Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of Brittany Region (France) is the new President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR). He was elected at the 38th General Assembly which was held in Aberdeen from 29 September to 1st October 2010.

Former State Secretary for Maritime Affairs under the Cresson Government in 1991-1992, Jean-Yves Le Drian has been President of the Regional Council of Brittany since April 2004.

After his election, the new President highlighted the main challenges he would be addressing during his term of office, which will be cohesion policy and maritime policy. However, he also recalled that this would not exclude other areas of action, not least improving the accessibility of the regions.
Enrico Mayrhofer: President Le Drian, what are going to be your objectives during your mandate?

Jean-Yves Le Drian: The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) has been in existence since 1973. Furthermore, it was founded in Brittany to defend the interests of the peripheral maritime regions. Over time, its role has become so important that over 150 regions have joined the organisation, though its objectives remain unchanged. Especially in light of the economic crisis and the importance that territories and regions have assumed in this European Union of 27 States, I believe that my role will be to activate the CPMR and develop its initiatives to influence EU decisions, especially within the Commission, Parliament and Committee of the Regions. I would like this organisation to become more of a platform, a forum for discussion and action with a view to proposing ideas at European level that are closely linked to the situation on the ground.

To achieve these aims, I intend to work in partnership and to draw heavily on support from CPMR members, especially the Executive College set up within the CPMR’s Political Bureau. This would enable us to be more reactive.

EM: And your main challenges?

JYLD: The first is economic, social and territorial cohesion. This is a necessity to ensure the balance of our territories, especially since the Lisbon Treaty now considers territorial cohesion as a priority objective for Europe. However, these objectives now have to be met, since it is not enough simply to write them in the Treaty…

EM: And apart from cohesion?

Without doubt, maritime transport and the maritime dimension as a whole will be among our priorities. Europe has to exploit its maritime assets, since it is backed by a long historic tradition in this field and also has a very high capacity for innovation. I believe that the CPMR should tackle all these areas: marine energy, maritime safety and all alternatives to land transport, which as we know, is less environmentally friendly than maritime transport. With regard to maritime safety, I feel the time is right for the CPMR to start looking into new forms of security, especially aboard cargo vessels, high capacity vessels and big container ships carrying over 10000 boxes, which do not come under the current Erika packages.

However, we should not forget about accessibility. The Commission has initiated a major work programme on the review of the Trans-European Transport Network. We will make sure that the specific characteristics of the islands and peripheries are adequately taken on board, that the ports, including small and medium-sized harbours, are given consideration, and that sustainable transport, namely shipping and rail, are given the priority they deserve in helping to foster low carbon economies.

enrico.mayrhofer@crpm.org