Nice, France – 11 June 2025

The WestMED Initiative took centre stage at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) with a dedicated workshop on Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy.

Hosted at the Mediterranean Pavilion in the Green Zone, the event brought together high-level representatives from the European Commission, Mediterranean governments, international organisations, and regional stakeholders to reflect on how education, training, and awareness can drive a more resilient and inclusive blue economy.

The workshop, moderated by Matteo Bocci and Javier Fernández from the EU Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism, featured opening remarks from DG MARE, the WestMED Co-Presidencies (Portugal and Tunisia), and panel contributions from the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), INTERREG NEXT MED, IOC-UNESCO, and the Atlantic Strategy Pillar II Coordinator.

A Political and Cultural Commitment to Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy
Kicking off the session, Ms Delilah Al Khudhairy, Director at DG MARE, framed the conversation around the EU Ocean Pact and the upcoming ‘New Pact for the Mediterranean’, both of which place a strong emphasis on empowering people as key enablers of ocean sustainability. 

Speaking on behalf of the Portuguese Co-Presidency, Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Director-General for Maritime Policy, reminded participants of the deeper significance of blue literacy: “Ocean literacy is more than understanding the ways of the sea. It’s about transforming the way we think and act—building a new, inclusive maritime culture in which everyone plays a role.” 

She emphasized that blue skills are not only about preparing for future jobs, but also about upskilling today’s workforce in areas such as digitalisation, marine renewable energy, green shipping, and sustainable tourism. “We must innovate technically, scientifically, and socially—ensuring that workers can adapt and lead change.” 

Portugal also showcased how the WestMED Initiative is already delivering results, from thematic groups on Aquaculture (AquaWest) and Green Shipping and Ports to the Blue Skills Hackathon session held during last year’s annual WestMED event in Algarve, Portugal. That event led to new project ideas focused on cross-border recognition of qualifications, worker mobility, and the promotion of maritime careers. 

Tunisia Calls for Practical Action and Shared Responsibility
From the southern shore, Mr Zied Bouzouita, Director of Cooperation at Tunisia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided concrete policy directions. Tunisia is actively investing in the development of blue skills through curriculum reform, practical training, and the creation of a regional observatory for maritime professions. “We need to align our training with tomorrow’s specializations—digital, ecological, and entrepreneurial. And we need mobility and public-private alliances to close the gap between the north and the south,” he said. 

Tunisia’s presentation highlighted national efforts through EU-funded projects like YEP MED, MedSkippers, and CMES WestMED, which are already providing youth, women, and professionals with real-world maritime training, from port logistics to nautical tourism. 

 UfM: Addressing Youth Unemployment and Brain Drain
With over 60% of the Mediterranean population under 30, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) underscored the urgency of scaling up opportunities. “Closing the skills gap, creating quality jobs, and improving the attractiveness of maritime careers are not just economic needs—they are strategic priorities,” stated Adriana Salazar, UfM’s Blue Economy Expert. 

UfM welcomed the WestMED feedback report on Blue Skills and encouraged continued alignment with existing frameworks such as the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy, INTERREG, and EMFAF programmes. 

On the latter, one of the most relevant INTERREG Programmes, the NEXT MED Programme took the floor. Aldo Puleo emphasized its commitment to equipping young students and entrepreneurs with specialised skills in blue economy sectors and supporting their integration into the labour market. 

The programme is also driving action to involve local communities, economic operators, and stakeholders in the protection of coastal environments from climate-related risks and in the preservation of marine biodiversity. 

In addition, INTERREG NEXT MED fosters enhanced cooperation among local authorities to develop governance models that support the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of blue economy actions—especially in ports, fisheries, and tourism—ensuring these efforts have lasting territorial impact. 

Connecting Sea Basins: A Cross-Regional Priority
A standout contribution came from IOC-UNESCO, a global leader in promoting ocean literacy. “Building a deeper understanding of our ocean is essential for a sustainable and resilient future,” explained Francesca Santoro, Senior Programme Officer at IOC-UNESCO. Within the EU4Ocean coalition, IOC-UNESCO organises summer schools for master’s and PhD students from across Europe and neighbouring sea basins. These immersive programmes combine scientific lectures, fieldwork, and hands-on workshops in areas such as marine conservation, coastal planning, ocean technology, and sustainable fisheries. 

Beyond technical skills, the summer schools cultivate leadership, creativity, and international collaboration—empowering youth to become proactive ocean stewards. 

“By investing in youth and promoting ocean literacy, we are building a society that values, understands, and protects our ocean for generations to come,” Santoro added. 

