The House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union has published its Tenth Report,˜The North Sea under pressure: is regional marine co-operation the answer?" for which Dr Irene McMaster acted as a Specialist Advisor.
The report examines the opportunities to be derived from co-operation and the risks of failure to cooperate across a range of sectors and areas. It recognises that the North Sea is one of the most industrialised seas in the world, with a wide range of pressures being placed on it. Yet, attempts at managing those pressures through planning are embryonic and unpredictable around the North Sea. The report notes that no existing body or mechanism has a broad enough remit to facilitate the political co-operation required to make the necessary step-change in the management of the North Sea basin.
The report highlights the need for strong leadership on the management of resources among the countries along the shoreline of the North Sea. See report here.