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Paths to decarbonisation: cross-sea basin synergies Workshop

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European Maritime Days | 24 May 2023 | Brest, France

 
Exploring concrete paths for an enlarged regional cooperation towards decarbonisation of the blue economy

The full decarbonisation of the blue economy is becoming more and more relevant for the EU and its neighbouring countries, and it remains a truly cross-cutting challenge for the three participating sea basins strategies in the Atlantic, the WestMED and the Black Sea.

In this context, the workshop ‘Paths to decarbonisation: cross-sea basin synergies’ organised within the EMD 2023 in Brest, France, embedded a rich and moderated discussion amongst a panel of high-level policy representatives from the EU Commission and Presidencies/Representatives for each of the three Sea Basin Strategies, followed by a moderated Q&A session amongst participants and the audience.

In the first part of the workshop, the state of play across the European sea basins was reviewed in detail, while identifying the possible EU-wide synergies to be activated towards a fully decarbonized sustainable blue economy. In this respect, specific support is offered through the EU Sea Basin Strategies[1], as promoted by the EU Commission in partnership with EU Member States and neighbour Countries across the Atlantic (Atlantic Action Plan)[2], the western Mediterranean (WestMED Initiative) [3] and the Black Sea (Common maritime Agenda)[4].

Existing relevant actions and concrete success stories were highlighted by the representatives of the 3 geographies. Relevant actions included:

  • The Atlantic Action Plan actively supporting renewable energy uptake through dedicated actions (i.e. ‘pillars’) aimed at carrying out technical exchanges and discussing future project ideas;
  • The WestMED Initiative identifying Green Shipping and Sustainable Aquaculture as priorities, via specific technical groups, both relying on sustainable and green energy;
  • The implementation of the Common Maritime Agenda (CMA) for the Black Sea needing specific skills and know how to accelerate a transition towards decarbonisation.

As relevant success stories portrayed as concrete deliverables and contributions towards the implementation of the EU sea basin support – i.e. towards fostering a full decarbonisation of the blue economy, the following were examined:

  • Atlantic Action Plan provided examples of aligned projects in the field of green and smart ports, such as AspBAN, MAGPIE or PIONEERS.
  • WestMED included among examples of concrete success stories the well-established Technical Groups (and related projects) on Green Shipping/Ports, Sustainable Aquaculture “AquaWest, the Maritime Clusters Alliance and the recently launched Community of Practice on MSP
  • Finally, Black Sea illustrated success stories with projects supported through EMFAF such as 4BIZ, or DBAN on acceleration of innovation ecosystems and the focus on coastal protection and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Building on existing actions, during the second part of the workshop, concrete areas for further support and synergies/cooperation across the different sea basins – both in terms of policy and project-support were discussed:

  1. Firstly, to pool and identify both strengths and weaknesses in each of the three sea basins, and based on this information, to identify common elements for collaboration. This analysis could be entrusted to the Assistance Mechanism which, in the context of the new contract with CINEA, works jointly in the three geographies.
  2. Secondly, identifying structured opportunities for cross-sea basin policy dialogue. This could be translated in the first place into the participation of the respective Presidencies in the Steering Committees of the other two sea basins.
  3. This recurrent presence of representatives of the different maritime strategies in the other governance structures could eventually lead to the creation of a common platform for dialogue between the three geographies, and this dialogue could incorporate elements of policy and more concrete elements of projects or initiatives.
  4. Establishing a concrete programme of exchanges between existing Technical Groups & Pillars on common topics
  5. Stimulate the creation of cross-sea basin consortia for EU-wide calls in programmes such as Interreg VI C 2021-2027 (interregional cooperation), Horizon, ERASMUS, LIFE…
  6. Promote the exchange on good practices and cooperation amongst policy and science within/across sea basins
  7. Including all the points above, establishing a basic and straight forward collaboration plan setting up the different stages and an overall timeline.
  8. Finally, the organisation in 2024 of a first ever cross-sea basin fertilisation event, whereby authorities and stakeholders from the Atlantic, the Western Mediterranean and the Black Sea could participate and exchange on all the topics mentioned above. More information on this planned conference will be shared as soon as it is available.

As a conclusion, the workshop –which was the first of its kind bringing in representatives from the 3 Sea basins and the European Commission to discuss about synergies– allowed for the identification of concrete and relevant opportunities for stronger cross-sea basin coordination and synergies, both at the policy as well as technical levels, with the ultimate objective of further streamlining overall cross-sea basins cooperation across the EU towards decarbonisation.

