Joe Borg News

One may have all kinds of maritime clusters, depending on the criteria which have been originally selected to create such or such cluster. Some gather maritime professionals who belong to the same geographical areas, some other are based on the type of activity (for instance a cluster of maritime entities active in maritime research & innovation; or in shipbuilding/ship repairs/equipment; or in any other field where maritime professionals want to coordinate and harmonize some of their actions, work, lobbying etc…).

Given the success of the first meeting he had in 2015 with the chairmen of the national maritime clusters forming the ENMC, Commissioner Vella expressed the wish to reiterate this high-level forum every year. In that spirit, the 2016 two-hours meeting took place in Luxembourg last week in the presence of eleven maritime clusters from Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Main topics of the agenda discussed with Commissioner Vella were the follow-up of the International Ocean Governance…

Cruise lines like Holland America, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises, Star Clippers, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Aida Cruises have canceled all port stops to Tunisia for the rest of the year following the jihadist terrorist attack and massacre in the capital March 18th. Seventeen cruisers from Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises ships visiting Tunis for the day were killed in Wednesday's attack, which took place at the city's Bardo National Museum. More than 20 other cruisers were wounded. The Seattle-based Holland America has announced that two ships scheduled to visit the country over the next two-and-a-half months as part of Mediterranean sailings instead will head to ports on the Italian island of Sardinia. Costa has also canceled all remaining 39 port stops to the country.

In a report published Nov. 3, the European Commission takes the first step towards establishing a comprehensive strategy for integrated maritime surveillance for Europe. The report, in the form of a Commission Staff Working Document, describes the current state of play as regards the surveillance, monitoring, tracking, identification and reporting systems put in place by EU Member States and EU Agencies. It also identifies the next steps to be undertaken and the challenges to be resolved in order to achieve an integrated maritime surveillance network for Europe. Such an integrated and cross-sectoral network would provide essential added value for national authorities in handling a range of challenges…

The European Commission welcomes BioMarine, an international maritime forum on oceans sustainability an innovative solutions, organized under the aegis of the French Presidency of the European Union, which gathers business, scientific and political communities. This is a major event which will enable 's maritime community to reinforce the development of an integrated approach to maritime affairs. Joe Borg, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will review the progress achieved in the field of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy during the closing plenary on 24 October, in Marseille. In his speech, Commissioner Borg will focus on research, innovation and maritime governance, the key issue for integrated policy-making.

European Union officials said the shipping sector should have to live up to similar greenhouse gas emission targets as aircraft and automobiles, according to an AP report. Joe Borg, the EU's fisheries and maritime affairs commissioner, said ships should be included in pollution cutting programs as part of a more environmentally friendly maritime policy the bloc intends to develop in the years ahead. Borg said EU officials were already in discussions with the shipping industry to see how they could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from ships. These include looking at cleaner fuels and encouraging ships to use electricity while they are in port, rather than keeping their engines running on oil and other fuels while idle.

EU Commissioner Dr Joe Borg is set for a public interface with global shipping luminaries when he addresses the International Ship Suppliers Association (ISSA) Convention to be held in Malta from October 18-21, 2007. Dr Borg served as Malta’s Foreign Minister before taking up his present post as EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. In a joint statement ISSA President Wim van Noortwijk and Alfred Borg, MSSA President, said: “Having Dr Borg in attendance should attract a number of extra people from the global shipowning community as well as from the ship supply sector. Commissioner Borg will be joined at the Convention by a host of other headline names.

EU Commissioner Joe Borg said that Europe's maritime economy is of critical importance and therefore it is important to embrace a common maritime policy that will eventually allow Europe retaining its wealth and quality of life in the future. Borg was speaking at conference organized by the Malta Economic Update together with the Maritime Law Advisory Council. During his speech, Borg was hinting at the Green Paper issued by the European Commission responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs entitled "Towards a future Maritime Policy for the Union: A European vision for the oceans and seas". Commissioner Borg pointed out that the enlargement…

The European Commission (EC) released the speech delivered by Dr. Joe Borg, Member of the EC responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, entitled The Future Maritime Policy and the Regions. The speech was delivered to the Committee of the Regions in Brussels. Source: HK Law