The European Commission has unveiled the first-ever EU strategies for islands and coastal communities, creating a coordinated approach to support 17 million island residents and 95 million people living along Europe’s coastlines. The strategies address shared challenges such as isolation, high transport costs, climate vulnerability, demographic decline, biodiversity loss and economic seasonality, while unlocking opportunities […]

On 21 May 2026, blue economy stakeholders gathered at European Maritime Day (EMD) 2026 in Limassol for a workshop dedicated to exploring how Sea Basin Strategies can support stronger maritime cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region that currently lacks a dedicated framework for regional cooperation. The discussion took place against the backdrop of the […]

The CallmeBLUE project has become one of the Mediterranean region’s leading initiatives for strengthening maritime cooperation and advancing the sustainable blue economy. Supported by the European Union under the WestMED framework and funded through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), it mobilised maritime clusters, public institutions, universities, startups, SMEs and innovation actors from […]

The ‘Blue Challenge: Interreg Project Development Training Programme’ is a new capacity‑building initiative designed to equip young talent with the skills to develop high‑quality, fundable project proposals that advance the sustainable blue economy. Aligned with the priorities of the Atlantic Sea Basin Strategy and the WestMED Initiative, the programme supports early‑career students and professionals in […]

The WestMED Assistance Mechanism, together with the coordinators of the new Technical Group on Blue Skills, launched the group’s activities with an online meeting on 27 April 2026 – bringing together experts, training bodies and blue‑economy actors from across the Western Mediterranean. Chaired by the Tunisian and Portuguese national coordinators, participants were warmly welcomed and […]