From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean: Coastal Resilience & Healthy Ocean – a joint WestMED-Atlantic National Event at Business2Sea in Portugal

On 25 november 2025, 67 people gathered at the Leixões Cruise Terminal in Portugal for a session on Coastal Resilience.

This session was organised by the  Portuguese National Hub for the WestMED and the Atlantic Sea Basin Strategies, as part of the annual business2sea conference.  Business2Sea is Portugals flagship blue Economy event, bringing together global stakeholders to exchange knowledge, showcase innovation, and build partnerships for a sustainable maritime future.

The session featured a focused and constructive discussion, beginning with a keynote opening speech by the Director-General for Maritime Policy and National Coordinator for both sea basin strategies,  Marisa Lameiras da Silva. She provided clear strategic context for the session and stated: “Resilient coasts and healthy oceans are not optional political priorities. They are essential foundations for our prosperity, security and identity.”

The Pillar IV Coordinator of the Atlantic Maritime Strategy on Coastal Resilience, then moderated an insightful panel discussion, bringing together perspectives from policy, science, clusters, and regional cooperation.

Panelists exchanged practical views on shared challenges and opportunities across the Atlantic and WestMED basins, while participants, namely the Interreg Atlantic Joint Secretariat contributed with questions on governance and data coherence. Overall, the session maintained a steady and informative pace, enabling stakeholders to compare experiences and identify concrete areas for improved coordination and joint action.

The session resulted in three main takeaways:

1. The event demonstrated that coastal resilience and healthy oceans are now central priorities for European maritime policy, requiring stronger alignment between the Atlantic and WestMED Strategies under the European Ocean Pact. Participants agreed that the complexity of coastal and ocean challenges—climate pressures, ecosystem degradation, and socio-economic vulnerabilities—can only be addressed through integrated, cross-basin cooperation supported by robust scientific knowledge and coherent governance frameworks.
2. A clear consensus emerged on the need to strengthen ocean observation, data interoperability, and forecasting capacities, especially in coastal zones where information gaps remain significant. Scientific institutions, clusters, and maritime authorities highlighted the importance of interoperable monitoring systems and shared data platforms to support informed decision-making, maritime spatial planning, and early-warning mechanisms. The panel also stressed the role of clusters and coastal communities as vital connectors, ensuring that innovation, scientific insight, and policy align with real territorial needs.
3. Finally, the discussions underscored that achieving a resilient and sustainable ocean demands greater multi-level coordination, avoidance of duplicated efforts, and scaling up of successful pilot initiatives. Enhanced collaboration between the Atlantic and WestMED basins—and with neighbouring regions such as North Africa—will be essential to build a unified European maritime space. The overall conclusion was clear: cooperation is Europe’s strongest asset, and transforming shared knowledge into operational action will be decisive for safeguarding the ocean and strengthening the blue economy.

Ruben Eiras, Secretary General of Forum Oceano and representing the EU Sea Basin National Hub, concluded the session by stating: “What these viewpoints collectively demonstrate is that coastal resilience and a healthy ocean can only be achieved through coordinated, multi-actor and multi-basin action.”

Download the agenda (incl an overview of the panelists)

For more information, contact WestMED’s National Hub Portugal