The WestMED 2023 factsheet is out listing its major achievements.
Goals, priorities, governance, stories, number of projects supported and much more in one quick overview
Download your copy from the publications page
On 26 On January 2023, CINEA together with DG MARE, launched the ‘Community of Practice on Maritime Spatial Planning for the Mediterranean’, with the support of the WestMED Initiative, the MSP Assistance Mechanism and Union for Mediterranean.
This is a voluntary, enthusiastic group of experts from EU and non-EU countries working on MSP in the Mediterranean.
It was established based on a growing need from the MSP Community for a continuous and structured dialogue at sea basin and sub-sea basin level.
The main objective of this MED-MSP-CoP is to establish a permanent exchange between MSP practitioners across borders (i.e. planners, technical experts, researchers), to share knowledge and relevant experiences in the region, reach a shared perspective on MSP topics of common interest and enhance the cooperation between the north and the south shore of the Mediterranean.
In its first year, 3 workshops and 4 thematic webinars have been organised – mostly online. Participants indicated the added value of this platform and plans are underway to continue with these meetings in the years ahead.
If you want learn more and/ or join this Community of Practice, all information can be be found on the MED-MSP-COP webpage
Dans le cadre de l’initiative WestMED, le hub National de la Mauritanie, en étroite coordination avec le Ministère des Pêches et de l’Economie Maritime a organisé le Mardi 31 Octobre 2023, à l’hôtel de Nouakchott, le 4eme évènement national WestMED. Cette importante rencontre, présidée par le Secrétaire Général du Ministère des Pêches et de l’Economie Maritime et en présence du secrétaire Général du Ministère de l’Environnement.
. L’évènement a été co-organisé cette année avec le projet REBOOT MED, dont le partenaire national est le Parc National du Diawling (PND).
Ont pris part à cet évènement, en plus du hub national de la Mauritanie et du coordinateur national de l’initiative WestMed en Mauritanie, du représentant de l’Assistance Mécanisme de l’Initiative WestMED, M. Matteo Bocci, des représentants des principales institutions nationales concernées, des représentants du secteur privé, des organisations socio-professionnelles et de la société civile, des représentants des principales institutions de la recherche scientifique au niveau national et des représentants des principaux partenaires techniques et financiers. Au total 55 personnes ont pris part à cet important évènement
L’évènement a été marqué par une couverture médiatique très importante, avec la présence de tous les organes de la presse officielle nationale (Agence Mauritanienne d’Information, Télévision Nationale Al Mauritaniya, radio de Mauritanie), des télévisions privées et des plateformes de la presse Internet. L’évènement a été présenté parmi les éléments principaux dans le journal d’information des chaines officielles et privées en français, en arabe et en langues nationales diffusées dans la soirée du 31/10/2023.
Dans son discours d’ouverture de l’atelier, Monsieur Sidi Ali Sidi Boubacar, Secrétaire General du Ministère des Pêches et de l’Economie Maritime a tout d’abord remercié les participants et rappelé le contexte et les objectifs de l’initiative WestMED pour la promotion de l’économie bleue. Il a ainsi signalé que les efforts engagés par la coordination nationale, avec l’appui du hub national, ont permis une participation active de la Mauritanie dans tous les projets régionaux visant à promouvoir l’économie bleue dans l’espace méditerranéen, en particulier dans les domaines de la pêche, de l’aquaculture, du tourisme durable et des énergies renouvelables. Ces secteurs, sont considérés comme prioritaires pour la coprésidence mauritanienne de l’initiative WestMED pour l’année 2023.
Sidi Ali Sidi Boubacar a egalement mentionné que l’organisation de cet évènement intervient dans un contexte particulier, marqué par des défis grandissant auxquels fait face actuellement notre zone marine et côtière (exploitation d’hydrocarbures : gaz et pétrole, intensification des activités de pêche et du transport maritime, urbanisation, etc.), ce qui nécessite des nouvelles approches de gestion plus intégrées afin de garantir la durabilité de nos ressources et la préservation efficace de notre environnement. Par conséquent, la promotion d’une économie bleue est devenue une des priorités de la stratégie nationale du secteur des pêches et de l’Economie Maritime.
Après la séance d’ouverture officielle, Monsieur Mohamed Lemine Abdel Hamid (hub national) a fait une présentation du programme de l’évènement.
Par la suite, la parole a été donnée à Monsieur Matteo Bocci (expert Ecorys) qui a présenté une vue d’ensemble de l’initiative WestMED et les principaux projets en cours Il a ainsi mis en accent particulier sur le projet CallMeBlue qui vise à promouvoir les clusters maritimes dans l’espace Méditerranéen, dont le démarrage est prévu le mois prochain et auquel la Mauritanie est impliquée, à travers le cluster Maritime Mauritanien (CMM).
