European maritime ministers meeting in the southern sea-side Cypriot city of Limassol called on Monday for increased exploitation of opportunities offered by Europe's seas as a means of leading European states out of the current economic crisis.

After a two-day informal meeting, the ministers issued the "Limassol Declaration" on the promotion of EU's Integrated Maritime Police (IMP), which will replace the Lisbon Declaration as a blueprint for maritime development action for the 2014-2020 period.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that overall employment in the European maritime economic activities is expected to go up from the current 5.4 million to 7 million by 2020, with the cruise sector alone growing by 60 percent.

"There is growth in new innovative sectors as well as the traditional sector of shipping. This is where we should be pooling our efforts," Barroso added.

However, he noted that the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020 under consideration by the Council of the European and the European Parliament is Europe's most important tool to target investment and channel it on growth and jobs.

"Given the immense potential of the maritime economy, the support for maritime sectors and coastal regions should be fully anchored into the new Multiannual Financial Framework," Barrosso declared.

The "Limassol Declaration stated that maritime and maritime sectors are crucial drivers for growth and jobs for the EU economy and that in this context they constitute a fast and effective road to recovery, based on smart, sustainable, blue and inclusive growth.

"Europe's seas and oceans offer unexplored areas for innovation, sustainable growth and employment," the declaration said.

It called for increased competitiveness of the EU shipping sector, maximization of opportunities for innovation in the shipbuilding equipment industry, increase of maritime renewable energy production and exploration and safeguarding the uninterrupted availability of the European market of energy..

It also called for developing a highly diversified coastal maritime tourism, new technologies for harvesting maritime mineral deposits and for stimulation of sustainable fisheries and cultivation of aquatic products.

The Declaration called for improved sectoral and cross-sectoral cooperation at an international and regional level, both between EU member states and with third countries sharing seas with the European Union, as well as with international and regional organizations.

Most European countries share seas between them or with third countries.

At a joint press conference with Joze Manuel Barroso at the end of the ministerial meeting, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias complained that Turkey is imposing an embargo on Cypriot shipping and makes threatening noises in connection with energy exploration in Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone.

"We suffer considerable losses and we are bringing this to the attention of the European Union," Christofias said.

Barrosso commented that Cyprus's maritime relations with Turkey is a very complex issue which should be resolved in the context of an overall settlement to the Cyprus problem.