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The EU Sea Basin Strategies for the Western Mediterranean, Atlantic and Black Sea have joined forces

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The European Commission has been supporting the establishment and implementation of three sea basin strategies in the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Western Mediterranean.

In May 2021, the European Commission adopted a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU that sets out a detailed agenda for the blue economy to play a major role in achieving the European Green Deal objectives.

The European Commission recognises the benefit of sea basins and indicates that the EU will continue supporting cooperation, and developing tailored strategies for each European sea basin.

There are specific conditions, opportunities and challenges for each sea basin, which require a targeted approach.

The optimal development of all sea-related activities in a sustainable manner calls for a coherent policy framework based on the involvement of all stakeholders. Seas are shared among different countries.

Therefore, regional cooperation, including with non-EU countries, is important in achieving the objectives of the sustainable blue economy strategy. Sea basin strategies require joint policy agendas among EU and non-EU countries sharing the same sea, while defining joint priorities and concretely involving stakeholders in the process of identification and implementation of blue economy bankable projects.

A unique Assistance Mechanism has been formed to help support the implementation of the three EU Sea Basin Strategies, namely  Atlantic Strategy, the WestMED Initiative and the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.

It means that the WestMED Assistance Mechanism has now become part of a larger consortium to better identify and build on the synergies between all three sea basins. It will do so by exchanging best practices and organizing national and regional events with themes that have a clear cross sea basin relevance such as blue skills, blue investments, green shipping, and sustainable aquaculture. This new approach will ensure the specific needs of each sea basin while facilitating synergies and increasing outreach and visibility.

As has been done in the previous years, this new joint Assistance Mechanism will continue its networking expertise to initiate project partnerships and help gain access to funding with proposal development support. However, this time drawing from a much larger database of stakeholders and pool of experts.

The EASME/ CINEA Maritime datahub will be further developed to contain even more projects that contribute to the different sea basin strategies, and cooperation will be intensified with projects like BlueInvest and the Maritime Spatial Planning Assistance Mechanism.

The teams that ran the three previous Assistance Mechanisms, will largely remain in place in this new joint Assistance Mechanism to ensure smooth continuation and consistency.

The National Hubs in Spain, Portugal and France will be at the forefront of this new synergies approach as they will now focus simultaneously on both the WestMED and the Atlantic

This joint sea basin programme is funded by the European Commission and will run from 2022-2024.

 

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Commission report on the implementation of the Western Mediterranean initiative

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Source: European commission

 

The Commission has adopted a report on the outcomes of the Western Mediterranean (WestMED) initiativeSearch for available translations of the preceding which has been in place for 5 years. Since 2017, five EU Member States (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Malta), and five southern partner countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) have worked together on their shared interest for the Mediterranean around three goals: increase maritime safety and security, promote sustainable blue economy, growth and jobs, and preserve ecosystems and biodiversity. The WestMED initiative has proved to be a useful intergovernmental platform for promoting sustainable blue economy sectors across the Western Mediterranean. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the functioning and governance of the initiative, as most meetings had to be virtual. Nevertheless, great progress was made, justifying its continuation.

Key outcomes of the WestMED initiative

The Commission drafted the report after careful analysis of the feedback received from the involved parties and an independent external review study.

The WestMED initiative has demonstrated progress and success since its creation. Although certain aspects of the initiative can be improved under its current governance, no major changes will be required, as it has been deemed a successful initiative that has

  • served as a forum for dialogue and soft diplomacy
  • led to an increase in cooperation and partnerships
  • provided its members with project support (especially when applying for funding)
  • enabled knowledge sharing and exchanges
  • set-up technical working groups and alliances (on green shipping, sustainable aquaculture and clusters) and
  • broadened its cooperation with other Mediterranean countries

Three recommendations for the future

Three recommendations were made in the report:

  1. The initiative and its accompanying framework for action should remain as they are.
  2. The WestMED Assistance Mechanism (operational, logistical and administrative support financed through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) should address issues such as increasing visibility; better use of project branding and improved metrics for evaluating the implementation of the initiative.
  3. The priorities in relation to regional/international policies should be reviewed, taking account of the second Union for Mediterranean Ministerial Declaration on a sustainable blue economy.

Background

In April 2017, the Commission adopted the Communication on the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the Western MediterraneanSearch for available translations of the preceding link (‘WestMED initiative’ or ‘the initiative’) along with its framework for action. The initiative was formally endorsed in November the same year by the ten participating countries: five EU Member States (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Malta), and five southern partner countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). A number of priorities and targeted actions were set, including  coastguard functions cooperation, maritime safety and response to marine pollution rescue, strategic research and innovation, maritime clusters development, skills development and circulation, maritime spatial planning, biodiversity and marine habitat conservation, sustainable fisheries and coastal community development.

