Dear members and friends of the CPMR North Sea Commission,
These are difficult times for the North Sea region. With the Brexit vote in the UK parliament only days away, there seems to be a considerable risk that the UK will leave the EU in March without a deal. Are you prepared? I guess not. It is not easy to prepare for the unknown. For the past couple of years, the North Sea Commission assessed the impact of an orderly Brexit. That looks bad enough. A no-deal Brexit, if that eventually happens, will be worse, as the Brexit Task Force discussed at it last meeting. We would then need to explore every possible way to limit the damage to the North Sea region and to North Sea cooperation.
Some of the NSC members are among those regions which will be most affected by Brexit – because they are situated in the UK, or have strong economic relations or important transport links to the UK, or have an important fisheries sector. President Kerstin Brunnström, Vice President Andreas Lervik, the new Chair of our Brexit Task Force, Michiel Rijsberman, and some leaders from other CPMR regions will discuss this with the European Commission's Brexit Chief Negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, just before Christmas.
I want to assure you that we have more positive issues on our agenda as well. The secretariat and the strategy task force are preparing a meeting of the ExCom in January, devoted to our post-2020 North Sea Region strategy. The result will hopefully be a first draft of priorities for further discussions with members, thematic groups and stakeholders. In this newsletter you can also read more about next year’s venue for the ABM, our new Belgian member West-Vlaanderen and the latest group meetings.
The secretariat wishes you a Merry Christmas and, despite the rather gloomy start to this column, a Happy New Year!
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NSC ABM 2019 - save the date!
The NSC Annual Business Meeting 2019 will take place on Tuesday 25 June in the seaside resort of Marstrand, Västra Götaland (SE), with arrival on the 24 June.
This will be followed by the joint North Sea Conference on Wednesday 26 June. More information will be sent out in the Spring 2019.
Photo: Thomas Harrysson AB
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Welcome to the NSC, West-Vlaanderen!
The newest member of the CPMR, West-Vlaanderen, was welcomed into the organisation at the latest NSC Executive Committee meeting in Brussels, on 11 October, and was formally adopted as a CPMR member at the General Assembly a week later.
Read more about West-Vlaanderen
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Strategic discussions on the 78th NSC Executive Committee meeting
The members of the Executive Committee met in Brussels on 11 October to discuss strategic issues such as Brexit developments, updates from the CPMR, Interreg, and reports from the NSC priority areas.
Councillor Michiel Rijsberman, Flevoland (NE), was elected as new Chair of the NSC Brexit Task Force. Cllr Rijsberman is already the Vice Chair of the Brexit intergroup of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Read more about the 78th ExCom
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Joint meeting in Aberdeenshire with the ECCG and MRG
Members of the Energy and Climate Change Group (ECCG) and the Marine Resources Group (MRG) met on 2-4 October in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire (UK), to discuss energy transition, renewable energy, fishing industry and marine litter.
Read more about the ECCG and MRG meeting
Photo: Aberdeenshire Council
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Sustainable transport and clean shipping on the agenda when TG met in Kiel
The NSC Transport Group (TG) met on 22-23 October in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein (DE), with a visit to the port of Kiel and discussions about the Fehmarnbelt-link, sustainable transport and clean shipping.
Read more about the TG meeting
Photo: Transport Group
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Demographic challenges, study visits and a presentation by the Youth Parliament
The Smart Regions Group (SRG) met in Sandnes, Rogaland (NO), on 1-2 November to discuss solutions to demographic challenges. The group also heard an inspiring presentation by the Chair of the Youth Parliament of Rogaland County Council.
On the second day the group visited Vågen, an upper secondary school in Sandnes.
Read more about the SRG meeting
Photo: Smart Regions Group
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