Page 52 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2015 publication
P. 52
Spring 2015 European Energy Innovation

SHIPPING

GESINE MEISSNER obvious that the challenge of the within a greater integrated
next years will be to organise the maritime policy for a blue growth.
Member of the European Parliament different demands for space in The EU is a forerunner in the
our seas and oceans. In the first field of maritime policy and I
In 2009, Gesine Meissner became a member multination approach in the world would like to encourage the new
of the European Parliament. She is currently the European Union decided to Commission strongly to continue
the coordinator of the ALDE Group on the encourage all Member States to its work of the last years. Together
Committee on Transport and Tourism and a come up with maritime spatial with my colleagues of the
substitute member in the Environment, Public plans. The directive on maritime European Parliament Intergroup
Health and Food Safety Committee. Mrs spatial planning was adopted last Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal
Meissner is also a member of the EU-Mexico year and is currently implemented Areas I will push in the next
and Euro-Latin America Delegations. Since in the Member States. It will be years for an ambitious maritime
January 2015 Gesine Meissner is President a key tool to organize exclusive agenda, from maritime transport
of the European Parliament Intergroup Seas, economic zones of the Member or marine protection to offshore
Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas. States more efficiently. It is energy.
obvious that the energy transition
She is a member of the council of the ALDE is asking for a general shift in our To reduce Europe’s dependency
party and the federal executive board of procedures of policy planning of energy imports we need to
the German Free Democratic party (FDP). and space will play a crucial role. improve our internal market and
In November 2013, she was elected as Vice to build up proper transnational
President of the ALDE Party Gender Equality It is true that this is a challenge grids. One of the first challenges
Network. but I also see it as a big chance will be to connect the offshore
not to make the same mistakes wind farms and to establish a
Before joining the European Parliament, at sea which we made so often North Seas Offshore grid in one
Gesine Meissner was a member of the regional on land. So far our oceans and of the busiest seas in the world.
Parliament of Lower Saxony where she was seas are already providing us However, now is the moment to
chairing the Committee on Health and Social with the fish we eat and are do it and to overcome national
Affairs from 2003 to 2009. connecting our industries with resistance in order to improve
the rest of the world. But they transnational co-operation. Neither
biggest problems we are facing bear a greater potential. We are fish nor water knows boarders
in Germany, but many other already exploiting oil and gas and it is up the EU and its Member
countries too, is where to build fields, in particular in the North States to make it the same for
those wind turbines. Sea. But there is more. Offshore energy. For an European energy
wind farms will grow and I am transition as well as for the German
Countries like Denmark, Germany convinced that wave and tidal Energiewende the success will
and the United Kingdom are energy has the chance to play a depend on whether we succeed in
shifting more and more to bigger role in the future. We are establishing a strong blue energy
build them offshore. Thanks to at the beginning of the process sector or not. l
the strong winds in the North of discovering the great potential
Sea those wind farms have the of our seas and oceans but we
potential to play a very important have to be careful. We don’t
role. However, also offshore those know as much about the seas as
farms need a lot of space and we do about the land. An energy
it is becoming more and more transition offshore can only work
in a sustainable way. Therefore,
Contact details: we need tools like maritime
www.gesine-meissner.de spatial planning to divide the
Parlement Européen / Parlement Européen Rue space between the various
Wiertz / Allée du Printemps actors and to take the sensitivity
ASP 8G 310 / WIC MO 2102 and vulnerability of the marine
B - 1047 Brüssel / F 67070 Straßburg Cedex ecosystems properly into account.
Tel.: +32 2 284 75 78 / Tel.: +33 3881 75578
Fax: +32 2 284 95 78 / Fax: +33 3881 79578 But this can only be one tool

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