On 4 November 2024, the WestMED National Event in Tunisia on the blue economy was organised in partnership with the REBOOTMED project and the BlueMissionMed project. The objective was  to enhance synergies between three major European projects that focus on strenghtening the sustainable blue economy in the region and discuss major developments related to specific fiels: greeen shipping,  fisheries & aquaculture and tourism.

This event was also organised in close collaboration with the Tunisian national coordinator of the WestMED Initiative, the General Secretariat for Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The event brought together more than 130 guests, including the EU delegation in Tunis, sectoral managers involved in the different themes, national authorities, researchers, universities and civil society.

Regarding green shipping, The WestMED presentation focused on Tunisia’s progress in implementing the energy transition in the Tunisian maritime fleet and adapting port infrastructure to this transition. Discussions in the afternoon workshop highlighted the need to draw up a roadmap for adapting ships and port infrastructure to the new regulatory requirements of the IMO and the European Union.

Participants insisted on the urgency of developing this roadmap, if the deadlines required by these regulations are to be met. The multitude of alternative fuel choices available requires the collaboration of transport and seaport stakeholders to make this transition a success with minimal negative effects.

The second theme discussed was the development of sustainable aquaculture and fisheries and the need to use new technologies in this field, while preserving the environment and ecosystems. The workshop worked in four sub-groups to determine how the fisheries and aquaculture sector contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the measures to be taken to overcome the difficulties and challenges hindering the achievement of the SDGs in this sector. (overview outcomes)

The third theme was Sustainable tourism. The Ministry of Tourism presented its vision for Tourism 2035 (see press article), as well as new initiatives for developing sustainable tourism; in particular thematic routes and the Destination Management Organisation (DMO). Next to this, the Ministry of the Environment presented its roadmap for the blue economy, detailing the priority actions to be implemented to ensure sustainable blue tourism. The Sahel and Sahara Observatory also highlighted the contribution of Ecosystem Accounting of Natural Capital. Closing the session on tourism, the Agence du Tourisme de Corse presented the best practices adopted by the region to encourage the transition towards sustainable and responsible tourism.

These are some of the main recommendations that came out of the ensuing discussion:

• EU: Allocate specific funding for sustainable tourism and prioritise green practices.
• Programmes and initiatives, including the new WestMED Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism: Improve project and programme coordination, promote nature tourism throughout the year, and develop legal frameworks for pescatourism.
• Regional involvement: Empower regions to define and implement sustainable tourism strategies.
• Public-private partnerships: Strengthen partnerships to foster innovation, resilience, and adaptation to climate change.

Guests representing both public and private sectors, including the the Tunisian National Tourist Office, the Mauritanian Ministry of Tourism, the Sicilian Region, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of CAP BON (TN), shared insights on how these recommendations fit into their strategies, emphasising product diversification, local capacity building, and off-season tourism promotion.

The event underscored the need for continued collaboration to integrate these recommendations across the Mediterranean and a good example of how three Blue EU initiatives can bundle their collective efforts to help make this happen.

On 14 October 2024, WestMED’s National Hub Tunisia particpated in a workshop organised by the Cluster Maritime Tunisien, titled  ‘Maritime clusters, catalysts for the development of the blue economy’.

This workshop was part of the European CallmeBlue project, which aims to strengthen synergies between maritime clusters in the North and South and to promote regional maritime dynamics.

The event brought together players from the maritime sector to strengthen opportunities for collaboration, identify innovative projects, encourage collaboration between public companies and institutions and private companies, and involve environmental protection institutions and civil society in the debate on the blue economy.

The National Hub presented the objectives and priorities of the Westmed project and outlined the results of the work of the technical and discussion groups, emphasising the cluster’s role in developing relations between the various players in the maritime world in order to create synergies and development opportunities.

The Secretary General for Maritime Affairs presented the objectives and priorities of the national strategy for the blue economy and emphasised the role of the maritime cluster as a catalyst for the development of the blue professions.

On  13 September 2024, for its 7th edition, Forum Mondial de la Mer in Bizerte (Tunisia) set the agenda for  one of the planet’s most iconic and threatened natural treasures, facing a severe crisis endangering its biodiversity and sustainability, the Mediterranean Sea basin.  Researchers, international organizations, local authorities, professionals, and think tanks are continually reassessing their projections based on various scientific, climatic, economic, and demographic data.

Throughout this event, a number of speakers discussed the preservation of marine ecosystems and the levers for a sustainable blue economy.

Challenges and innovation in maritime and port transport
Salem Miladi (WestMED’s National Hub in Tunisia) was one of the speakers talking about the challenges and innovations of maritime and port transport. In his presentation he highlighted how the expansion of world trade, changes the way products are manufactured and distributed and how innovation and the use of advanced information and communication technologies (ITS: Intelligent Transport System), have led to profound changes in the transport system. This is reflected in the door-to-door transport, containerisation and creation of transhipment ports (deep-water ports). The new global transport model has promoted intermodality and logistics, as well as quality and speed of information (just-in-time, zero stock).        

However, with maritime transport accounting for 90% of world trade in goods,  it also consumes 250 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil obtained from the dirtiest waste products from crude oil distillation. The quantities of particles, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide ejected into the atmosphere are increasingly large, and end up in the seas and oceans.

The maritime transport and port sector is one of the most polluting sectors and must comply with new environmental requirements to make freight more environmentally friendly. Various initiatives have been undertaken to reduce the impact of this pollution on the seas and oceans, such as the MARPOL Convention, which provides for the reduction of the amount of sulphur contained in marine fuels to 0.5%, and the IMO’s (International Maritime Organization) revised strategy, which aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping to zero by 2050.

As part of his presentation Salem also introduced the Westmed Initiative and talked about the ‘Green Shipping Technical Group’ that consist of stakeholders from the Mediterranean shipping and port industry. The main objective of this group is to find funding and carry out projects related to feasibility studies and pilot experiments aimed to promote the widespread use of clean energy by ships and ports – particularly in cooperation with partners from the the southern shore of the western Mediterranean.

The road to Nice :  preparing for the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025
Javier Férnandez (Director EU Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism) and Salem Miladi (WestMED National Hub Tunisia) both attended the Forum Mondial de la Mer.  Especially because this event formed part of the agenda for the preparation and consultation at Euro-Mediterranean level of the United Nations Ocean Conference that will take place in Nice on 9-13 June 2025. This Conference (UNOC3) will be  organised by France and Costa Rica, and is expected to be the biggest international gathering ever organised around ocean issues.

For more information contact Salem Miladi (westMED Hub Tunisia): tunisia@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

Copyright: Forum Mondial de la Mer