When the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground off the coast of France exactly 20 years ago, it awakened French public opinion on maritime issues in a way that found political expression in the creation of a ‘ministry of the seas’ after the presidential victory of François Mitterrand in 1981. France and Portugal are now leading calls for Europe as a whole to give greater political prominence to managing its marine environments and resources. They want to create a European Maritime Agency that would in particular forge closer links between maritime science and policy making in both government and industry.

The world beneath the waves certainly suffers from lack of political visibility. Moreover, the various actors tend to have a blinkered view of the issues, being preoccupied with those that affect them most directly in the short term. They often miss the bigger — and more complex — picture constituted by the vast sprawl of maritime research and related activities, as shown by meeting on maritime issues held last week in Paris, attended by more than 100 members of different European parliaments (see page 323).

Anything that might help to remedy this situation is welcome. Much still needs to be learnt about the oceans, while many problems and opportunities — from the decommissioning of oil rigs to the promises of marine biotechnology — could benefit from a more imaginative approach to marine science. A suggestion that the proposed agency be steered by ministers from European countries would at least have the benefit of focusing political and public attention. But the main challenge facing those keen to promote such an agency is to identify where a ‘European’ approach could clearly advance maritime issues — not easy, given that many are either global or regional — without creating either another talking shop or a top-heavy bureaucracy.

Similarly, while the Europeanization of research resources should improve cost-effectiveness, this might well be achieved more simply through multilateral agreements. At present, the fog surrounding such questions suggests that the proposed agency could turn out to be a solution looking for a problem. But France and Portugal, which are championing the idea, deserve to be encouraged. Their intention to scrutinize maritime management should in itself prove a useful — and long overdue — exercise.