8th Annual Conference, Sesimbra, Portugal, 2–5 June 2000
of the European Environmental Advisory Councils EEAC

The Coastal Zone Sustainable
Development Policies in Europe

Hosted by Portuguese National Council on Environment and Sustainable Development

Conclusions and Recommendations

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The 8th Annual Conference of European Environmental Advisory Councils held in Sesimbra from 2–5 June 2000 addressed the theme of The Coastal Zone Sustainable Development Policies in Europe. In order to promote a more detailed and wider approach to the theme the Conference organized itself in the following four workshops:

I.  General Conclusions and Recommendations

The Conference approved the following general conclusions and recommendations:

  1. The Conference recognizes that in some areas of marine protection of coastal zones some progress has been made, but at the same time acknowledges the particular fragility of coastal zones, which are subjected to multiple and conflicting uses and interests. In spite of the pressures that threaten coastal ecosystems, neither governance policies nor public concerns are yet adequate to meet the challenges of sustainable development in these areas. States and individuals tend to reflect a narrow land-based vision which is unable to perceive coastal and sea areas as an essential part of national and European spaces, rather than a borderline. The Conference calls for new measures to raise public awareness of the crucial importance of the conservation and sustainable use of coastal zones. Business and commercial activity in the coastal zone is a particular concern and this sector is identified as requiring new educational effort.

  2. The Conference underlines the fact that the strong inertia that still prevents the EU and its member States from responding effectively to the various pressures which affect the environmental balance of coastal zones is a compelling mirror of our political, scientific and institutional weaknesses. The absence or delay in producing timely responses show us the lack of integration in current political strategies, the overlapping competence and/or sectoral inefficiency of administrative structures and the fragmentary and disperse model of scientific research and organization. Taking this into account, the EEAC Conference actively encourages cross-disciplinary initiatives to illustrate the economic, social and environmental value of coastal areas and resources, and commitment to take concrete actions to correct the present situation.

  3. The Conference emphasizes the critical importance of incorporating coastal zones in future environmental policies as well as in any sustainable development strategies of the European Union and European countries. The European Union and its member States are confronted with old and new challenges facing coastal areas: diverse types of pollution, fisheries, agriculture impacts, population pressures translated both in urban spreading and out of control tourism growth, port expansion, among others. It is time to both fully implement existing policy instruments and to develop new tools and mechanisms to enhance coastal sustainability. New indicators are needed to assess the success of new programmes and actions in preventing further environmental degradation, and bringing ecological recovery of coastal areas.
    The Conference calls the EU to adopt a challenging Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) strategy requiring the development of Coastal Zones Management plans as a pre-condition for EU funding of development projects on the coast. This ICZM strategy should be fully integrated into the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), which should include the ocean space from now on under national jurisdiction.

  4. The Conference recognizes that the Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), announced in 1995 by the European Commission constitutes, in spite of its shortcomings, a significant step in the right direction. The Conference exhorts the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission to launch further and broader initiatives in this critical area, inspired by a holistic and long term perspective, fostering local specificity, opening ways for responsible participatory planning and monitoring. The Conference further recommends that a wider use of combined instruments, aiming at a better resources management respecting the ecological balance of marine areas, should shape future policies and be reflected in any changes of existing EU policies as is the case of the 2002 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) review.

  5. The Conference calls for greater policy support for expanding marine protected areas. These areas are particularly valuable to our knowledge of marine ecosystems, and a better understanding of their resistance and resilience before human pressure. The Conference strongly recommends the full integration of marine and land based protected areas as part of a wider nature conservation and a spatial planning strategies, which may help to overcome a traditional terrestrial biased approach.

  6. The Conference considers the Water Framework Directive to be an important step forward in integrating coastal zones, including near shore waters, in a more comprehensive water policy. The Conference calls for a rapid and effective implementation of the Directive’s aim to restore ecological quality, by controlling land-based and offshore sources of pollution. Institutional adjustments are essential to put into practice this overall strategy.

