For a change of pace, Ernesto went to Boulder, Colorado on October 21st, where he spoke to a small group of professionals on global fisheries management at the Highland City Club. This discussion focused around the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy as a way to demonstrate that the EU can, in fact, undergo successful reform when necessary.
This presentation did not insist on technical points about fisheries, but rather, on the institutional and policy aspects that could be learned from the experience of fisheries reform. The ensuring debate focused on the real value of EU legislation, with practical examples. Ernesto discussed the importance of the EU, standing in opposition to some audience members who felt that EU legislation is a “complicated set of bureaucratic rules imposed on member states.” With this in mind, Ernesto focused on explaining how these rules contributed to free trade within the Union by “harmonizing national rules that would otherwise hinder the marketing of products across the EU.” Some other topics that were discussed were issues around decision making in general and the role of the European Parliament and environmental NGOs in policy making.
This was Ernesto’s last scheduled visit in Colorado – stay tuned to hear about his adventures in California as he heads to the Naval Post Graduate School and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.