In Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany, EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Joe Borg, well received the Elisabeth Mann Borgese award from the Government of Schleswig-Holstein for outstanding achievements for the seas. It is said that this prize is awarded every year in recognition of figures whose work has contributed to protecting and preserving the oceans and seas.
Borg’s effort to contribute to the creation of an Integrated Maritime Policy for the EU fetched him this award. Commenting on this Commissioner Joe Borg said that it is an honour to be receiving the Elisabeth Mann Borgese award. According to him it is very much as a tribute to pioneering stakeholders such as the Land of Schleswig-Holstein, who, in their pursuit of a sustainable future for our oceans and seas, have taken the European Union’s Integrated Maritime Policy to their hearts and worked tirelessly to make it the forward-looking, dynamic policy it is today.
The Commissioner will receive this year’s Meerespreis (Oceans Award) alongside bestselling author Frank Schätzing and Austrian maritime researcher Prof. Dr. Hans Hass. It is informed that this award is bestowed in memory of Elisabeth Mann Borgese, whose lifelong commitment to protecting the world’s oceans and seas as a common heritage lives on today. One of her most important legacies is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which she and the International Ocean Institute she founded were instrumental in advocating.
During his visit in Germany, Mr Borg will also attend the official launch of the Skysails pilot in Hamburg. This project, partly funded by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), will test the technical feasibility and economic benefits of using a wind propulsion system on deep-sea fishing vessels.
