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MSP community of practic kick-off meeting with participants seated around a rectangular table

La Communauté de pratique sur la planification de l’espace maritime (PEM) pour la Méditerranée vient d’être lancée !

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Bruxelles, le 26 janvier 2022. Au cours du Hackathon organisé par le mécanisme d’assistance WestMED à Malte le 30 juin 2022 et de quelques réunions dans le cadre du projet MSPMED, les acteurs concernés ont discuté de la création d’une communauté de pratique ouverte pour l’échange sur la planification de l’espace maritime dans le cadre de l’initiative WestMED et soutenue par CINEA et la DG MARE.

En Méditerranée, il existe de nombreux moteurs politiques pour la mise en œuvre de la planification de l’espace maritime/marin aux niveaux régional, sous-régional et national. Il s’agit notamment de la mise en œuvre de la directive MSP pour les États membres de l’Union européenne, de la déclaration ministérielle sur l’économie bleue de l’Union pour la Méditerranée et du cadre conceptuel pour la MSP élaboré par le PNUE/PAM qui promeut une approche commune de la MSP en tant que processus clé pour la planification et la gestion de l’espace marin conformément aux dispositions du protocole GIZC. Néanmoins, le projet pilote MSPglobal en Méditerranée occidentale, promu par l’UNESCO-COI et la Commission européenne, a permis la création d’un réseau d’experts et la publication de rapports techniques et de recommandations spécifiques.

Compte tenu du cadre politique existant et de la volonté politique plus large de travailler en commun sur la PSM, il existe un intérêt partagé pour mettre en place une communauté de pratique de la PSM en Méditerranée, dans le cadre de l’initiative WestMED. La Communauté de pratique MED-MSP se concentrera initialement sur la Méditerranée occidentale, tout en étant ouverte aux experts et aux observateurs de l’ensemble de la Méditerranée.

L’objectif principal du CoP MED-MSP est d’établir une communication permanente et un dialogue transfrontalier entre les experts de la PSM (c’est-à-dire les planificateurs, les experts techniques, les chercheurs), et d’échanger des connaissances et des expériences pertinentes dans la région, afin de parvenir à une perspective partagée sur des sujets d’intérêt commun sur la PSM et de renforcer la coopération entre le nord et le sud de la Méditerranée.

Le 26 janvier, CINEA et la DG MARE ont officiellement lancé la Communauté de pratique lors de la réunion de lancement à Bruxelles où les experts ont discuté de la structure et du plan d’action pour l’année prochaine.

Thanos Smanis, expert de WestMED et membre du Mécanisme d’Assistance de la PSM, souligne « la volonté immédiate des experts de la PSM de se mobiliser et d’établir une Communauté de Pratique sur la PSM pour la MED, pour un dialogue et une coopération communs, démontre la perception partagée que cela soutiendra de manière significative la création d’un cadre et d’une vision régionale où toutes les parties prenantes seront nécessaires ».

Outre la communauté de pratique sur la planification de l’espace maritime, trois groupes de travail techniques ont été créés dans le cadre de l’initiative WestMED : le groupe technique AquaWEST sur l’aquaculture et l’alliance des clusters maritimes.

Plus d’informations sur la Communauté de pratique sur la planification de l’espace maritime (MSP) pour la Méditerranée: : https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/two-days-key-developments-maritime-spatial-planning-2023-01-25_en

diverse people putting their hands together to sympolise teamwork

Les stratégies de bassin maritime de l’UE pour la Méditerranée occidentale, l’Atlantique et la mer Noire ont uni leurs forces.

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La Commission européenne a soutenu l’établissement et la mise en œuvre de trois stratégies de bassin maritime dans l’Atlantique, la mer Noire et la Méditerranée occidentale.

En mai 2021, la Commission européenne a adopté une nouvelle approche pour une économie bleue durable dans l’UE, qui définit un programme détaillé pour que l’économie bleue joue un rôle majeur dans la réalisation des objectifs du Green Deal européen.

