Birth of the National Union of Marinas
The Association des Ports de Plaisance de l'Atlantique (APPA) and the Association des Ports de Plaisance de Bretagne (APPB) have announced their ambition to create a Union Nationale des Ports de Plaisance (UNPP). The two regional entities, grouping together 140 marinas, marinas and anchorage areas on the Atlantic and Channel coasts, wish to give birth to the new structure during the first quarter of 2020. The decision has been validated by their respective boards of directors.
Weigh in on national debates on water sports, with all regions
APPB and APPA have been working together for several years. The associations are already members of the Confédération du Nautisme et de la Plaisance and the Comité Nautisme et Plaisance, where they can defend their interests at the national level. Through the UNPP, they wish to join the other regions to carry the files of the sector. "We are used to working together, for example for technical days, or to express common positions as on the financing of the future of the SNSM. Together, APPA and APPB represent 40% of port capacity. UPACA, with whom we worked on the SNSM file, also represents 40%. We aspire to be more representative and to act on areas such as regulations for example. The public authorities are already turning to us," says Michaël Quernez, President of the APPB.
The UNPP, competitor of the French Federation of Marinas?
While there is already a French Federation of Marinas (FFPP), we asked the leader about the positioning of the new association in relation to it. Recall that APPA and APPB left the FFPP in 2004 and 2013 respectively. "There is a situation of dissatisfaction with the FFPP. We have had long discussions in recent months to find a way to join them. These have stalled. We felt that it could not be summed up by a desire to stay there. We invite the other regional unions to join us", says Michaël Quernez. The latter does not decide on the possible double membership of the FFPP and the UNPP. "It is up to the regional unions to make their decisions
The reproaches made against the FPPP are reflected in the joint press release of the APPA and the APPB and the objectives set for the new structure: "Their ambition (editor's note: that of the APPA and the APPB) is to structure a place for inter-regional and inter-port exchanges and to bring together a team of General Delegates from all the regional unions who wish to work in a transversal and agile manner. This decentralized coordination must be able to rely on regional experiences and know-how, limiting the costs of structure or headquarters and responding directly to the expectations of all marinas."
