CIMER is the opportunity to promote important decisions which cover all maritime fields.
The last committees held on November 4th, 2016 in Marseille and on October 22nd, 2015 in Boulogne-sur-
Mer. Main decisions ended in the creation of a new Law called the "Blue Economy ", which has been enacted
in June 2016. This law implements the revitalization of the port policy, the renewal of the fishing fleets and the
strengthening of maritime security.
The CIMER is an important tool for the building of the maritime policy with an inter-ministerial logic.
It allows the adoption of important measures which concern all maritime sectors: competitiveness and
attractiveness of French harbors; development of trade, fishing and research fleets; protection of marine
biodiversity; development of renewable marine energies; maritime security and safety …
State Action at Sea
The concept called the State action at sea covers maritime operations carried out by the Government in the
public interest and using its own resources. It does not include defense relate d missions. The state action at
sea includes 45 missions that can be gathered in 10 domains. It entails enforcin g Government authority
(police operations, maintaining law and order, etc.) and carrying out public service missions (rescue
operations, preventing and cleaning pollution).
These missions are completed by the coast guard function.
The Coast Guard Function brings together all organizations with maritime resources: the Navy, the National
Gendarmerie, Customs, border police, General direction of oversea territories , the Department of Maritime
Affairs and civil protection.
Strategic maritime information is gathered and analyzed by the Coast Guard Operations Centre (CoFGC),
responsible for distribution to the ministerial departments, administrations and representatives of the State at
sea The CoFGC is placed under the authority of the Secretariat General of the Sea.
The CoFGC is also hosting the Eurosur National Coordination Centre as the national point of contact for EU
agencies as well as for foreign ”Maritime security centers”
Maritime Economy
In November 2016, former French President Hollande announced the creation of a platform gathering
professionals from the maritime economy with the ambition to build a full fledged French maritime sector.
The purpose is to identify relevant economic potentials, to set up strategies for the maritime sector in its
diversity, as well as to identify the concrete measures needed to reach the targeted goals.
It was requested that the Secretariat General ensure the implement ation and the conducting of this platform
closely with the French Maritime Cluster, an association of several hundreds of members which represents the
whole set of professionals in the maritime field. This "Comité France Maritime" gathers as well all maritime
and coastal regions, considering their skills regarding economic development and planning.
This committee remains flexible and reduced in its composition. It is an authentic organization that gathers the
public and the private sectors. The Secretariat General for the sea makes sure every actor or administration us
informed and closely involved to its works.
To ensure that the Committee’s decisions will have a concrete outcome, an operational team has been
created. It is dedicated to enlighten actions t aken by the European Union and make sure the maritime
economy is better accounted in the European decision making process.