 Speakers/panellists and moderator

EMD 2023 decarbonisation workshop by the joint sea basin assistance mechanism - speakers on stage sitting at table

Speakers and Panellists (from left to right):

  • Isabelle Perret Advisor for European and environmental affairs (acting) Secretariat-General for the Sea
  • (WestMED Initiative representative)
  • Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Portuguese Directorate-General Maritime Policy, Director (Atlantic Action Plan Initiative Presidency)
  • Iglika Yakova, European Commission, DG Mare, Deputy Head of Unit
  • Alexandra Bogdan, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director Analysis Division , (Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda Coordinator)
  • Matteo Bocci, Sea Basins’ Assistance Mechanism

 Overall moderation:

  •  Javier Fernandez, Sea Basins’ Assistance Mechanism

 

[1] https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/ocean/sea-basins/eu-sea-basins_en

[2] https://atlantic-maritime-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en

[3] https://black-sea-maritime-agenda.ec.europa.eu

Memorandum of Understanding signed between WOC and UfM-WestMEDUnion for the Mediterranean

Memorandum of Understanding signed between World Ocean Council and the UfM/WestMED to boost private sector engagement in the Mediterranean Blue Economy

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On March 28,2023, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Ocean Council (WOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the UfM Headquarters in Barcelona. This, within  the framework of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy and Roadmap for its implementation, and the WestMED Initiative, supported by the UfM and by the European Commission.

The MoU details key avenues of collaboration to promote cooperation, strong engagement, stewardship, and corporate responsibility from the business and investment communities in the maritime  sectors at Mediterranean level.

Cooperation will mainly focus on blue business development and entrepreneurship (incl. blue skills, careers, jobs and employability) and blue investments i..e the blue finance process in the Mediterranean. This via joint promotion and possible co-organisation of events, helping connect political to business apirations, exchanging expertise etc.

The WestMED Assistance Mechanism and the WOC are currenly exploring practical plans for joint development and cooperation in 2023.

Announcement poster stakeholder conference with photo of La Valetta in Malta

Join us on 22 June in Malta for the 2023 edition of the WestMED Initiative stakeholder Conference

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After the successful 2021 WestMED Stakeholder Conference in Rome and the 2022 Hackathons on project development in Malta, we invite you to the 2023 edition of the WestMED Stakeholder Conference.

The Conference will be held on Thursday, 22 June 2023 in Malta. The event is open to all stakeholders that are contributing to improve the sustainable blue economy in the region.

So, whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneur, a scientist, an investor, a lecturer, a local or regional authority or a policy maker, this will be a day for you.  Learn the latest developments, meet new inspirational people, and consult the (national) blue economy experts from the WestMED Initiative in-person.

This year’s focus will be on the four main thematic areas that the WestMED Initiative actively supports:  Sustainable Aquaculture, Green Shipping and Ports, Maritime Clusters and Marine Spatial Planning.

We will share with you the results achieved so far and discuss the challenges that lie ahead.

The format will be interactive. Based on your level of expertise, you can both contribute to the discussion or ask fellow experts to help you in your activities.

Next to this, we plan to give you the latest updates and insights into the most relevant funding opportunities for your project ideas.

As a bonus, we are looking at the possibility of including a unique on-site visit, to learn from success stories on blue economy development in Malta.

The Stakeholder Conference will be followed by an (invitation only) official Ministerial meeting on June 23. On this occasion, Ministers from the 10 member countries will sign a new Ministerial Declaration with a commitment to reconfirm and streamline priorities for boosting the blue economy in the Mediterranean region.

 

For more information and registration  Visit the conference 2023 page

EMD in my country poster

Boost your maritime event with EMD in my country 2023

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Last year, over 600 EMD In My Country events took place all over Europe and beyond!

It is time to break a new record to celebrate our blue planet this year!

Any blue event between 1 April and 31st October 2023 can apply.

There is no limitation: from beach clean-ups to educational tours or seafood fairs, all events promoting sustainable ocean and blue economy are welcome.

As a token of our gratitude for your action, you will receive promotional material for the participants in your event, which will be featured on our website. Make sure you indicate the number of participants in your application to receive enough goodies.

