BRUSSELS, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The European Commission should develop a policy for the North Sea that calls for action on maritime policy and the environment, a lawmaker said.
Oil and gas reserves are declining in the North Sea, prompting littoral states to scramble for alternative energy supplies. Fishing disputes between members of the European community, Iceland and the autonomous Faroe Islands, meanwhile, are a source of concern particularly for the Scottish government.
Hermann Kuhn, a German lawmaker and special envoy on North Sea policy, said in a draft statement to European lawmakers that a comprehensive North Sea policy was needed.
He says EU member stations, as well as Norway and Iceland, needed to develop a strategy for the region that emphasizes maritime policy, the environment and transportation.
Kuhn said there was no time to spare in the North Sea as overfishing, pollution and a move away from fossil fuels meant problems in the North Sea and English Channel are "pressing."
"A European strategy can give us a platform for closer cooperation in which the regions and cities can have a voice and wield influence," he said in a statement.
