THE BENEFITS OF BEING A MEMBER OF THE ARC MANCHE ASSEMBLY

The Channel Arc Manche has two main aims:

 To lobby the EU on behalf of the Channel area

 To promote joint initiatives between organisations on either side of the Channel.

A single voice does not go very far in Europe, but a trans-national voice can go a long way.
The Channel Arc Manche Assembly is very much a political network as well as being a practical
one. By harnessing political buy-in Arc Manche has been able to establish a strong reputation
within the European Commission.

The French and English regions bordering the English Channel have similar issues (port
development, maritime safety, innovation, preservation of natural and coastal environments,
and achieving a balance between economic and environmental interests). These issues don’t
have borders and by working together, the Arc Manche Assembly members can find common
solutions.

This is a perfect platform to exchange experience, best practices and project development, in
particular in the framework of the new Channel cross-border programmes. As well as being a
political forum for Elected Members, it is also a practical forum for officers and levies no
subscription charges.

The Arc Manche Assembly has had great successes. We have been successful in calling for the
eligibility of the whole Arc Manche area to the European cross-border programmes, may
potentially bring more than 330 million euros of investment in the area. From 2007 an EU
funded programme covered the whole of the Channel area and will fund projects that
contribute to the environmental protection, economic development and cultural richness of the
Channel area (see map).
Being part of Arc Manche puts its members in a strong position to be able to access this
funding. We already have experience of working together, knowledge of each other’s interests
and priorities, and through the EMDI project we have worked at identifying common interests
in the Channel area.

The “Espace Manche Development Initiative” has been the Arc Manche’s main ongoing project.
The EMDI project has been so successful, that, following its completion the CAMIS (Channel
Arc Manche Integrated Strategy) project was started. The project brought together 19 British
and French partners led by the Haute Normandie Region as the lead partner. It is an ambitious
extension of EMDI since the objective is to contribute to the implementation of an integrated
maritime policy within the Channel spaces, specifically by testing new governance tools: the
integrated maritime strategy, a forum for the Channel space stakeholders, a scientific
committee, a resource centre, and a transportation scheme.

The Channel Arc Manche Assembly has been very active in influencing the EU’s Maritime Policy
that aims to encourage a more holistic approach to coastal development so that Europe can
tap into the full and rich potential that the seas have to offer in terms of jobs, trade, culture
and resources. We are concerned that as the busiest maritime thoroughfare in the world, the
Channel should be specifically recognised in any new policy and not just considered as part of
the Atlantic Ocean.

Our input to the drafting of the Green Paper resulted in the Commission asking the Channel
Arc Manche Assembly to host a formal consultation event in the Channel area on the policy. A
conference was held and attracted a considerable number of stakeholders who shared, debated
and listened to each other’s concerns. The Channel Arc Manche Assembly used the outcome
from the Conference to feed into its response to the EU Maritime Green Paper.

The Arc Manche Assembly is now well recognised by the European Union as the representative
of the Channel area interests. The Arc Manche Assembly is part of the Structured Dialogue
process, which gives a direct access to the European Commissioners at the early stage of the
legislation cycle – this access is priceless.

The Channel Arc Manche Assembly have appointed a new President, Alain Le Verne, and Vice-
President, Brad Watson from West Sussex County Council, in December 2009. This leadership
will play a crucial role in continuing to build on these achievements over the next two years. It
is vitally important that all regions of the coastal area are supportive of both the political and
practical objectives of Arc Manche for our continued success.

Brad Watson OBE

Vice-President Arc Manche
22nd January 2010