The Macro-Regional and Sea Basin Strategies Days 2024, co-organised by DG REGIO and DG MARE, took place on June 12 and 13, 2024, at THE EGG in Brussels. During this two-day event, the seven strategies (Alpine, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, Baltic Sea, Atlantic, Western Mediterranean, and Black Sea) came together to meet and collaborate.
The closing session, moderated by the EU Seabasins Assistance Mechanism, focused on 'Synergies amongst the strategies; taking stock and looking ahead'. Key takeaways from this session included the identification of shared commonalities and specificities as relevant enablers, such as targeting the same stakeholders but with different governance models and levels. Opportunities were highlighted to foster synergies in governance, including the implementation of observer roles in governance structures.
Further shared actions across key topics and sectors, such as skills development, pollution control, decarbonisation, marine renewable energy (MRE), and the needs of smaller islands, were discussed. The session also underscored the importance of promoting stakeholder cooperation across mutual events, sharing information to avoid duplication, and capitalizing on existing projects. Lastly, the need to maximize the use of limited financial resources was emphasize