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Channel Arc Manche continues to promote Channel
Channel Arc Manche - the Anglo-French co-operation association that includes most of the local authorities on both sides of the English Channel – has continued its tireless work of promoting the interests of the Channel and ensuring that its unique character, especially as the world’s busiest shipping lane, is taken on board by all levels of governance. | |
The current President of Channel Arc Manche, Cllr Brad Watson OBE of West Sussex County Council, spoke at a recent Brussels debate between the European Commission and pan-EU associations, organised by the Committee of the Regions, to push home the point that the Channel is not just part of the Atlantic and North Sea but should be treated separately. Indeed the European Commission, its President, José Manuel Barroso and Maritime Affairs Commissioner, , Joe Borg, have all acknowledged the Channel’s uniqueness, though work continues on ensuring concrete action. Cllr Watson OBE also presented President Barroso (pictured above right) with a copy of the cross-Channel atlas, “Channel Spaces, a world within Europe” (left). This universally acclaimed and thorough book is the final result of cross-Channel co-operation and was produced jointly by the EU-funded, Channel Arc Manche EMDI project that was led by Upper Normandy. The atlas was also recently formally launched in Brussels at the Upper Normandy Brussels office.
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South East England Annual European Conference - Report
A healthy gathering of interested parties convened at the excellent Institute for Civil Engineers, London on 28 November to attend the Annual European Conference for the South East of England, the largest region in the UK. Funded by the South East England Regional Assembly and organized by Southern England Local Partners with support from SEEDA and Kent County Council, the key note speech was delivered by Dermot Scott from the European Parliament’s London Office who highlighted some Europe-wide trends of key relevance to the South East. The event then reviewed two successful EU projects run by organisations in the South East: Hampshire County Council’s ESPACE project about adapting to climate change highlighted how this Interreg IIIb project had forced government at all levels to recognize the need to prepare for climate change. Surrey County Council and SEEDA’s Smart Economic Growth project had compared and contrasted planning systems; SEG has developed the SEGDEG toolkit which is being used widely by project partners to plan economic development activity by also taking into consideration social and environmental issues. The conference also heard from West Sussex’s Cllr Brad Watson OBE about an example of a successful EU policy network, the Channel Arc Manche Assembly which has lobbied consistently for recognition of the Channel by the EU institutions as the busiest shipping lane in the world (see above news article). The event was rounded off by European Policy Centre’s Jackie Davis who delivered a rousing speech about the role of the EU during the economic crisis.