High-Level Panel 1: Sea Basin Strategies as Key Enablers for a Sustainable Blue Economy
On the first day of the European Maritime Day (EMD) 2024 in Svendborg, a high-level panel reviewed the progress since the EU Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) Communication's adoption three years ago. Led by DG Charlina Vitcheva (DG MARE) and representatives from various Sea Basin Strategies, the session emphasized the importance of these strategies in implementing the SBE policy framework and exploring future cooperation areas.
Key highlights included the presentation of achievements in maritime cluster development, aquaculture, green shipping, blue skills, marine spatial planning, and coastal tourism. Discussions focused on enhancing synergies and coordination among EU sea basins and integrating lessons into the newly established North Sea Basin Strategy. The establishment of a High-Level Group to guide the future direction of Sea Basin Strategies was also announced.
Concrete opportunities for future cooperation were identified, including cross-sea basin thematic cooperation, strengthening political cooperation among National Coordinators, and promoting stakeholder cooperation in upcoming regional events.
EMD Workshop: Maximizing Synergies Amongst EU Blue Initiatives
The workshop aimed to enhance cooperation with strategic blue economy initiatives in research and innovation, ocean literacy, and green energy transition. Moderated by Matteo Bocci, contributions came from Margherita Zorgno, Olga Mashkina, Ana Peralta, and Gaetan Coatanroch. The initiatives shared their achievements and identified actions for further cooperation.
Key outcomes included the establishment of concrete roadmaps for cooperation, particularly in ocean literacy and blue skills. The Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism is exploring the creation of a cross-sea basin working group on these topics. SBEP and the foreseen Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on marine/water emphasized the importance of education and skills in their projects. The Energy Transition Partnership highlighted the need for new blue skills in light of workforce challenges. The EU4OCEAN coalition focused on engaging younger generations and training the trainers to support the blue economy job market.
In conclusion, the workshop underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing the EU’s blue economy initiatives, particularly in ocean literacy and blue skills development, with commitments to operationalize future joint actions.
You can find more information on the Macro-regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2024 on this link.You can find more information on the Macro-regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2024 on this link.