At a meeting on November 17th 2010 it was decided to found a working group of the German Forum on Environment & Development which should deal with oceans. It was agreed on the fact that maritime policy has gained importance over the last couple of years and that its importance is still going to increase.

The attendees covered a wide spectrum of topics: Fishing in all its facets, marine resources, marine sanctuaries, coral reefs, water culture, sea routes and their protection, the sea as an energy supplier, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, trade with ornamental fish, shore-based earnings of nutrients and biocides into the Sea, EU border policy Frontex, piracy, EU fishing agreement with Marocco and the occupied Western Sahara, etc.

Regarding the content there are many points of contact with the work of other working groups belonging to the Forum (esp. Water, Biodiversity, Trade, Agriculture and Nutrition).

In the near future the working group is going to pay particular attention to the following topics:

• Reformation of the EU fishing policy – we strive for a maximum of synergies and cooperation with Oceans 2012 (an association which tries to reach the reformation of the EU’s fishing policy),
• Close cooperation with the planned campagne on the EU’s land reform as it has to be assumed that EU governments compromise between the land and fishing policies’ interests.
• Further political processes which are relevant to fisheries are the FAO Committee on Fisheries where currently Voluntary Guidelines are negotiated which are to replace the nowadays practiced but gradually expiring fishing agreements as well as the very controversial debate on the certification of sustainable fisheries.
• The EU’s integrated maritime policy
• Marine sanctuaries – Follow- up der Nagoya-orders on marine sanctuaries in close contact with the working group Biodiversity
• Sea resources

The working group’s plan is to have meetings every three months and to create a mailing list.

The coordination is currently undertaken by Kai Kaschinski, Intkom society; verein.intkom@gmx.de