Secretariat General for the Sea
20 avenue de Ségur 75007 Paris T : 33 01 42 75 66 00 E : sgmer @ pm . gouv . fr W : www . gouvernement . fr / secretariat-general-de-la-mer-sgmer
The Secretariat General for the Sea
Since 1995 , the Secretariat General for the sea has been an inter-ministerial department of the Prime Minister Office . It was created to answer the deeply cross-sectoral dimension of maritime policy . The Secretariat General for the sea leads and coordinates the Government action in this field . It speeds decisions and ensures that strategic policies are effectively implemented . It is also in charge of monitoring legal texts and recommending adjustments if necessary . Each and every aspect related to maritime policy may be included into the Secretariat ’ s scope of activity : sovereignty as much as security and safety , as well as environmental preservation , or maritime economy , innovation and research … are concerned . Finally , a special responsibility is entrusted to the Secretariat General for the sea regarding the coordination of the State Action at sea ( Action de l ’ Etat en mer ). It leads and coordinates the action of the maritime prefect ( préfets maritimes ) for the mainland and the delegates of the Government for the overseas territories . The Secretariat General for the sea has also the duty to elaborate policy led in compliance with the coast guard Function . For this , it chairs the executive committee of the coast guard Function which gathers all administrations in charge . It is also the contact person for all coast guards authorities at an international level .
The European framework
Concerning the European framework , besides the involvement of the Secretariat General in building an integrated maritime policy , our priority is to develop a European coast guard . The integrated maritime policy is carried by the DG Mare from the EU Commission and aims at strengthening the coordination between the various fields of activity . It emphasizes the planning of the maritime space , the joint maritime surveillance and the strategies of sea basins . At the national level , the Secretariat General for the sea is the leader on all these subjects . The creation of a European coast guard function has been approved by the Council of the European Union on September 14th , 2016 . The Secretariat General for the sea initiated contacts on this matter with the EU , and especially with the Frontex Agency in Warsaw . These contacts will continue in 2017 . This new coast guard Function requests an effective coordination between operational centers of Member states and centers managed by the Agency . It can also be seen as an oppor tunity to establish a joined and coherent mean for maritime surveillance at the European level . This is the subject of the CISE ( Common Information Sharing Environment ) project . The Secretariat General for the sea and the different French ministries concerned follow this project .
The international framework
At the international level , the Secretariat General for the Sea works with the United Nations for the protection of marine environment . An international agreement is currently in progress for the protection of the marine environment and the biodiversity in open sea .