Representing the Atlantic Strategy, Céline Liret stressed the need to break down silos between sectors and regions. “Whether we’re talking about renewable energy, shipbuilding, or coastal tourism, the future of the blue economy depends on our ability to share skills, knowledge, and solutions,” she said. The Atlantic Action Plan’s Pillar II, focused on Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy, mirrors WestMED priorities and supports cross-border cooperation to strengthen blue talent pipelines. 

Key Takeaways and Next Steps
The session concluded with a forward-looking reflection from the WestMED Co-Presidencies and DG MARE, who agreed on the importance of establishing a dedicated WestMED Technical Group on Blue Skills, enhancing cross-basin cooperation, and making blue careers more accessible across the Mediterranean. 

Key messages included: 

• The need for inclusive training that reaches youth, women, and underserved communities; 

• The importance of practical learning environments, such as ship-based internships, simulators, and blue entrepreneurship programs; 

• The value of shared governance and mobility schemes, to harmonise training and employment across shores. 

Javier Fernández (EU Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism)

Felix Leinemann (DG MARE)

Marisa Lameiras da Silva and Zied Bouzouita (WestMED co-presidencies from Portugal and Tunisia)

Adriana Salazar (UfM) and Aldo Puleo (Interreg NEXT MED)

Francesca Santoro (IOC-Unesco) and Céline Liret (Atlantic Strategy Pillar II)

Matteo Bocci (EU Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism)

On 10 June 2025, as part of the Blue Week organised annually in Morocco,   AESVT Maroc (Association des Enseignants des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre) and AMCDD (Alliance Marocaine pour le Climat et le Développement Durable), organised a webinar titled ‘Green ports, anchor points for the blue economy and regional maritime clusters: Experiences from the Mediterranean basin and challenges for Morocco.’ This was done together with the WestMED initiative – National Hub Morocco.

Around thirty people attended, including more than 25 representatives from civil society, academia and local authorities.

In the opening remarks by the Moroccan Hub of the WestMED Initiative, Mr Hassan Agouzoul, Mr Abdelaziz Janati (National Coordinator of the AMCDD) and Mr Abderrahim Ksiri (President of the AESVT) the importance of the blue economy for the equitable economic and social development of people in Morocco and around the world was emphasised. Abderrahim Ksiri (President of the AESVT) emphasised the importance of the blue economy for the equitable economic and social development of people in Morocco and around the world, and recalled in particular that the third United Nations World Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) – is currently taking place in Nice, with the main theme of ‘Accelerating action and mobilising all stakeholders to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’. In this context, the 1st ‘Africa for the Ocean’ summit was co-chaired by Morocco and France, during which HM King Mohammed VI sent a clear message on the urgent need to speed up the implementation of a national blue economy strategy in Morocco, and on the importance of South-South cooperation and regional integration around ocean areas.

After an introductory presentation on the state of play of the blue economy in Morocco by Mr Hassan Agouzoul (National Hub Morocco of the WestMed Initiative), Mr Leonardo Manzari (National Hub Italy of the WestMED Initiative) and Mr Matteo Bocci (Deputy Head of the EU Assistance Mechanism for Sea Basin Strategies) gave their presentations. Matteo Bocci (Deputy Head of the EU Assistance Mechanism for Sea Basins) gave their presentation, followed by a very interesting discussion on the need to mobilise Moroccan civil society and give it the skills and methods it needs to make an effective and structured contribution to the development of the blue economy in Morocco at national and regional level.

Here are some takeaways from the debate:

• It is important for Moroccan civil society, as well as the Association of Moroccan Regions, to join the alliance of maritime clusters or the relevant WestMED technical thematic groups (green shipping; aquaculture; sustainable tourism; blue skills; etc).
• To make these partnerships effective between the Westmed initiative and national civil society, it is essential that AESVT Morocco and AMCDD officially designate their representatives within the various Thematic Groups of the Westmed initiative (2 or 3 people) and send their requests notified by email to the National Hub Morocco in order to set up an institutional process of collaboration.
• The WestMED initiative’s thematic groups have been in existence since 2020, and their success and particular interest for their members stems mainly from the fact that the members of these groups highlight important issues that concern them and that are generally shared by the different countries represented. Morocco, for example, is very active in the sustainable transport group.
• Civil society and the academic world should be actively involved in preparing the roadmaps for setting up the pilot clusters in the Tangier-Tétouan-El Hoceima and Souss-Massa regions, but it is also important to prepare for the creation of maritime clusters in the 7 other coastal regions of the Kingdom of Morocco, e.g. Marrakech-Safi..
• Ports are currently being developed primarily as economic and technological hubs, but it is also vital to develop their cultural and social dimensions. The blue economy strategy currently being developed in Morocco will take this into account and, in particular, will give the necessary impetus to align the portfolio of necessary investments with that of educational programmes (e.g. creation of new skills in fishing, aquaculture, biotechnologies, desalination, eco-tourism, renewable energies).
• Collaboration between civil society and the academic world must be put in place to prepare the human resources needed to develop the blue economy. To begin developing this collaboration, it would be useful to contact the blue economy unit of the ministry responsible for the budget to participate in the preparation of the national blue economy strategy, which will be launched in the coming months.
• Technical resources exist at WestMED level: the Blue Skills & Ocean Literacy technical group, the blue skills development programme, the Mediterranean blue skills panorama, training on cluster management. The UNOC 3 recommendations on blue skills should also be taken into account..