  7. The Conference identifies the extraordinary increase in tourism in recent years, combined with its influence on transport and land use is a major challenge for the European environment. There is a lack of appropriate mechanisms at different policy levels. In this sense, the Conference strongly endorses the current efforts developed by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) with the aim of providing reliable and flexible indicators enabling better evaluation of the current environmental status as well as the degree of success of present and future policies and management measures. Describing complex systems and processes with one-dimensional parameters (so called key indicators) can be a preliminary approach only. The EEAC much more recommend functionality indicators and perspective monitoring due to concrete targets decided in a transparent, participative process. This set of indicators, reflecting the crucial relationship between economic and ecological systems shall try to be a clear and continuous counterpart to the aggregate and environmentally blind GDP index.

  8. The EEAC Conference calls for concerted action, with clear targets and objectives, among all the actors involved in the process of sustainable development in European coastal areas. An enormous and long-term effort is needed in the domains of policy planning, administrative coordination and in the improvement of the scientific inputs into the process of decision-making. In order to attain these objectives the EEAC actively recommends a more decisive EU leadership and guidance in promoting a greater integration between development policies regarding coastal areas.

II.  Thematic Conclusions and Recommendations

In addition, the Conference also approved the following specific conclusions and recommendations, based on the outcomes of the four thematic workshops.

Workshop 1: Integrated Management of Off-shore and Land-based Activities

1.  The Workshop 1 adopted the following conclusions:

1.1 Throughout Europe we are experiencing a very rapid rate of change in human activities in both the terrestrial and marine components of the coastal zone. The pace of change is accelerating, especially in marine areas.

1.2 In addition to commonly recognized pressures such as the growth of coastal tourism, expansion of ports and harbors, expansion of aquaculture etc., there are emerging pressures for development off-shore, in response to mounting restrictions on land.

1.3 The accelerating pace and increasing scale of change in coastal development is not matched by change within institutions, policies, legal arrangements, plans or human capacities to achieve effective management of these development pressures.

1.4 Many of the instruments available at EU, national or local levels of governance are not adequate to deal with emerging development pressures. It would be wrong to only rely on more effective implementation of such instruments. Instead we should seek to refine and integrate existing instruments such as the European Spatial Development Perspective and the Water Framework Directive, and develop new and more comprehensive tools to guide development in our coastal regions.

2.  In summary, there is an urgent need for radical improvement in institutional arrangements and tools available to promote sustainable use of the coastal lands and waters in all European nations to meet the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. The following recommendations are designed to promote such improvements. The Workshop 1 requests the EEAC to call for:

2.1 strong leadership by the EU in developing an ICZM Strategy and programme for its implementation in all Member States. The strategy should incorporate a range of instruments including economic incentives and cross compliance with Structural Funds and other financial instruments to ensure that they are used in a truly sustainable manner. A number of benefits can be derived from the formulation and implementation of holistic coastal management, policies, strategies and plans. These include the effective delivery of international commitments associated with the Habitats, Birds, Water Framework, and EA directives, as well as Natura 2000, and other policies;

2.2 a more holistic evaluation of the role of coastal lands, waters and other natural resources through support for cross-disciplinary studies to increase scientific knowledge. Equal effort should be given to apply this evaluation and research to policy formulation and the development of more integrated planning and management processes.

2.3 greater EU and national efforts to increase public awareness of the cultural, social, economic and environmental value of coastal lands, waters and other natural resources in meeting the objectives of sustainability.

2.4 greater integration of EU objectives, policies and regional development strategies to further Integrated Coastal Management planning.

2.5 the one mile marine limit of the Water Framework Directive to be extended to match other coastal boundaries. An extension to the 12-mile territorial limit would improve the effectiveness of the Directive and facilitate its integration with support Integrated Coastal Management.

2.6 progressive refinement of the WFD to address critical environmental parameters which have a significant influence on coastal processes. These parameters include sediment supply, base water flows in river and estuarine systems, and eutrophication.

