Integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union as the Planning Model for Croatia

Abstract

European Union's Integrated Maritime Policy is an attempt to coordinate complex and interdependent policies related to maritime affairs, and to tackle the issues concerning the allocation of ecological economic resources in a holistic, integrated manner. Since it is better in organisational terms to deal with local information locally, this new approach aims at reducing organisational centralisation, devolution in decision-making from hierarchies into networks of EU member states in accordance with the fundamental EU principle of subsidiarity, with the coordinating role of the EU Commission. The new policy approach also aims at increasing horizontal and vertical coordination of maritime policies at the EU level. Since the repelled Common Fishery Policies were not coordinated between member states, and were not coordinated with complementary industries, the spill-over effects affecting other complementary and competing industries were great. The paper provides an analytical overview of the Integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union, the manoeuvring space given to Croatia to unfold its own maritime policies within the EU IMP, its prospects, and the expected consequences of its implementation for Croatia.