Après cette présentation, la parole a été donnée à M. Hamadi Baba Hamadi, Président du Cluster Maritime Mauritanien (CMM) qui a présenté l’état d’avancement de la mise en place du cluster maritime mauritanien et la feuille de route de son opérationnalisation.
Ensuite la parole a été passée à Monsieur Tommaso Scavone, Coordinateur du projet REBOOT MED qui a fait une présentation détaillée du projet.
À la suite de ces présentations, les participants ont été répartis en trois groupes thématiques pour des discussions en table ronde afin de partager leurs points de vue et d’identifier des idées liées aux sujets suivants :
Groupe 1 : Pêche et aquaculture, modérateur : Dr. Mohamed Lemine Abdel Hamid
Groupe 2 : Hydrocarbures et énergies renouvelables, modérateur : M. Matteo Bocci
Groupe 3 : Tourisme durable et planification spatiale maritime (MSP), modérateur : M. Tommaso Scavone.
Chaque groupe a passé deux heures à discuter des opportunités et des défis, et à identifier des solutions possibles sous la forme d’idées de projets régionaux/nationaux à soumettre au 5ème Sommet arabe pour le développement économique et social, prévu pour 2024.
L’événement a fait l’objet d’un reportage le soir même par la Télévision Nationale Al Mauritaniya avec le discours d’ouverture de M. Sidi Ali Sidi Boubaccar, Secrétaire Général du Ministère de la Pêche et Coordinateur National pour la Mauritanie de l’Initiative WESTMED.
The new guide on financing opportunities for the Green Energy Transition of Fisheries and Aquaculture is out!
The guide is set to support the sectors through EU funding under the 2021-2027 financial framework and NextGenerationEU. The comprehensive guide aims to elucidate diverse funding options for the energy transition by targeting a broad audience, including enterprises, public administrations, research institutions, and civil society organisations. It distinguishes itself by offering a tailored approach, swiftly aiding stakeholders in identifying and assessing applicable EU funding sources. Covering areas like vessel innovation, energy-efficient gear, and aquaculture management, the guide complements existing European Commission tools and undergoes regular updates to incorporate newly identified funds.
All information can be found in the Energy Transition Partnership
EIB, EBRD, UfM, EC, AFD, CDP, KfW, donors and beneficiary countries sign cooperation agreement at COP28
At COP28, partners and donors involved in the Blue Mediterranean Partnership reinforced their support for developing the sustainable blue economy in the southern Mediterranean region. The parties involved signed a letter of intent to make their participation in the Partnership official and to make the Partnership operational in early 2024.
The Blue Mediterranean Partnership aims to tackle the threats the Mediterranean Sea faces by coordinating the financing of blue economy projects in the Mediterranean and Red Sea regions, focusing initially on Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
Through a new multi-donor fund managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Blue Mediterranean Partnership seeks to secure additional funding from sovereign donors for project preparation and blended finance. Today in Dubai, the European Commission announced a contribution of €1 million, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) contributed SEK 75 million (€6.5 million), and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) announced a €2 million contribution. In the coming months, Germany and Spain are also expected to announce donations, with additional donors to follow.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), AFD, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and the EBRD – will act as implementing financial institutions and cooperate to co-finance blue economy projects, which will benefit from the grants provided by the Partnership, mobilising also existing financial resources provided by the European Commission through the Neighbourhood Investment Platform and the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+).
Lastly, the beneficiary countries (Egypt, Jordan and Morocco) will lead on identifying strategic blue economy projects in their territories, while the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will act as facilitator of the political and regulatory dialogue.
Read the full article on the website of the EIB
Le Ministre des Pêches et de l’Economie Maritime Monsieur Moktar Al Housseynou LAM a ouvert vendredi 01 décembre 2023 à Hôtel MauriCenter à Nouakchott un atelier de concertation de deux jours, portant sur la feuille de route relative à la relance du secteur des pêches et de l’économie maritime.
Lors de son mot d’ouverture, le Ministre des Pêches a souligné que son département cherche, à travers cette activité, à examiner les meilleurs moyens d’assurer la durabilité des ressources et d’étudier d’autres sujets liés à l’environnement d’incubation de ces ressources, à leurs systèmes d’exploitation, à leurs rendements économiques et sociaux ainsi qu’aux solutions les plus efficaces pour leur gestion.
Il a mis en exergue l’importance du secteur et sa contribution aux revenus du Trésor et aux réserves de devises fortes du pays, en plus de la création d’opportunités d’emploi, à la lutte contre la pauvreté et à l’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire.
Le Ministre des pêches a rappelé que la ressource halieutique est une ressource renouvelable et propriété des générations actuelles et futures et demeure du devoir de l’État de la préserver en renforçant les modes d’exploitation qui garantissent le renouvellement du stock et maintiennent l’équilibre de ses écosystèmes.