Download the Agenda | Original event announcement

You will find below the recording of the webinar (in French) as well as the presentations.

Next webinar
A forthcoming webinar on 20 June 2025 at 10am (Moroccan time) will go into more detail about innovative blue skills, and will also include a training course to build the capacity of civil society to set up bankable ‘Blue Economy’ projects. More information/ registration

The European Ocean Pact was adopted on 5 June 2025, by the European Commission, just ahead of World Oceans Day on June 8.

The European Ocean Pact is a comprehensive strategy adopted by the European Commission to protect marine life, strengthen the blue economy, and support coastal communities. It brings together various EU ocean policies under a single, coordinated framework, focusing on six priority areas:

• Restoring Ocean Health: Strengthening efforts to restore marine and coastal ecosystems, expand marine protected areas, and improve ocean resilience.
• Boosting the Blue Economy: Supporting sustainable fisheries, promoting innovation in maritime industries, and launching a Blue Generational Renewal Strategy to attract young professionals.
• Supporting Coastal and Island Communities: Developing tailored strategies to enhance the resilience and economic sustainability of coastal regions.
• Enhancing Maritime Security: Strengthening coast guard cooperation, improving maritime surveillance, and reinforcing border security.
• Advancing Ocean Research and Innovation: Establishing an EU Ocean Observation Initiative to improve data collection and knowledge-sharing.
• Strengthening Ocean Diplomacy:  Expanding EU efforts in international ocean governance and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Areas of action

To support Member States restore degraded coastal and marine habitats, the European Ocean Pact proposes to:

• Evaluate and revise the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive
• Encourage Member States to establish and manage marine protected areas
• Create European blue carbon reserves

What’s next

This Ocean Pact will be complemented by an Ocean Act to be presented by 2027, ensuring the implementation of its priorities. The Commission will also set up a high-level Ocean Board, bringing together representatives from various ocean-related sectors, and launch an EU Ocean Pact dashboard, providing a public, transparent and centralised platform to track progress towards its objectives.

For more information visit the European Commission website:  Full press release | Ocean Pact webpage

On 28 January 2025, EC funded project MEDIGREEN, in collaboration with the Horizon MPA Europe project, held its opening conference in Madrid with more that 120 participans in attendance (both in person and online).

MEDIGREEN, is a Mediterranean initiative advancing the European Green Deal through Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP).

The objective of this conference was to present the project to the stakeholders from its 4 designated key sectors and taking a first step to engage them in discussions regarding two main project research questions:

1. How can MSP help integrate the European Green Deal (EGD) objectives in these sectors? and
2. What are the main challenges and limitations at a Mediterranean regional scale?

MEDIGREEN released its conference report providing an overview of the presentations and outcomes of the day.

Download the report
Download background and agenda

About MEDIGREEN
Medigreen is a MSP project that specifically focuses on 4 key sectors: offshore renewable energy, fisheries, aquaculture, and nature protection, aiming to promote a sustainable blue economy.

Through these four sectors (work packages), MEDIGREEN investigates the impact of MSP on the European Green Deal, develops national actions for sectoral responses, and explores a Mediterranean pathway toward sustainability.

By fostering transnational cooperation, the project helps EU (France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Malta) and non-EU countries (Algeria and Tunisia) align their MSP strategies with environmental goals, ensuring a balanced approach to marine resource management.

Medigreen is an EC funded (EMFAF) project that runs from November 2024 to April 2027.

WestMED connection
The project is a leading contributor to the Mediterranean MSP Community of Practice (MED-MSP-CoP), with a team that coordinates both projects.

MEDIGREEN also plans several thematic workshops aimed at stakeholders in all WestED countries in 2025 and 2026.  Because of its relevance for the WestMED Initiative, it receives active support from several WestMED team members who act in dual roles, such as Samir Bachouche (WestMED Algeria/ CNRDPA), Thanos Smanis (WestMED central team/ Climazul) and Marta Pascual (WestMED Spain/ EU MSP Platform), who all three attended this conference as well.

More information
Visit the Medigreen website

Photo copyright: MPA Europe