Maritime Chambers network formed

A network of Chambers of Commerce covering maritime regions in Europe has been formally launched in Brussels.

The network, officially known as the Blue Chamber Network, covers the most important maritime regions in Europe with the participation of chambers from Italy, Spain, France, the UK, Turkey, Croatia and Malta.

The network aims to ensure there is a strong and visible policy platform of like-minded business organisations from EU member states and accession countries that will monitor regulatory developments and provide proactive feedback to the European Institutions on important maritime issues such as transport, climate change and coastal tourism.

The network has already gained the formal support of the European Commission and was launched by the commissioner responsible for Maritime Affairs Maria Damanaki.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is also participating in the network and has taken an active role in its inception and in setting out the goals of the network for the next 24 months.

The Malta Chamber was represented at the launch of the network by vice president Stefano Mallia and the Malta Business Bureau's permanent delegate in Brussels Omar Cutajar. "This is an interesting initiative which we have participated in right from the very start," Mr Mallia explained.

"As a country and as a chamber we have a clear strategic interest in being active in maritime policy with the maritime economy being so important for Malta and for a number of our members. This is an especially important moment given the active interest being taken by European Commission in developing an integrated and coherent Maritime policy for the European area".

Mr Mallia also pointed out that promoting maritime policy through its active participation in Eurochambres (the Association of European Chambers) is also one of the goals of the Malta Chamber set out for 2010.

The Blue Chamber Network vaunts a diverse membership base with participants hailing from the IHK - Nord (the Confederation of Northern German Chambers), the UHCCI - the Greek Chambers of Commerce, the Danish Chambers of Commerce, Assonautica and Uniontrasporti - the Italian maritime-business and maritime-transport sectoral organisations, the Luxembourgish maritime cluster, the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce, the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce, the Association of French Chambers of Commerce, including the regional Chamber of Nord-Pas de Calais besides the local Chambers of Calais and Cotes d'Armor (Brittany).

Chambers from accession and candidate countries also form part of the network: the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges.