12 March 2025, Barcelona – The Union for the Mediterranean and Interreg NEXT MED, the largest EU-funded transnational cooperation programme promoting socioeconomic development and environmental initiatives in the Mediterranean Basin, have reached an agreement formally extending collaboration between both parties for at least another three years.
The Memorandum of Understanding, which highlights how both Euro-Mediterranean institutions strive to reinforce political, socioeconomic, and cultural ties in the region, was signed by UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and Director General of the Interreg NEXT MED Programme Giovanna Medde. The agreement, significantly, foresees mutual participation in events and conferences and, when relevant, extends invitations to participate in internal meetings as observers. It will also see the organisations continue to exchange information on projects of common interest, identify joint coordination actions and raise awareness of regional challenges together.
“The UfM and Interreg NEXT MED are united by the common goal of enhanced dialogue and cooperation between Mediterranean countries. The indisputable success of our partnership over the years is a positive sign for the future,” said UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel. “The UfM remains convinced of the long-term constructive influence of this alliance and looks forward to three more years of shared accomplishments.”
The long-standing partnership between these Euro-Mediterranean institutions has resulted in a multitude of impactful actions including Interreg NEXT MED’s participation in the UfM-sponsored Mediterranean Pavilion at the latest three United Nations Climate Change Conferences, its commemoration of the anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and involvement in thematic UfM forums on youth empowerment or the blue economy, among others.
“The UfM-Interreg NEXT MED agreement has been instrumental in enhancing coordination between both institutions,” said Giovanna Medde, Director General of the Interreg NEXT MED Programme. “It is essential for developing and implementing jointly-owned solutions to the complex challenges our region faces. I am confident that renewing it will help us move closer to achieving our common goal of a more integrated, peaceful and prosperous Mediterranean.”
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Deadline to register for this 2nd Call for experts: 31st March 2025 (EOB). Only applications submitted within the deadline will be accepted. In case of too many applications, prioritization will be given to experts from Southern shore countries of the Western Mediterranean region.
About the Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism
Given the fact that tourism plays such a significant role in the Western Mediterranean as one of the key contributors to both the upside gains as well as the downside risks of the blue economy, there is an urgent need for enhancing eco-tourism in the region. In order to address the challenges of the sector in the Mediterranean, we should enhance EU and external territorial cooperation (including non-EU WestMED countries as partners such as Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) and promote active knowledge sharing amongst stakeholders from both the northern and southern shore, to multiply results.
The Westmed Initiative has set up a technical group on Sustainable Tourism, the objective of which is to serve as a technical forum to discuss trends and opportunities towards sustainable tourism within the region and to provide support to participants to develop project ideas around the topics already set at EU level with regards to the tourism-related topics of green transition, digitalization, promotion of social inclusion, governance, and skills.
In 2024 we issued a call for experts and we are reissuing a second call, calling for experts particularly in the Southern shore countries of the Westmed.
We are looking for technical stakeholders of tourism initiatives including: partners of the Interreg Euro MED Sustainable Tourism Mission; partners from previous EU tourism projects; Mediterranean Tourism Stakeholders from the public and private sector; Non-EU Associated Partners; Travel Foundation; Associations; Networks; Tourism businesses; research and innovation centers; technological centers; universities; ports and their representatives; townhalls; yachting/small cruising; nautical sector, etc.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU
Role: This expert group will suggest project proposals and be the main contact point for establishing consortia and projects for future EU funding opportunities around sustainable tourism. The expert group will also serve as the main forum to discuss specific topics of interest to the group. Participants in the WG are currently in the process of setting up project proposal.
Requested involvement: This group will gather periodically to be informed about opportunities, recent developments and discuss specific topics of their choice. We envision to have 3-4 online meetings with the expert group per year.
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The WestMED Assistance Mechanism (WM-AM) has initiated several thematic discussion platforms. Current and future maritime developments are being discussed with lead stakeholders from the participating countries under the guidance of WM-AM facilitators, with a focus on concrete actions – often in the form of joint project development.
To provide insights in the objectives and activities of these stakeholder groups, regular updates will be provided in the form of short presentations. These presentations can be found as a pdf file on the respective thematic stakeholder group pages:
If you are interested to know more or consider joining, just get in touch with the respective WestMED National Hubs that are mentioned on each of these pages
https://westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/slider.progress.stakeholder.groups.png6301500Communication teamhttps://westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/new-westmed-ec-enfold-logo-website-def2.pngCommunication team2025-02-10 12:37:072025-02-19 15:22:03Regular updates on WestMED (Technical) thematic stakeholder group activities
As part of the WestMED initiative, the WestMED National Hub Mauritania, in close coordination with the Ministry of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructures, the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster and the CALLMEBLUE Project, organised the 5th national event for the promotion of the blue economy in Mauritania on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 January at the Nouakchott Hotel.
This important event was chaired by Mr El Vadil Sidaty, Minister of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructures, and attended by Mr Sidi Ali Sidi Boubacar, Secretary General of the MPIMP, Mr Hamadi Baba Hamadi, President of the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster, Mr Ezzedine Kacem, President of the Tunisian Maritime Cluster and Mr Matteo Bocci, Representative of the WestMED Initiative.
The event was organised in hybrid mode and attracted a high level of participation with a total of 92 participants.
Next to WestMED’s Mauritanian national hub and the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster, representatives from the main national institutions, the private sector, socio-professional organisations, civil society, national scientific research institutions, former fisheries ministers, the Tunisian Maritime Cluster, the northern Mediterranean clusters, members of the Alliance of Mediterranean Maritime Clusters, the CALLMEBLUE project team and the Technical and Financial Partners (EU, GIZ and Japanese Cooperation) were amongst the participants.
Objectives The specific objectives of this 5th national event were to present the WestMed Initiative and its Technical Assistance Mechanism, the progress made especially in terms of identification and support for Blue Economy projects; present the status of progress in the creation of the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster and the main projects being carried out under the WestMED initiative (with a focus on CallMeBLUE), support cooperation and dialogue between the actors of the Mauritanian Blue Economy and other experts from the north and south of the Mediterranean, identify ideas for national and regional projects in order to define the broad lines of the national strategy of Blue Economy.
Opening In his opening speech, the Minister pointed out that the promotion of the blue economy is one of the priorities of the President of the Republic, Mr Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al Ghazwani, who has launched an initiative along these lines, which has been officially adopted by the member countries of the Arab League. He also emphasised the MPIMP’s (Ministère de la Pêche et des Infrastructures Maritimes et Portuaires) commitment to drawing up a strategy in the very near future.
After the official opening session, the participants followed presentations by eminent national researchers on the diagnosis of the main sectors of the blue economy in Mauritania (fishing, aquaculture, tourism, MSP), in addition to a presentation of the WestMED initiative, its priorities and current projects, by Mr Matteo Bocci. Following these presentations, a rich debate was opened between the participants.
CallmeBLUE workshop The Andalusian Maritime and Marine Cluster (CMMA) also organised a workshop dedicated to the the CallmeBLUE project titled ‘Exploring the future of maritime clusters: cooperation and regional potential.’
After an introduction by WestMED’s central team member Matteo Bocci, the Director of International Projects of CMMA, Elizabeth Chapman, took the floor and explained the objectives of CallmeBLUE. This was followed by the Project Manager of the BIG (Blue Italian Growth) Cluster, Sara Tedesco. She focused on analysing the different cluster initiatives, the most promising blue sectors, the main challenges, obstacles and actions to promote existing initiatives, boost business opportunities and activities for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
After these introductions 2 expert panels followed. Panel I (Exploring the future of maritime clusters: Cooperation and regional potential), consisted of the president of the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster, Hamadi Baba Hamadi, the president of the Tunisian Maritime Cluster, Captain Ezzedine Kacem, the president of CMMA, Javier Noriega and, finally, Sara Tedesco as representative of the BIG (Blue Italian Growth) Cluster. Each of these panellists presented their cluster, reviewing the services they offer and the projects they have in their portfolio, as well as sharing their best practices and alliances, emphasising the fundamental role they play in the advancement of the Blue Economy.
