Minister of State Pierre Dartout welcomes representatives of the Fondation Méditerranéenne d’Etudes Stratégiques (FMES)

©Direction de la Communication/Stéphane Danna

As part of its first Mediterranean maritime session, the Fondation Méditerranéenne d’Etudes Stratégiques (FMES, Mediterranean Foundation of Strategic Studies) paid a visit to the Principality on 11 and 12 May for a discussion on “What’s the right seabed policy for France in the Mediterranean?”, a vital and topical maritime policy issue.

The FMES was established 30 years ago, and its role is to educate public and private sector leaders about the various maritime policies pursued in the Mediterranean. Led by admirals and former senior officials from the French Ministry of Defence, the FMES is holding its first training session focused on all of the maritime challenges in the Mediterranean. The session, which runs from October 2022 to June 2023, is sponsored by the Maritime Prefecture.

Minister of State Pierre Dartout spoke at a conference held at the Oceanographic Museum on Wednesday morning. Addressing an audience of 18 representatives from industry, the media, government departments with responsibility for the sea, the scientific community, the legal profession, the yachting sector and the environmental field, the Minister said:

“Monaco’s international standing and its core values, driven by Prince Albert II, demand that the Principality remain heavily involved in addressing maritime and environmental challenges. Monaco is a maritime Principality.”

At a time when we are seeing new international and French strategies, political and military ambitions, the emergence of new technology, demand for energy and raw materials and discoveries relating to the biodiversity of these areas, members of the audience will need to be able to inform decision-makers about the best policy that France can adopt in relation to its Mediterranean seabed.

The purpose behind moving the maritime session to Monaco was to educate the members of the audience while at the same time developing the international aspect of maritime policy in the Mediterranean, taking advantage of the move to acquaint the audience with Monegasque institutions and the original role played by the Principality in his field. This was emphasised by the presentations given by the Department of Maritime Affairs and the Marine Police Division.