Now it’s up to you! Fill in the application form before 15 March 2023 and bring European Maritime Day 2023 to your country!

Visit the maritime day event website here

Submit your application here

Finger pressing search bar

New domain name for WestMED website and emails

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The WestMED Initiative has received a new domain name for all its communications: westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu.

It means that both the website, as well as the email addresses have changed. The website can now be accessed through: https://westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

All emails will receive the @westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu extension. So the new email for Algeria for instance is now: algeria@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

Below you will find an overview of all new email addresses

The new  domain name  is the official domain for the  European Commission. It meant that the website had to undergo a major transformation in order to comply with the EC standards which relate to elements such as accessibility, security and privacy. At the same time, also some pages have been redesigned to be more user friendly.

At the backend, the website servers have also been updated to comply with strict security standards as required by the EC.

Here is a list of all new email addresses:

National Hub Algeria algeria@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub France france@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Italy italy@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Malta malta@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Mauritania mautitania@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Morocco morocco@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Portugal portugal@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Spain spain@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
National Hub Tunisia tunisia@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu
Communications communications@westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu

 

Emails sent to the old email address will be forwarded for a period of 6 months until June 30, 2023.

Lighthouse Chania after sunset

A landmark document: Roadmap for the implementation of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) in the Mediterranean

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Source: based on article UfM stakeholder platform

Following the adoption by the 43 member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in February 2021 of the 2nd UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE), the UfM countries, Co-Presidency, and Secretariat, agreed to create a Roadmap for the implementation of the 2021 Ministerial.

This, with a view to produce an in-depth overview and analysis of the joint needs, gaps and opportunities for future support, funding, and implementation for each of the 10 priorities set by the Declaration.

This landmark document includes a sketching out of ongoing initiatives, programmes, and projects, while linking to and formulating promising pathways, processes, and actions to be launched, scaled-up, and promoted from the short to the longer term. The Roadmap also foresees an easy to implement monitoring system; essential to assess progress towards the implementation of the Ministerial at regional level.

The WestMED initiative as a succesful example
In the 2nd Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy, the ministers of the UfM countries recognised that the WestMED Initiative is a successful example of cooperation, focused on clear goals, priorities, and measurable targets and as a catalyst for the development of SBE projects in the region.

The roadmap identifies key elements of good practice that can be replicated at regional level by some other frameworks or initiatives, especially in the topics of governance (i.e. how the actual WestMED Initiative and the macro regional strategy EUSAIR work in terms of planning and decision making) and in the key aspects on project development support through the work of dedicated Technical Groups (for instance, and in the case of the WestMED Initiative: Green shipping, Sustainable Aquaculture(AquaWEST) and the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance.

For more information and download of the Ministerial Declaration and the Roadmap documents, visit the Med blue economy platform

Conference room table with micrrophones

The WestMED Iniatiative welcomes the Mauritanian/ Maltese Co-Presidency in 2023

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In 2023, Mauritania will co-chair the WestMED Steering Committee along with Malta in accordance with the principle of rotation among the participating WestMED countries (France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania).

The Mauritanian Co-Presidency will keep supporting the six priorities agreed by the countries in 2018 on the common roadmap for the development of a sustainable blue economy:

  • maritime safety and fight against marine pollution,
  • maritime cluster development,
  • skills development and circulation,
  • sustainable consumption and production,
  • biodiversity and marine habitat conservation and restoration
  • Development of coastal communities  and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

At national level, Mauritania has set ambitious targets on blue economy, which includes: the promotion of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, the development of a maritime cluster that brings together all the actors of the sea, development of maritime transport and development of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). These topics are already included in the priorities of the new strategy for the sector in Mauritania and are at the heart of the missions of two new agencies created within the department, namely the Agency for Maritime Affairs and the Agency for Inland Fisheries and Fish Farming.

In addition, the Mauritanian National Hub along with Tunisia play an important coordination role in the WestMED technical group on Maritime Clusters Alliance, ensuring and facilitating the cooperation within South-South and also North-South through actions, partnerships and projects.

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

The Community of Practice on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) for the Mediterranean has been launched!

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Brussels, January 26, 2022. During the Hackathon organised by the WestMED Assistance Mechanism in Malta on June 30th 2022 and a couple of meetings under MSPMED project, the relevant stakeholders discussed about the creation of an open Community of Practice for exchange on MSP in the framework of the WestMED Initiative and supported by CINEA and DG MARE.

