime policies. Previously, management of these areas has been conducted in a fragmented, sector-based manner, and the new EU and US policies aim to transcend these limitations.

The CALAMAR project, funded by the European Union (EU), convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue allowing experts from the EU and the US to identify best practices for integrated management and ways to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in maritime governance. The experts – from industry, civil society, academia and government – were convened into working groups that focused on four key areas of ocean governance:

1. Climate Change
2. High Seas
3. Integrated Maritime Policies and Tools
4. EU/US Transatlantic Cooperation.

The final conference was hosted by the Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) and provided attendees with the opportunity to discuss the findings and the next steps for continuing the dialogue beyond the end of the CALAMAR project.

Some key recommendations included:

• The EU and US should encourage and support ecosystem-based climate change adaptation strategies and approaches that allow nature to accommodate change, in addition to engineered adaptation strategies.
• The EU and US should promote the protection of ecologically and biologically significant areas and vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction, potentially through the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the High Seas. 
• The EU and US should promote the exchange of best practices in integrated management, particularly as regards Maritime Spatial Planning.
• The EU and US should coordinate and share scientific data, as well as data for combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The meeting synthesis report will be published on the CALAMAR website in June 2011.

The CALAMAR dialogue was also supported by US Ambassador, Allan J. Katz who hosted a reception for the participants. Ambassador Katz welcomed participants to his residence and applauded the transatlantic project for its contribution to improving EU/US partnership in maritime governance. The final report with expert policy recommendations will be available for download from the CALAMAR website in June 2011.

Further link:

• Ecologic Institute Project: Cooperation across the Atlantic for marine governance integration (CALAMAR)
• Ecologic Institute News: EU and US join forces to combat IUU fishing

Keywords: ocean governance, transatlantic relations, climate change, marine spatial planning, workshop, EU, US, maritime affairs

Sponsor: European Commission, DG External Relations
Partners: Meridian Institute, The Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, The Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations – IDDRI, Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware
Team: Sandra Cavalieri, Camilla Bausch, Franziska Stuke, Katriona McGlade, Elena von Sperber, Andrew Reid, Sören Haffer
Duration: 1 January 2010 until 30 June 2011
Project number: 2212