In the second panel (Boosting blue sectors with potential through collaboration), the Blue Project Manager of Forum Ocean, Lorella Ciuti, the general delegate of ANIMA, Emmanuel Noutary, and the director of the Europe Service of Pôle Mer Méditerranée, Colin Ruel, took the floor to explore the concrete paths of cooperation between European and African clusters, promoting a sustainable and equitable Blue Economy in Mauritania and in the Mediterranean.
Day 2
On the second day of the event, participants were divided into four technical groups: i) Fisheries and Aquaculture, ii) Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energies and Desalination, iii) Sustainable Tourism and MSP and iv) Maritime Transport, Ports and Shipbuilding. The technical groups worked for a day on analysing the challenges and opportunities of the main sectors of the blue economy in Mauritania and identifying ideas for national and regional projects and the broad outlines of the future national strategy for promoting the blue economy in Mauritania.
The 2nd day was also marked by the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Tunisian and Mauritanian clusters in the context of CallMeBlue and the WestMED Clusters Alliance.
Media coverage The meeting received extensive media coverage, with all the official national press (Agence Mauritanienne d’Information, Télévision Nationale Al Mauritaniya, Radio de Mauritanie), private television channels and Internet press platforms present. The event was featured as one of the main news items on the official and private channels in French, Arabic and the national languages, broadcast on the evening of 20/01/2025. Extracts from the discussions were also broadcast live on Facebook.
The CallmeBLUE-Cluster ALLiance MEd BLUE project is a regional initiative co-funded by the European Union, dedicated to strengthen existing cluster alliances in the Mediterranean area and to accelerate regional North-South cooperation towards the emergence of strategic maritime clusters. Focused on innovation, collaboration and sustainable development, CallmeBLUE aims to drive positive change in the blue economy landscape.
CallmeBLUE started on 1 October 2023 and will end on 30 September 2025. The consortium partners represent a diverse coalition of organisations from Italy (Formare; Federazione del Mare, and Technology Cluster Blue Italian Growth); Portugal (Fórum Oceano); Spain (Andalusia Maritime-Maritime Cluster); Algeria (Leanovator); Tunisia (Cluster Maritime Tunisien); Greece (Strategis-Maritime Center of Excellence); and France (Pôle Mer Méditerranée, and ANIMA).
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The Republic of Tunisia, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians abroad and the Secretariat General for Sea Affairs is assuming the co-presidency of the WestMED Initiative for a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Mediterranean from January 2025 until December 2026.
Taking into consideration its strong commitment to the principles and values of peaceful coexistance and sustainable development among the peoples of the region, Tunisia will co-preside the initiative with Portugal during 2025 then with Spain in 2026, fully in line with the Initiative’s rotating co-chairmanship. Tunisia has taken over this responsibility from Mauritania who has held this role for the past two years.
Tunisia’s co-chairmanship will be an opportunity to reflect the concerns and expectations of the southern state members of the Initiative through cooperative strategies and policies in favour of a sustainable blue economy with the aim to harmonize the development between the two shores of the western mediterranean region, particularly in the fields of green transport, blue skills, sustainable tourism, sustainable fishing and aquaculture, as well as the preservation and the empowerment of the coastal areas and communities.
In this regard, Tunisia intends to work with its WestMED Initiative partners on issues aimed at:
Highlighting the need for stronger cooperation between the members of the initiative to achieve the objectives of decarbonization and the green maritime transport.
Creating synergies between northern and southern mediterranean countries to ensure a smooth energy transition of the commercial and fishing fleet.
Promoting sustainable fishing practices and mitigate the impacts of aquaculture on the marine environment
Addressing the disparities in port infrastructure development between the northern and the southern mediterranean countries.