Workshop 2: The New Water Framework Directive

3.  The Workshop 2 adopted the following conclusions:

3.1 The Water Framework Directive is potentially a strong governance instrument that is complementary to the coastal zone management policy and will provide an important framework to further ICZM in Europe.

3.2 The contribution of the Water Framework Directive to strategies for sustainable and integrated Coastal Zone Management should be strengthened.

3.3 The European Parliament and the Council should be encouraged to agree to the adoption of the Water Framework Directives.

4.  In addition, noting that the conciliation procedures are well advanced and will conclude in mid-July, the EEAC wishes to make some recommendations in connection with the implementation Water Framework Directive:

4.1 System boundaries, dynamics and definitions of key terms such as water quality, should be treated flexibly, taking into account variations in physical and ecological conditions. Particularly (but not exclusively):

4.2 Attention must be given to the development of adequate regulatory frameworks for management of river and estuarine sediments within the context of river and coastal zone management, having especial regard for:

4.3 Work must be undertaken to achieve conciliation, and to ensure continuity of coverage, between the WFD and key marine ecosystem quality conventions, notably (but not limited to) OSPAR and HELCOM.

4.4 Implementation review mechanisms should be set up to monitor and ensure consistency of approach to implementation across the EU. These mechanisms should include: (a) government-level exchanges on key issues, and (b) meetings of regulatory authorities for exchange of experiences. The review results should be publicly available.

Workshop 3: Sustainable Tourism in the Coastal Zone

5.  The Workshop 3 adopted the following conclusions:

5.1 Tourism is a priority sector and driving force. It has significant benefits and impacts from the economic – social – cultural – environmental point of view.

5.2 The role of tourism in coastal sustainable development has been underestimated at EU and national levels.

5.3 A framing policy/strategy is needed at EU, national and local levels to integrate environment and tourism interests. New and flexible cost/benefit indicators will play a key role in supporting mechanisms for assessment, benchmarking of progress, alternatives and continuous monitoring.

5.4 There is a need to establish basic rules for tourism development, such as:

5.5 Tourism requires improved internal and external integration:

5.6 Improved information dissemination and awareness raising is needed through:

6.  In order to achieve these goals, the Workshop 3 formulates the following recommendations:

6.1 Tourism should be included in the European Union sustainability strategy and as a sector in the „Cardiff initiative" (sectoral strategy required).

6.2 The plans and strategies relating to other policies and sectors must be continuously scrutinized for interaction with tourism.

6.3 Tourism should be promoted as a theme for the 6th EAP;

6.4 Forthcoming European Council Presidencies should be encouraged to make tourism a priority. They should promote the assessments and prospects at European Union and national levels (including a specific assessment of the tourism development in the Mediterranean and the effects on non European Union countries).

6.5 Member States should be stimulated to support the „European Spatial Development Perspective" as a framework for sustainable land use, planning, coastal management and tourism.

Workshop 4: Marine Protected Areas and Natural Resources Conservation

7.  The Workshop 4 adopted the following conclusions:

7.1 The current strategy of establishing a network, at European level, of Special Marine Protected Areas (SMPA) should be implemented at EU and national levels taking into consideration:

7.2 HABITAT, NATURA 2000, HELCOM, OSPAR and Barcelona Convention were reviewed to consider how each might contribute for the establishment of a European network of SMPA. It was, however, concluded, that:

7.3 The criteria for definition of SMPA were examined. Those criteria selected as important were:

7.4 The following gaps were identified:

8.  In order to achieve these goals, the Workshop 4 formulates the following recommendations:

8.1 The EEAC should support the application of the Habitats Directive within the National Exclusive Economic Zones without questioning the international laws and conventions.

8.2 The European countries and Member States are called upon to work towards the establishment of MPA for the protection of biodiversity of the high seas, sea-mounts and deep seas.

8.3 There is a need to promote a special Directive on SMPA at the European level.

Sesimbra, 5 June 2000

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