The initiative is a direct outcome of the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Declaration on the Blue EconomySearch for available translations of the preceding link adopted at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) conference held in November 2015. The initiative also builds on years of ‘5+5 Dialogue’ between the ten participating countries.

The Commission had an obligation to report on the implementation five years after the launch of the WestMED initiative.

Next steps

Following the presentation to the Council and European Parliament, this report will be presented at the Ministerial meeting of the WestMED in 2023, in Malta. During this meeting, the countries can choose to reconfirm or update the priorities included in the current 2017 framework for action.

More information

Report on the implementation of the Western Mediterranean initiative in all official EU languages

Synergies to address pollution in the Mediterranean: REMPEC hosts the first Coordination Meeting on the Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031)

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The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) is hosting the First Coordination Meeting on the Mediterranean Strategy for the Prevention of, Preparedness, and Response to Marine Pollution from Ships (2022-2031), in its premises in Malta between 29 November and 1 December 2022.

Gathering representatives from Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, as well as representatives from relevant regional and international organisations, this Meeting will mark the beginning of a new era of cooperation for the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031) by defining the priority actions for the 2024-2025 and beyond.

Addressing the current environmental challenges at sea, the Mediterranean Strategy is based on months of collective coordinated work to present an effective joint Action Plan and a vision for the whole Mediterranean “A clean and healthy Mediterranean marine and coastal environment with a sustainable and pollution free maritime sector, supported by a rigorous enforcement system and strengthened multi-sectoral cooperation, for the benefit of present and future generations”.

The Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031), at the heart of the meeting, aims to provide guidance to the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention at the horizon 2031, to cooperate on the prevention, preparedness and response to marine pollution from ships.

It sets seven Common Strategic Objectives (CSOs) detailed below apply to the Mediterranean region as a whole, and Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, alongside the various organisations and institutions of the Mediterranean, each having a role to play in achieving these objectives. As a a matter of fact, meeting these objectives required a collective and coordinated effort, which is in the centre of the discussions.

  • CSO 1 – Prevent, prepare for, and respond to operational, illegal and accidental oil and HNS pollution from ships
  • CSO 2 – Promote and support the development and implementation of innovative global solutions to mitigate and respond to climate change
  • CSO 3 – Reduce and monitor air emissions from ships to a level that is not harmful to the marine environment, or the health of the coastal population of the Mediterranean
  • CSO 4 – Prevent and reduce litter (in particular plastic) entering the marine environment from ships, in order to limit the environmental, health, and socio-economic impact of marine litter in the Mediterranean
  • CSO 5 – Eliminate the introduction of non-indigenous species by shipping activities
  • CSO 6 – Achieve a well-managed safe and pollution free Mediterranean, with integrated marine spatial planning and designation of special areas, where shipping activity has a limited impact upon the marine environment
  • CSO 7 – Identify and understand collectively emerging issues related to pollution from ships in the Mediterranean, and define required actions to address issues identified


This Meeting also aims to report and assess the progress made in the  implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031), to define priority actions and propose related activities for 2024-2025, to define roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the proposed activities and  establish operational and strategic synergies, through specific partnership agreements.


This Meeting is the first of a series of five (5) meeting to be organised every two years over the next ten years. In 2027, The Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031) and its Action Plan will be reviewed in 2027, based on an analysis of the progress of its implementation and on the outcome of discussions on emerging issues.

This mid-term review and evaluation will be supported by a Study on trends and outlook of marine pollution from ships in the Mediterranean compiling knowledge about maritime traffic and its impact on the marine environment focusing on the seven CSOs. Such a Study will becompared to the study published in 2020 to support the elaboration of the Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031).

 

Full press release

More information visit the REMPEC website or contact Marie Helderle (communication and media officer) vis@rempec.org | +356 21 337 296/7/8

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Sharemed presents Framework for Marine Observations in the Mediterranean

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At its flagship internationalisation workshop in Malta on 13/14th September 2022, the MED programme SHAREMED strategic project presented the framework guidelines and proposed actions to organize and synergize the cross-sectoral and cross-border articulation of a marine observation system of systems to assess and address environmental threats in the Mediterranean Sea, connecting marine research to society, and serving the wider interlinked contexts of security and control, monitoring and sustainability, including economic benefits.

Prof. Aldo Drago presented the document and led a dedicated roundtable discussion with expert panelists which included high profile participants from the southern Mediterranean countries.

The discussions dealt with the next steps to engage in collaborative and enduring efforts leading to the co-design and implementation of a regional system for marine observations supported by national endeavours, serving society and seeking a joint and coordinated action plan to address existing challenges and the sustainable use of marine resources in the Mediterranean within the context of the UN Ocean Decade.

SHAREMED is led by Prof. Cosimo Solidoro from the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Trieste).