Ensuring the transition to more sustainable practices in the tourism sector.
Developing blue skills training programs and facilitate cooperation between the two shores of the western mediterranean to share know-how and strengthen capacities and careers in the blue economy, particularly in terms of sustainability and decarbonization.
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Maritime transport and Ports probably represent the core sector, to win the challenge of sustainability of the Blue Economy, considering its impact in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) and jobs creation across the EU and its neighbouriung regions.
Greening the EU maritime transport is therefore pivotal to ‘green’ the EU blue economy at large (including tourism, aquaculture, biotechs, marine renewable energy).
But a green transition for the EU maritime transport sectors requires a common vision to equip ports and fleets in a coherent way, within a network capable to ensure their operativity.
Therefore, within the work of the WestMED Technical Group on Green Shipping,the strong need emerged to re-configurate the shipbuilding supply chain and create the production capacity to equip the fleets with propulsion systems, using alternative fuels.
Shipbuilding Propulsion Systems Alliance
For this reason the WestMED Technical Group on Green Shipping, the EU Seabasin Assistance Mechanism, promoted by CINEA and DG Mare, have supported a dedicated Smart Specialisation (S3) Thematic Partnership in this area, encountering the interest of the impacted territories where shipbuilding operations are mostly located, and involving different stakeholders – authorities, research and innovation centres, businesses and investors.
The newly launched S3 Thematic partnership “Shipbuilding Propulsion Systems Alliance”, led by Region Liguria, Região capital de Portugal, Region Attica, brings together 26 partners – including Regional Bodies, Businesses, Cluster Organisations, Research & Innovation Centres and Civil Society Organisations – from 5 EU Member states and 4 non EU partner countries spread across 3 EU Sea basins (Mediterranean Atlantic, Black Sea).
The initiative, more specifically, aims at:
Speeding up the modernisation and renewal of the supply chains related to the production/refitting of propulsion systems, as well as to the delivery of the fuel, for each type of alternative fuel.
Accelerating the replacement/refitting of traditionally propelled fleets to diversify, renew, revitalise the sector across Europe and its neighbourhoods;
Fostering the adoption of innovative fiscal and financial schemes, to allow shipowners, shipbuilders and related stakeholders to achieve greater impact and sustainability for their investments.
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On 3 October 2024, 87 practioners and policymakers from 15 countries met in Vilamoura, Portugal to discuss project ideas and possible funding sources. This was the 3rd WestMED hackathon after previous succesful sessions in Palermo (2019) and Malta (2022).
This year’s Hackathon with the title ‘Crafting Sustainable Blue Economy Projects’ was hosted and co-organised byPortugal,Mauritaniaand DG MARE/ European Commission.
After the opening remarks by the Sea Basins Assistance Mechanism Team Leader from Ecorys (Javier Fernández), the Portuguese and Mauritanian co-presidencies (Lídia Bulcão and Demba Diawara) and a welcome word by the European Commission (Christos Economou), WestMED’s project coordinator (Celia Murcia) took the floor to explain the proceedings for the day and introduced the speakers that each detailed different EU financial instruments with current and upcoming funding opportunities such as Interreg NEXT MED, EMFAF, BlueInvest and Erasmus+.
These instruments have proven to be a vital part to support the implementation of ideas, projects and creation of partnerships that promote co-operation, collaboration and co-ordination between the economic agents of the countries that are part of the WestMed Initiative. This funding part was completed by a presentation detailing 2 practical Portuguese examples that have been supported by the WestMED National Hub and can be replicated: MEDBAN (Mediterranean Blue Acceleration Network) and HUBAZUL.
After the funding part, six blue projects took the stage to tell their story, five of whom have received EMFAF funding. These projects (CALLMEBLUE, WeMED NA_TOUR, WINBIG, GREEN MARINE MED , BlueAquaEdu and Blue Skills) served as an inspiration for the five Project Development Labs that followed shortly after.
