INTERVIEW OF JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, PRESIDENT OF THE BRITTANY REGION

1. First we had the Green Paper, then the Blue Paper, now we have Aquamarina: is this a sign of the Regions’ willingness to “boost” European maritime momentum?

Indeed, after the green light was given for the 2008-2009 maritime action plan by the December meeting of the Council, Aquamarina will be the Region’s means to ensure that their involvement will be translated into real progress in the acknowledgment of the seas, oceans, and coastal regions by all EU policies. The CPMR has already demonstrated a certain disappointment in the Blue Book, which is moving away from our expectations, in particular in governance of the sea, a difficult subject certainly, yet obviously a must. Aquamarina is a proactive response to this: we will firstly ensure that the Action Plan is implemented satisfactorily, and then propose developments in a series of sectors.

2. How will Aquamarina be organised?

It is, to use EU language, a genuine “bottom up approach”! In simpler terms, it is a question of finding, in our 160 member regions, content which will feed into our proposals. This is why, despite the practical and logistical difficulties of the exercise, this group is open to all of our Regions who have ideas, willingness and are available. The Region of Brittany, together with the CPMR General Secretariat (the team working with Xavier Gizard), will reunite this group 3 times per year in 2008 and 2009. ...

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EUROPEAN MARITIME DAY: 20 MAY 2008

As from this year, the 20 May will be European Maritime Day.
The CPMR wishes to actively participate in this event. Therefore, President Claudio Martini and President of the Brittany Region, Jean-Yves Le Drian addressed a letter to their colleagues in order to invite them to celebrate this day in each maritime Region of Europe.

Furthermore, the Treaty of Rome sailboat is preparing to leave for a tour of Europe with the moral and financial support of the European Institutions. This boat will be a "roaming European information point" and CPMR Regions can welcome this sailboat in their harbours.

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CPMR WORKING GROUP ON INNOVATION: TOWARDS A NEW REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM (TN-RIS)

On 28th and 29th February 2008 the CPMR working group on innovation met in Rennes (Brittany, France) to agree on the structure of the first Interim Report of the TN-RIS project. The two day meeting gave us the opportunity to discuss issues which relate to the dimension of innovation.

“Innovation may stem from everyone and everywhere.” Said Mrs Anne Stahl-Mousa, Executive Secretary of the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission, when summarising one of the key themes to be stressed within the final TN-RIS report. Currently at European level, there is an awareness to think “global” when talking about innovation. Indeed, there is no point in innovation being supported in a specific territory without taking into account a wider dimension which goes beyond regional boundaries.

Within such a context, the diffusion of the concept of “open innovation” represents clear proof of this ongoing change: being innovative today is not enough to support “internal” Research and Development (R&D) activities. In fact, “R&D goods” can be purchased and are available across European territories and abroad ...

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