For more info on the workshop and the Framework Document, you can visit the workshop webpages

 

WestMED Malta at the MED Business Days 22

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The event was organised by BUSINESSMED in partnership with its Member, the Malta Employers Association, MEA, within the framework of the EBSOMED project.

The event  featured different sessions ranging from keynotes, panels, and Sectoral workshops, B2B meetings and networking opportunities, and also served as an occasion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of BUSINESSMED.

The Maltese National Hub was invited to participate on a panel led by Ms Jeanette Axisa (Foundation for Transport) and included panelists Karmenu Vella, Former EU Commissioner of Environment and Maritime Affairs and Giuseppe Ranalli, Vice President of Small Industry for “economia del mare”, CONFINDUSTRIA

The discussion focused on the maritime sector and how important connecting the Mediterranean is for a sustainable and resilient future. The Maltese National hub focused on the objectives of the Westmed and the role that the Initiative has taken up in bringing stakeholders together to address common challenges and tap into common opportunities.

For more information contact our national Hub Malta (Stephanie Vella): malta@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

Click here for the event page on the Businessmed-umce website

conference room filled with people at the WestMED hackathon 22 event in Malta

WestMED Hackathon ’22 – Maritime community gathers in Malta to generate concrete ideas for boosting the blue economy

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On June 30 2022, more than 60 representatives from the WestMED Maritime community gathered in Salina Bay on Malta. It was an occasion to develop and discuss project ideas and learn the outcomes of the ‘WestMED in my country’ events.

Each WestMED National Hub presented the key takeaways from their ‘in-my-country’ event that had been organised in the previous eight weeks. The events covered a wide range of maritime topics; ranging from  diversification for fishers in Spain, cluster formation in Mauritania and Blue Economy opportunities for accelerators in Italy to bridging the Blue Skills gap in Malta.

The hackathons themselves consisted of targeted theme-based discussions focused on some of the  main issues that are currently at the top of the WestMED Initiative agenda: aquaculture, tourism, transport and ports, maritime clusters, blue skills and Maritime Spatial planning.

Each hackathon resulted in a number of concrete ideas with suggestions on how to take these ideas forward – also in light of current and upcoming funding opportunities

These ideas will be carefully studied for feasibility and followed-up by the respective National Hubs

You can already download the slides (pdf) used, containing both the main takeaways from the in-my-country events  as well as the main hackathon ideas.

You can also watch the recordings on the hackathon 22 page

For further information, please contact communications@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu, or your nearest National Hub

A new Blue Economy support ecosystem proposed during Italy’s WestMED National Event in Naples

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Within the beautiful setting of the new museum Darwin Dohrn in Naples, on May 26th and 27th 2022, the WestMED National Coordinators and the National Hubs organized the Italian ‘WestMED in my country’ event: “Blue Accelerators & Incubators: the main challenge for Blue Growth in Italy”.

With the practical support of Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale Blue Italian Growth and Federazione del Mare, the endorsement of the Department of Cohesion within the Presidency of Council of Ministers and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this was also recognized as an official EMD in my country 2022 event.

It was opened with speeches from the Mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi (former Dean of the University Federico II) and the Regional Counsellor for Research, Innovation and Start-ups of the Campania Region, Valeria Fascione.

Based on a structural gap in the Italian Blue Economy ecosystem, the idea proposed was implementing a national supply chain of support for innovation, new entrepreneurship and employability, based on an alliance that consists of Maritime Clusters, Accelerators & Incubators and Investors & Fund Managers (public & private).

Such a supply chain could facilitate and expedite the search for partners & financial resources by the promoters of a Blue Economy initiative, while national and regional maritime clusters could help mitigate the risks taken by investors and accelerators/ incubators. They could do so by helping to identify the most deserving and really innovative initiatives.

This two-day event gave the opportunity for Italian stakeholders to:

  • become further acquainted with the WestMED Initiative activities in Italy and in the sub-basin over the last four years;
  • become aware of the strategic agreement among the two national maritime clusters (proposed and supported by the WestMED National Coordinators and Italian National Hub) and the excellent results already achieved;
  • network and meet, (Italian and foreign) representatives in-person from over 50 clusters, accelerators and incubators, venture capital companies, start-ups, research institutes, EU platforms, EU funds managing authorities.

More than 70 experts and professionals from the whole country joined in-person with an average of 40 participants who followed  the event online.

To complement the programme,  the visitors were treated to a guided tour of the museum by Prof Ferdinando Boero, who described the 150 years history of Stazione Anton Dohrn where he highlighted the significant contribution of the two scientists Dohrn and Darwin to marine zoology and their studies preserved in this museum, as well as drawing attention to the Gulf of Naples, as being the richest marine biodiversity site

All participants who joined in-person, received a free conference kit.

As a follow-up, the WestMED National Coordinators and Italian National  Hub are already undertaking the steps subsequent to the opportunities that emerged during this event.

