View source for Stakeholder consultation and commitment

Stakeholder participation and, therefore, public participation is an important principle of Integrated Coastal Management and embraces the [[principle of subsidiarity]]. In order to understand the importance of public participation in the coastal region, it is first necessary to appreciate that the European Union has established that coastal management is a European issue that is shared by the member states and that problems cannot be solved by a single member state. Our coasts have a common natural heritage; transfers of pollutants and sediments, tourist flows and maritime safety. Furthermore, European policy has a great influence on the development of the coast, in particular in the areas of fisheries, regional policy and agriculture. Finally, there is recognition that there is a need for knowledge and experience exchange in the field of coastal management, especially in areas where there is high political and public demand for the sustainable development and conservation of the coastal zone. 

The European Commission, based upon socio-economic costs and benefits of ICM, have stated that one of the most essential features of ICM is “stakeholder consultation and commitment”. Nonetheless, although the public is, more or less, generally accepted to be a stakeholder or an actor in ICM, it is not possible to determine the level of public participation. This is most likely to differ in each Member state.

{{Author
|AuthorID=14358 
|AuthorFullName=Kreiken, Wouter
|AuthorName=Wouter Kreiken}}

[[Category: Participation and governance in coastal management]]
[[Category: Theme 2]]