Each lab consisted of approximately 15-20 stakeholders with two moderators and were focused on some of the main themes that have been prioritised within the WestMED Initiative: Aquaculture, Blue Skills and careers, Maritime clusters, Green shipping and ports, and Sustainable tourism.
The outcomes of these discussions were presented in a plenary session and the next steps briefly outlined with enough ideas to be further explored.
The day was concluded by Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Director General for Maritime Policy in Portugal who shared her reflections and conclusions noting the remarkable amount of energy that she had found with the participants engaging in the different Labs. Manuel Pleguezuelo Alonso from DG MARE brought this event to an end by highlighting how some of the ideas from the hackathon 2 years ago have now come to fruition, emphasising the importance of “policies through projects,” and thanking all participants who have made this possible.
Three full days have been dedicated to enhancing synergies among key actors in the Mediterranean basin: The WestMED Steering Comittee (SC) on October 1, The UfM Regional Platform on the Blue Economy on October 2, and the WestMED Hackathon on October 3, 2024.
WestMED Steering Committee The WestMED Steering Committee (SC) was hosted by the Region of Algarve and the Portuguese Co-Presidency.
The meeting gathered representatives from the WestMED countries, as well as the Observers, DG MARE, CINEA, UfM and the team of the Assistance Mechanism.
A key milestone was presented at the SC meeting in terms of cooperation and clustering within the Mediterranean region. On 29 September 2024, the first maritime cluster has been officially established in Libya with the support of the WestMED Initiative. This maritime cluster will be rolled out in the coming months. (see article on this announcement).
Updates on the WestMED Technical Groups (TGs) were presented by the Assistance Mechanism, in particular to the recently approved TG on Sustainable Tourism. There has been a call for Tourism experts to join, and there has already been a stakeholder group meeting on September 6 and an advisory group meeting on September 18 to prepare for the official launch at the Sun&Blue Conference on November 21.
The WestMED countries are fully committed towards a more sustainable and resilience tourism section in the Mediterranean. Some countries are working to promote more environmental-friendly tourism alternatives such as pesca-tourism and sustainable scuba diving at artificial reefs.
In view of the willingness of the WestMED Initiative towards enhancing more synergies and cooperative dialogue with the African countries, DG MARE presented the Strategic Dialogue on the Africa-Europe Ocean Economy. A scoping report has been produced outlining way to strengthen cooperation between Africa and Europe on ocean governance and blue economy, from which to forge a mutually beneficial roadmap for the two continents in line with the 2030 UN Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy
Back-to-back to the WestMED Steering Committee, the UfM Regional Platform took place on 2 October 2024
The UfM Secretariat introduced the most recent advancements on the update of the Roadmap for the implementation of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy. On the monitoring, reporting and evaluation mechanism, an exhaustive exercise is being done based on 657 actions, activities and projects of regional cooperation in the Mediterranean.
The UfM is going to shortly launch the new edition of the UfM Sustainable Blue Economy Publication, which provides an update on the status of the key blue economy sectors in the Mediterranean, including transversal aspects such as blue skills, marine research and funding frameworks. The previous edition of this 2021 publication can be found here.
On this occasion, the UfM Regional Plan for Transport was presented by Francesc Carbonell. Further synergies are being sought between the WestMED Technical Group on Green Shipping and Ports and the UfM Regional Plan for Transport, to address the common challenges of the sector in the Mediterranean.
Further updates were presented in terms of the Community of Practice on MSP (Smart Specialization Strategies – S3, Mission Restore Our Oceans by 2030 and BlueMissionMed, Interreg Euro-Med and strategy dialogue on the Africa-Europe Ocean Economy.
On the funding opportunities, updates were presented in the Blue Mediterranean Partnership, Interreg Next-MED and the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.
WestMED Hackaton 2024
On 3 October 2024, 85 stakeholders from more than 20 countries met in Vilamoura, Portugal to discuss project ideas and possible funding sources. This was already the 3rd hackathon after previous sessions in Palermo (2019) and Malta (2022).