La Commission européenne reconnaît l’avantage des bassins maritimes et indique que l’UE continuera à soutenir la coopération, et à développer des stratégies adaptées pour chaque bassin maritime européen.

Il existe des conditions, des opportunités et des défis spécifiques à chaque bassin maritime, qui nécessitent une approche ciblée.

Le développement optimal de toutes les activités liées à la mer d’une manière durable nécessite un cadre politique cohérent basé sur la participation de toutes les parties prenantes. Les mers sont partagées entre différents pays.

C’est pourquoi la coopération régionale, y compris avec les pays non membres de l’UE, est importante pour atteindre les objectifs de la stratégie pour une économie bleue durable. Les stratégies de bassin maritime nécessitent des agendas politiques conjoints entre les pays de l’UE et les pays tiers partageant la même mer, tout en définissant des priorités communes et en impliquant concrètement les parties prenantes dans le processus d’identification et de mise en œuvre de projets bancables d’économie bleue.

Un mécanisme d’assistance unique a été créé pour soutenir la mise en œuvre des trois stratégies de bassin maritime de l’UE: la stratégie atlantique, l’initiative WestMED et l’agenda maritime commun pour la mer Noire.

Cela signifie que le mécanisme d’assistance WestMED fait désormais partie d’un consortium plus vaste visant à mieux identifier et à exploiter les synergies entre les trois bassins maritimes. Il y parviendra en échangeant les meilleures pratiques et en organisant des événements nationaux et régionaux sur des thèmes qui présentent un intérêt évident pour l’ensemble des bassins maritimes, tels que les compétences bleues, les investissements bleus, la navigation verte et l’aquaculture durable. Cette nouvelle approche permettra de répondre aux besoins spécifiques de chaque bassin maritime tout en facilitant les synergies et en augmentant la portée et la visibilité.

Comme les années précédentes, ce nouveau mécanisme d’assistance conjoint poursuivra son expertise en matière de mise en réseau afin d’initier des partenariats de projets et de faciliter l’accès au financement en soutenant l’élaboration de propositions. Toutefois, cette fois-ci, il s’appuiera sur une base de données beaucoup plus importante de parties prenantes et d’experts.

Le datahub maritime EASME/ CINEA sera développé pour contenir encore plus de projets qui contribuent aux différentes stratégies de bassin maritime, et la coopération sera intensifiée avec des projets tels que BlueInvest et le mécanisme d’assistance à la planification de l’espace maritime.

Les équipes qui ont géré les trois précédents mécanismes d’assistance resteront en grande partie en place dans ce nouveau mécanisme d’assistance conjoint afin d’assurer une continuité et une cohérence harmonieuses.

Les centres nationaux en Espagne, au Portugal et en France seront à l’avant-garde de cette nouvelle approche des synergies, car ils se concentreront désormais simultanément sur le WestMED et l’Atlantique.

Ce programme commun sur les bassins maritimes est financé par la Commission Européenne et sera en vigueur de 2022 à 2024.

 

laptop with mock-up of WestMED infographic displayed on the screen

Quatre années de soutien pratique à une économie bleue durable en Méditerranée occidentale

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Au cours des quatre dernières années (2018-2022), le mécanisme d’assistance WestMED a accompli beaucoup de choses dont il peut être fier.

Il a permis d’obtenir 50 millions d’euros de financement rien que pour toutes sortes de projets différents qui contribuent à l’objectif principal de l’initiative WestMED, à savoir développer et renforcer une économie bleue durable dans la région.

Il a également permis de stimuler les discussions entre les parties prenantes de la rive nord et de la rive sud, sur des sujets maritimes clés tels que la navigation verte, l’aquaculture durable, le financement de projets, les clusters maritimes et les compétences bleues. Principalement, par la création de groupes de travail techniques et l’organisation d’événements thématiques. Elle a également joué un rôle de premier plan dans le lancement d’une communauté de pratique sur la planification de l’espace maritime en Méditerranée, dont la réunion de lancement a eu lieu en janvier 2023.

