14. September 2006 12:12
Marine Board to relocate to Ostend
The Secretariat of the Marine Board - ESF is set to shift from its current location in Strasbourg, France to the site of the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Ostend, Belgium.
The move was decided during the Board’s plenary meeting on May 15, 2006 after a total of three possible sites for relocation had been reviewed and discussed.
The potential of the facilities, potential synergies with other activities, financial considerations, as well as the best service to the role of the Marine Board were all factored into consideration.
It was felt that Ostend offered the most in terms of synergistic potential, with partner organisations VLIZ, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the European Aquaculture Society all being located at the same site. Proximity to Brussels also played an important role.
In a concurrent development, the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Organisations (EFARO) recently decided to relocate its secretariat in association with the secretariat of the MB-ESF, and will also be moving to Ostend.
The final date for departure has not yet been announced but is expected to take place in February 2007. At the time of the plenary meeting, the Board decided that the decision to relocate would be revised after a period of five years.
Newly-elected Chairman Lars Horn said: “The relocation of the Marine Board Secretariat to Ostend is a very significant move, not only geographically, but also as an organisational process.
“We are sure that this will provide our Secretariat with competence and experience, and vice versa.
“The Board is very grateful for the whole-hearted support we are receiving from both Strasbourg and Ostend to make the move a success. We are confident that we will do an even better job within the ESF realm at the new location.”
Niamh Connolly
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 76 71 44
Fax: +33 (0)3 88 25 19 54