Marisa Lameiras da Silva (Portugal) and Demba Diawara (Mauritania) co-chairing the WestMED Steering Committee | Copyright photos: DGPM
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Deadline to register for this 1st Call for experts: 15 September 2024 (EOB). Only applications submitted within the deadline will be accepted. This call is currently closed – but will open again in the future. Please check our X/ Twitter account . Alternatively you can contact Marta Pascual (National Hub Spain) or Stepanie Vella (National Hub Malta) for the latest developments.
About the Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism
Given the fact that tourism plays such a significant role in the Western Mediterranean as one of the key contributors to both the upside gains as well as the downside risks of the blue economy, there is an urgent need for enhancing eco-tourism in the region. To address the challenges of the sector in the Mediterranean, we should enhance EU and external territorial cooperation (including non-EU WestMED countries as partners such as Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) and promote active knowledge sharing amongst stakeholders from both the northern and southern shore, to multiply results.
Addressing these needs will lead to the rapid development and transformation of the tourism industry particularly to a more modern sector by adopting digital platforms, digital marketing and information technologies such as the internet of things, augmented reality and virtual reality.
The overall objective of the Sustainable Tourism TG within the WestMED Initiative is to serve as a technical forum to discuss trends and opportunities towards sustainable tourism within the region and to provide support to participants to develop project ideas around the topics already set at EU level with regards to the tourism-related topics of green transition, digitalization, promotion of social inclusion, governance, and skills.
With this information, we would like to officially launch the Technical Gtoup (TG) on Sustainable Tourism and this call for experts to partake and engaged in an active role!
We are looking for technical stakeholders of tourism initiatives including: partners of the Interreg Euro MED Sustainable Tourism Mission; partners from previous EU tourism projects; Mediterranean Tourism Stakeholders from the public and private sector; Non-EU Associated Partners; Travel Foundation; Associations; Networks; Tourism businesses; research and innovation centers; technological centers; universities; ports and their representatives; townhalls; yachting/small cruising; nautical sector, etc.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU
Role: This expert group will suggest project proposals and be the main contact point for establishing consortia and projects for future EU funding opportunities around sustainable tourism. The expert group will also serve as the main forum to discuss specific topics of interest to the group.
Requested involvement: This group will also gather periodically to be informed about opportunities, recent developments and discuss on specific topics of their choice. We envision to have 3-4 online meetings with the expert group per year.
Check the dedicated Sustainable Tourism Technical Group page
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The primary objective of this WestMED Steering Committee meeting that took place on June 26 in Brussels, was to assemble the representatives of the 10 WestMED countries and observers in-person to provide them with an overview of the latest advancements on the implementation of the WestMED Initiative, the latest funding opportunities, and to approve the establishment of the new Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Portuguese and Mauritanian Co-Presidencies, with the support from DG MARE and the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean).
National events, such as the national Dialogue in Morocco, the involvement of Libyan representatives in various Technical Groups (TGs), and the consolidation of the Mauritanian maritime cluster, further underscore the Initiative’s visiblity and success.
Another significant step to establish synergies was the participation of WestMED as Observers in the MedLab Annual event organized by Interact, held back-to-back with the WestMED Steering Committee meeting. The MedLab Annual event focused on the Post-2027 debate and regional cooperation.
Establishment of a new WestMED Technical Group on Tourism
Tourism in the Mediterranean region is expanding, making the industry a crucial employment sector. The WestMED Initiative aims to enhance the coastal tourism sector’s competitiveness and sustainability while protecting the environment through eco-tourism, digitalization, and cross-border cooperation.
