Integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons to Learn

Abstract

The article will explore the way the fairly recent 2007 integrated maritime policy (IMP) of the European Union (EU) came into being and what kind of policy impacts it has had during its still short life-span. There are clear successes and challenges the IMP has confronted, calling for detailed analysis on why some actions outlined in the IMP have progressed and what type of consequences this has on the overall success of IMP. Because of its unique structure as a supra-national organization, the EU and its IMP is a prime example of how to conduct multilevel oceans governance—a form of governance that currently permeates all ocean areas—and can thus pioneer best practices to be shared across the world.