| International Marine Science and Technology |
|
EC–The Maritime Industries Forum (MIF)
(Established 1992)
| Headquarters: | Rue de la Loi 200 |
| B–1049 Brussels | |
| Belgium | |
| Email: | MIF Executive Secretary: Mr Graham Clarke: maritime@tcp.co.uk |
| European Commission: Mr Athanassios Tziolas: Athanassios.Tziolas@cec.eu.int | |
| Web Site: | http://www.mif-eu.org/ |
Status
An ad hoc body started in January 1992. It was relaunched as the new Maritime Industries Forum in June 2000 at the Plenary session at Helsinki. The first meeting of the newly formed Steering Committee took place in November of the same year. Two members of the European Commission, Mrs Loyala de Palacio, Vice-president and Commissioner for Relations with the European Parliament, Transport & Energy, and Mr Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society were present at the meeting. The other members of the Steering Committee were drawn from a number of European Industrial organisations concerned with shipping and ship building, ports, oil and gas, and maritime research. It was agreed that the Steering Group would be jointly chaired by the Commissioners and the Industry Co-chairmen.
Mission
The Forum has the following Mission Statement, endorsed by the Plenary Session in Helsinki:
- Provide a permanent interface to the Commission for industry, in particular SME's
- Foster the creation of synergies between maritime activities in various sectors
- Provide input to the political debate and support the decision making process
- Improve the involvement of Member States in maritime policies
- Keep the European Parliament advised of developments/problems of maritime industries and involve MEP's where appropriate
- Maintain and promote a competitive maritime cluster for Europe, including maritime know-how
- Enhance the visibility of maritime industries towards the general public.
Activities
The day-to-day activity of the Maritime Industries Forum is undertaken by Ad Hoc Working Groups under the direct responsibility of the Co-ordination Group. To facilitate the orientation and management of the Working Groups, they are classified into the three categories, below, with a leading co-ordinator for each:
- Transport/ Shipping/ Services (Co-ordinator: Mr Alfons Guinier)
- Shipbuilding/ Engineering/ Manufacturing (Co-ordinator: Dr Reinhard Lueken)
- Human Resources (Co-ordinator: Mr Brian Orrell)
The number of Working Groups in each of these three categories was increased after the Plenary in 2001 at Valencia. They now include:
For Transport/Shipping:
- Customs Procedures and Documentation
- Cargo Flows and Statistics
- Competitive Position of Short Sea Shipping versus other Transport Modes
- Nodal Points: Port Services, Ports, Inland Terminals
- Sea-River/ Inland Waterways
- Harmonisation and Standardisation of Inter-modal Loading Units
For Shipbuilding/ Engineering/ Manufacturing:
- Research, Development and Innovation
- Shipbuilding Market Evaluation/ Maritime Interrelations
- Ship Financing
- Ship Recycling
- E-Business in the Maritime Industry's Supply Chain Environment
For Human Resources:
- Recruitment, Training and Retention in Maritime Industries
- Human Resources Aspects of Safety
- Impact on Maritime Employment of EU Enlargement
The Steering Committee and the Ad hoc Working Groups present their reports to the Plenary Session. Highlights of these reports are also published in the MIF Newsletters.
United Kingdom Interests
Lead Department
The Department of Trade and Industry
Contact: Cliff Funnel, Cliff Funnel Associates, Greenhurst
Cottage, 70 Downview Road, Barnham, Bognor Regis PO22 0EE
Telephone: +44 (0) 1243 552921 Email:
clifffunnell@compuserve.com
Other Interested Departments and Organisations
The Department for Transport
Briefing and Reporting Mechanisms
Circulation of papers for comments by other Departments and to Industry.