The establishment of a new Technical Group (TG) by the WestMED Assistance Mechanism addresses a priority identified by the WestMED Initiative and will serve as an informal forum for discussing sustainable tourism needs, focusing on green transition, digitalization, governance, and skills. The TG will comprise a core group, an advisory body, and a technical group. The Steering Committee is currently in the process of approving the Terms of Reference for this new Technical Group
Overview of Funding opportunities
Several funding opportunities were highlighted:
EU Mission Ocean, Seas, and Waters: The Work Programme 2024 includes two call topics. Call 1 covers thematic topics aligned with Mission objectives such as restoration and a sustainable blue economy, while Call 2 targets support for actor communities like waterfront cities and islands. The overview also includes several Horizon calls within these Mission calls, focusing on topics like Blue Parks and MPAs, reducing fisheries’ impact in EU sea basins, and community-led ocean and water restoration. Additionally, it highlights opportunities for third parties to join ongoing projects, particularly Calls for Associated Regions, aiming to enhance capacity for implementing innovative solutions in neighboring regions.
Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership: Four priority areas have been identified for the transnational call launched in February 2024: regional sea-use management, multi-use marine infrastructures, blue bioresources, and regional-scale Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTOs). To enhance global visibility and foster new collaborations, the call is co-branded by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, coordinated by UNESCO. All Mediterranean countries are eligible for EU contributions, whether they are EU Member States, Associated countries, or low-to-medium-income countries.
Interreg NEXTMED: The first call for proposals, closed in May 2024, was divided into nine Specific Objectives. Among 631 proposals, most projects targeted “Growth and competitiveness of SMEs,” “Education and training,” and “Climate Change adaptation.” Projects were categorized into three clusters: Thematic, Youth-oriented, and Governance, with 90% falling under the Thematic cluster. Most participating organizations were from Italy, Greece, and Spain within the EU, and from Turkey and Tunisia outside the EU. Participants included public legal bodies (30%), NGOs (27%), private companies (13%), and regional/local public administrations (10%). A second call for proposals, focusing on Green Transition, is set to launch in November 2024.
Interreg EURO-MED: The 1st and 3rd calls focused on Governance projects, selecting 8 projects that began in January 2023. The 2nd call targeted Thematic projects, resulting in 56 projects that started in January 2024. The 4th call, which closed in June 2024, will see 20 Thematic projects begin in spring 2025, addressing the four main thematic areas: sustainable economy, environmental protection, green living, and sustainable tourism. The upcoming 5th call will focus on Thematic Strategic Territorial projects for rural, mountain areas, and islands, emphasizing innovative solutions for waste reduction and water scarcity. The presentation concludes with an overview of the 1st call’s Governance projects in the field of the Sustainable Blue Economy.
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Regional Platform meeting on Blue Economy
Back-to-back to the WestMED Steering committee this UfM Regional Platform Meeting on Blue Economy took place on June 27, with many of the key players from the day before.
The UfM Secretariat introduced the most recent advancements on the update of the Blue Economy Roadmap and the activation of the SBE (Sustainable Blue Economy) Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation Mechanism; highlighted progress on the multi-partner and multi-donor investment fund ‘Blue Mediterranean Partnership’; and recalled the series of two webinars held during the first semester of 2024 on blue food and sustainable tourism, as well as the third webinar (July 1 2024) on MRE (Marine Renewable Energy)/licensing/MSP (Maritime Spatial Planning).
The UfM shared an update on the harmonization exercise of UfM Regional Platforms. The UfM operates under a consolidated action-driven methodology creating links between political mandate, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and tangible projects and initiatives. This methodology comprises three pillars: Policies, Platforms, and Projects – the so-called ‘3 Ps’. As part of the ongoing UfM reform efforts to enhance efficiency and in an effort to harmonize the relevant terminology, the ‘UfM Working Group on Blue Economy’ is henceforth renamed as the ‘UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy’.
Next meeting The 16th meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy will take place in Algarve, Portugal, in October 2024, back-to-back with the next WestMED Steering Committee and the 3rd WestMED Hackathon.
https://westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WestMED.Stakeholder.meeting.June2024.jpg12001600Communication teamhttps://westmed-initiative.ec.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/new-westmed-ec-enfold-logo-website-def2.pngCommunication team2024-07-12 10:04:482024-07-12 10:42:16Members and observers of the WestMED Steering Committee gather in Brussels to discuss latest developments
