This paper discusses the governance of port classification through the lens of multi-level governance theory, with a particular focus on the Port of Aalborg and the issue of classification of Limfjord waters, in Denmark. The study identifies a conflict in which national governmental decisions regarding the classification of navigable waterways obstruct the port's access to funding opportunities. Despite the port's autonomous operational capacity, national control over waterway classification and port typology shows a nested governance dynamic, thereby highlighting the intricacies of the European Union's subsidiarity principle. This paper argues that the case illustrates how the classification of inland waterways, although ostensibly legal, is intrinsically political and subject to national interests. The Danish government's refusal to designate the Limfjord as a navigable waterway potentially hinders regional development and impedes the EU's policy objectives for intermodality. Methodologically, the research synthesizes desk-based analysis with key-informant interviews to examine the legal, political, and geographical dimensions of this issue. The findings contribute to multi-level governance theory by describing the case as a hybrid model that integrates both nested and polycentric elements, thereby enriching the debate on governance complexities within the European context.
The PermaGov Deliverable focuses on exploring the EU policy landscape within the context of the European Green Deal (EGD), structured around four regime complexes: marine life, marine plastics, marine energy, and maritime transport. These complexes provide a framework for analyzing the EU's approach to achieving the EGD's vision for sustainable marine governance. This report aims to offer a descriptive overview of marine EU policies relevant to the PermaGov project, focusing on policies identified as relevant to the overarching goals set forth in the EGD. It also considers relevant initiatives at global and regional levels.
The marine life regime sees the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 as its overarching strategy, essential for the EGD's element of preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity. Tackling the challenges of marine waste pollution, the marine plastics regime is guided by the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the EU Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water, and Soil, targeting the EGD's elements of a mobilizing industry for a clean and circular economy and a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment. The marine energy regime is shaped by the European Climate Law and the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy, which are the overarching instruments that contribute to the EGD's elements of increasing the EU's climate ambition for 2030 and 2050 and ensuring the supply of clean, affordable, and secure energy. Lastly, the maritime transport regime sees the'Fit for 55'Package and the'Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy'as the two main instruments to achieve the EGD's elements of increasing the EU.