For further info, contact Leonardo Mazari (National Hub Italy) : italy@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

 

people meeting at event bridging the gap in Malta 2022

Bridging the Maritime Skills Gap. Succesful WestMED event helps identify possible solutions in Malta

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Today the WestMED Initiative (Malta) in collaboration with the Malta Maritime Forum organised an event entitled “Blue Skills: Bridging the Skills Gap through Education and Ocean Literacy”.

The event was successful in bringing together the views of the captains of industry and academia who identified skills shortages and possible solutions to the skills gap shortages that are afflicting the industry.

The event sought to strengthen cooperation between all stakeholders in order to address labour market frictions that hamper employers from their much-needed talent and skills that sustain their business models.

Moreover the event also focused on the important role of ocean literacy in order to bridge the gap highlighting the importance of engaging youths, students as well as NGOs within the industry.

The work conducted by the Union for the Mediterranean on blue skills was also presented in the event and colleagues from the Atlantic Assistance Mechanism presented the work conducted on blue skills and ocean literacy in the Atlantic.

The event was purposely timed to coincide with Maritime Day and enjoyed official recognition as a ‘European Maritime Day (EMD) In My Country’.

Besides key industry and academia representatives, other participants in the event included the Hon Aaron Farrugia, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects; the Hon Ivan Castillo, Shadow Minister for the Maritime Sector; Perit Karmenu Vella, former European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; and Mr Joseph Bugeja, Chairperson and CEO of Transport Malta.

More information: contact Stephanie Vella or Annabel Vella at our WestMED National Hub Malta

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E-Learning program launched: “Fostering and managing Blue growth Potential in the Mediterranean

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Source: Interreg Mediterranean-Blue Growth

In the context of the INTERREG EURO-MED Academy, the Blue Growth Community is launching the next 16th of May 2022, the online programme “Fostering and Managing Blue Growth Potential in the Mediterranean”.

This e-learning programme is addressed to the next Generation of Mediterranean Leaders on Inclusive and Sustainable Development both from the Northern and Southern shores. This entails a very wide audience having a direct relation to the Blue Growth sector, from young people involved in the blue economy governance to young entrepreneurs and practitioners working in business support organizations (BSOs), NGOs, research institutions, etc.

Therefore, all stakeholders coming from the public/private sectors and civil society interested on Blue Growth will have the opportunity to benefit of this free learning programme that offers a global coverage of all thematic areas of Blue Economy.

Using different training tools such as 7,5h of pre-recorded lectures, available side material for studying (documents, videos, links, etc.), assessment tools (short tests and an exercise), one live webinar and a final event (with key-note speeches and selected presentations of the participants and students), this programme will offer:

  • Modules: 10 short modules structures in the following thematic:
    1. Potential of Blue Economy in the Mediterranean
    2. Marine Renewable Energy (1st part)
    3. Marine Renewable Energy (2nd part)
    4. Sustainable Tourism
    5. Greening the Ports
    6. Fisheries & Aquaculture
    7. Unlocking the potential of Blue Bioeconomy through biotechnologies
    8. Maritime Security & Maritime Surveillance
    9. Maritime Spatial Planning
    10. How to reconcile Blue Economy and Marine Environmental protection

 

  • Course duration: 5 weeks (recommended)

 

Through a dedicated section under each Module, the participants will have the opportunity to overview innovative results and tools produced by the projects of the Blue Growth Community and beyond.

The Blue Growth Community e-learning program “Fostering and Managing Blue Growth Potential in the Mediterranean” will take place from the 16th of May to the 11th of July 2022.

Find more information here.

ENROL NOW!

underwater ray of light

Survey for Nautical Companies to Understand Potential of Innovative Marine Robotics

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Blue Roses is an EU funded project, developed by a consortium of research institutions and companies (Navigo and Aninver – IMC Worldwide among them), to use state-of-the-art marine robotics to develop innovative and sustainable underwater services for marinas and leisure boats.

The aim of the project is to facilitate access to the underwater environment through the use of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and associated ICT. This ‘new dimension’ will help marinas attract and grow interest from diversified users. The robots can be used in a variety of functions, including yacht hull monitoring, remote access to underwater sites, monitoring of sea beds and many other applications.
The three scenarios considered by the project, in which we seek to identify and analyze innovative services and business models, are:
1. Remote access to naturalistic and/or cultural underwater sites (Pilot 1)
2. Robotic-based waters and seabed monitoring inside marinas (Pilot 2)
3. Robotic-based monitoring of yacht hulls for security and support to refit and dismantling

This survey is part of the research to understand the potential of innovative marine robotics services and business models. Your collaboration is highly appreciated. Your personal data will only be used for statistical purposes and none of the consortium members will store or further use this information.

Take me to the survey here