Pour une vue d’ensemble du travail accompli, le mécanisme d’assistance a produit un résumé de trois pages et une infographie.
Les deux sont disponibles dès maintenant pour téléchargement.

Résumé exécutif

Infographie

 

Aller de l’avant (2022-2024).

Après des évaluations positives, la Commission européenne a accepté de poursuivre cette initiative pendant au moins deux années supplémentaires.

Avec la nouvelle approche de la Commission européenne, le mécanisme d’assistance WestMED fera équipe avec les mécanismes d’assistance des autres stratégies de bassin maritime de l’UE (Plan d’action atlantique / CMA Mer Noire) afin d’explorer et de capitaliser davantage sur les synergies liées aux thèmes maritimes communs, de permettre de traiter les propositions de projets (financement) pertinents dans les bassins maritimes et de fournir un retour d’information politique coordonné.

 

announcement poster westmed commission report

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

WestMED in my country Portuguese event with conference room and presenter on screen

Maritime Clusters take center stage at WestMED’s National Event in Lisbon

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As part of the ‘WestMED In My country’ campaign, organised by the WestMED Assistance Mechanism, the Portuguese National Hub focused its national event on “How Clusters will accelerate a sustainable Blue Med Economy.” This took place on 28 September 2022 in the Instituto Hidrográfico in Lisbon.

The event was opened by Orlando Costa, Head of Cooperation Unit, Directorate General for Marine Policy (DGPM) and National Coordinator of WestMED initiative. This was followed by Ruben Eiras, Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano, Portugal Blue Economy Cluster and WestMED’s Portuguese National Hub.

During the event the main achievements and challenges of the WestMED Initiative in general as well as its progress in Portugal were presented by Javier Fernández from WestMED’s central team as well as mr. Eiras and mr. Costa.

The way clusters could foster innovation ecosystem and attract funding for the blue economy med economy was presented, with the concrete example of MedBAN – Mediterranean Blue Acceleration Network Eurocluster project, led by Fórum Oceano with the participation of six Blue Med Economy Clusters.  The initiative for this unique cooperation was developed under the WestMED Cluster Alliance . The way ports could act as blue economy hubs was also presented with 2 concrete examples the AspBAN – Atlantic Smart Ports Blue Acceleration Network project and Portugal Blue Hubs Network.

Finally, the importance of cooperation and public and private funding were discussed in a panel, with the participation of representatives of Algarve and Alentejo Regions, and a Portuguese Venture Capital firm.

The word cooperation was a key word during the event and all participants are looking forward for the new cycle of the WestMED initiative.

Watch the full recording on Forum Oceano’s YouTube channel

WestMED portuguese national event 2022
For more information – contact the WestMED National Hub Portugal
aldo.drago.sharemed.2022

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

 

Medban 2022 signature of Memorandum of Understanding with representatives seated at conference table

MEDBAN: six mediterranean maritime clusters join forces under the guidance of the WestMED Assistance Mechanism

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Today (July 6, 2022) the COSME MEDBAN (MEDiterranean Blue Acceleration Network) was launched  with the signature of  the Memorandum of Understanding  between its partners in the headquarters of the Fedarzione Del Mare in Rome.

MEDBAN, is a consortium that consists of six clusters: Fórum Oceano (leader), Federazione del Mare, Cluster BIG – Blue Italian Growth, CMIB Cluster Marítimo Illes Balears, Strategis – Maritime ICT Cluster and  Pôle Mer Méditerranée – that have joined forces to build an innovation acceleration ecosystem based on Med Ports as ESG (Environmental, Social, Governmental) blue economy hubs.

The initial idea was born in September 2021 at Seafuture in La Spezia , and evolved through the WestMED created Maritime Clusters Alliance Technical Group into a successful submission  for COSME funding. Now….ready to start in September 2022.

For more information contact Ruben Eiras (WestMED National Hub/ Forum Oceano): portugal@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

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

panel seated at table at national event italy 2022 in naples

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