In the Mediterranean, there are many policy drivers for the implementation of Maritime/Marine Spatial Planning at regional, sub-regional and national levels. These include the MSP Directive implementation for the European Union Member States, the Ministerial declaration on Blue Economy of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Conceptual Framework for MSP developed by UNEP/MAP promoting a common approach to MSP as a key process for planning and managing the marine space in line with the provisions of the ICZM Protocol. Still, the MSPglobal pilot project in the Western Mediterranean Sea promoted by UNESCO-IOC and the European Commission allowed the creation of a network of experts and the publication of specific technical reports and recommendations.

Given the existing policy framework and the broader political will to commonly work on MSP, there is a shared interest to set an MSP Community of Practice in the Mediterranean, in the framework of the WestMED Initiative. The MED-MSP-CoP will be initially focused on the Western Mediterranean, being however open to experts and observers from the whole Mediterranean..

The main objective of the MED-MSP-CoP is to establish a permanent communication and dialogue across borders between experts on MSP (i.e. planners, technical experts, researchers), and to exchange knowledge and relevant experiences in the region, so as to reach a shared perspective on topics of common interest on MSP and enhance the cooperation between the north and the south of the Mediterranean.

On January 26, 2023, CINEA and DG MARE officially launched the Community of Practice during the kick-off meeting in Brussels where the experts discussed the structure and the action plan for the next year.

Thanos Smanis, WestMED expert and member of the MSP Assistance Mechanism, highlights “the instant willingness by MSP experts to mobilise and establish a Community of Practice on MSP for the MED, for joint dialogue and cooperation, demonstrates the shared perception that this will significantly support the creation of a regional framework and vision whereby all stakeholders will be needed.”

Next to the the Community of Practice on MSP, three technical-/ work groups have been formed under the WestMED Initiative;  Sustainable Transport-Green Shipping, the AquaWEST technical group on aquaculture and the Maritime Clusters Alliance.

More information on the Community of Practice on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) for the Mediterranean : 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

The EU Sea Basin Strategies for the Western Mediterranean, Atlantic and Black Sea have joined forces

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The European Commission has been supporting the establishment and implementation of three sea basin strategies in the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Western Mediterranean.

In May 2021, the European Commission adopted a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU that sets out a detailed agenda for the blue economy to play a major role in achieving the European Green Deal objectives.

The European Commission recognises the benefit of sea basins and indicates that the EU will continue supporting cooperation, and developing tailored strategies for each European sea basin.

There are specific conditions, opportunities and challenges for each sea basin, which require a targeted approach.

The optimal development of all sea-related activities in a sustainable manner calls for a coherent policy framework based on the involvement of all stakeholders. Seas are shared among different countries.

Therefore, regional cooperation, including with non-EU countries, is important in achieving the objectives of the sustainable blue economy strategy. Sea basin strategies require joint policy agendas among EU and non-EU countries sharing the same sea, while defining joint priorities and concretely involving stakeholders in the process of identification and implementation of blue economy bankable projects.

A unique Assistance Mechanism has been formed to help support the implementation of the three EU Sea Basin Strategies, namely  Atlantic Strategy, the WestMED Initiative and the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.

It means that the WestMED Assistance Mechanism has now become part of a larger consortium to better identify and build on the synergies between all three sea basins. It will do so by exchanging best practices and organizing national and regional events with themes that have a clear cross sea basin relevance such as blue skills, blue investments, green shipping, and sustainable aquaculture. This new approach will ensure the specific needs of each sea basin while facilitating synergies and increasing outreach and visibility.

As has been done in the previous years, this new joint Assistance Mechanism will continue its networking expertise to initiate project partnerships and help gain access to funding with proposal development support. However, this time drawing from a much larger database of stakeholders and pool of experts.

The EASME/ CINEA Maritime datahub will be further developed to contain even more projects that contribute to the different sea basin strategies, and cooperation will be intensified with projects like BlueInvest and the Maritime Spatial Planning Assistance Mechanism.

The teams that ran the three previous Assistance Mechanisms, will largely remain in place in this new joint Assistance Mechanism to ensure smooth continuation and consistency.

The National Hubs in Spain, Portugal and France will be at the forefront of this new synergies approach as they will now focus simultaneously on both the WestMED and the Atlantic

This joint sea basin programme is funded by the European Commission and will run from 2022-2024.

 

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