La cérémonie a connu la participation des Ministres de Finances, de l’Emploi et de la Formation professionnelle, de quelques conseillers de la Présidence de la République, de du Premier ministère, plusieurs experts nationaux et étrangers, des représentants des organisations socioprofessionnelles et de la société civile et la presse publique et privée.
Article du Ministere des pêches et de l’Economie Maritime
Source: CINEA website
The EMFAF Regional flagships call, with a budget of EUR 7.6 million, focused on EU sea basins cooperation; in particular the Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea Region and the EU Outermost Regions. Ten new projects just kicked off.
Four projects are related to the Mediterranean: Green Marine Med, POWER4MED, CALLMEBLUE and the GreenMED. The first three projects received active assistance from the WestMED Assistance Mechanism in the application process.
GREEN MARINE MED – Mediterranean Green Shipping Network: Linking Ports, Industries, Investment and Innovation for Monitoring and Technology Foresight on Green Shipping in the Mediterranean
GREEN MARINE MED will bring together, engage and mobilise the comprehensive Mediterranean Green Shipping stakeholder community, representing the full value chain including actors from the full vessel community, ports and marinas, fuel and energy, as well as finance, investment, innovation and other stakeholders. The comprehensive Network will create the foundation to enable the most broadly supported and useful Monitoring and Technology Foresight on Mediterranean Green Shipping.
Duration: 24 months – EU contribution: EUR 932 469.91
GreenMED – Green Shipping Pathways Towards a Clean Energy Transition in the Mediterranean
GreenMED is a regionally oriented project aiming to effectively support green shipping efforts in the Mediterranean Sea basin, by promoting plausible scenario-based decarbonisation pathways. The GreenMED’s ambition is to contribute directly and actively to the emission targets established by the EU under the 2030 and 2050 milestones. This goal´s realization relies on the comprehension and integration of innovative technologies, taking into consideration the regional ship energy demands, the fuel supply chains in both shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and the variety of emerging green shipping technologies, leading to the establishment of a decarbonisation hub: the Mediterranean Sustainable Shipping Observatory (MSSO).
Duration : 24 months – EU contribution: EUR 740 868
POWER4MED – local emPOWERment of fuel transition FOR a green MEDiterranean
Transition toward carbon neutrality in maritime transport requires short & medium-term solutions, the former based on transition fuels (LNG), the latter on not yet fully available alternative fuels (green hydrogen, methanol, electricity & wind). Dealing with such complexity is difficult for the operators of smaller ships and POWER4MED has the ambition to support them by developing the POWER4MED Supporting Structure, a “Supporting Team” of multidisciplinary experts and a set of toolkits facilitating the path toward carbon neutrality of the 3 sectors targeted by the project: fishing boats, commercial vessels and marinas.
Duration: 18 months – EU contribution: EUR 638 435
CALLMEBLUE – Cluster ALLiance MEd BLUE
CALLMEBLUE aims to strengthen existing maritime clusters alliances in the Mediterranean area in order to accelerate north-south regional cooperation processes towards the emerging of strategic maritime clusters in North Africa area (south-south cooperation). The project will aim to create a strategic vision and transferable models of interregional cooperation, by implementing concrete actions at both local and regional level in order to raise awareness on the relevance of Maritime clusters as key actors for sustainable blue economy policies such as promoting exchange of best practices and knowledge transfer between north and southern area.
Duration: 24 months – EU contribution: EUR 780 987.86
Read the full article with the other projects on the CINEA website
For the first time since the launch of the WestMED Initiative and the set-up of the Westmed Technical Assistance Mechanism, a joint national event was coordinated by the Italian and Maltese National Hubs, in Catania on Oct 4-6 2023.
Substantial support
This event was also made possible through the support by the respective National Coordinators, the decisive contribution of the Region Sicily-Dept of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fishery, the Italian national clusters Federazione del Mare and CTN BIG.
With Malta and Italy both centrally located in the Mediterranean, these countries play a pivotal role in strengthening exchanges as well as synergies across the seabasin, particularly towards the Southern Shore countries.
Therefore Sicily, home of the Managing Authority of INTERREG Italy-Malta and INTERREG NEXT Italie-Tunisie, and Catania in particular (with its rich ecosystem of high tech companies, university and research centers) was the natural place to exploit the potential of a North-South event with representatives attending from Italy, Malta, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia.
Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare– Laboratori Nazionali del Sud
The event took place at Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare – Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, which is a branch of the largest Italian research institution, located in Catania. The Institute has sought to valorise the opportunity offered by the WestMED in terms of networking and hosted the event on its premises. The Institute, strongly reaffirms the importance of internationalization and networking, with the national director general and INFN-LNS’s warmly welcoming all participants to the event.
The event also served to highlight the deep-sea research project currently being undertaken by the Institute (KM3NeT) and the application of this research to maritime fields. Participants also benefited from a guided tour of the INFN-LNS premises and visitor center.
Thematic sessions
Apart from the Opening Session on the 4th October, which was reserved for institutions and speakers, the following days of the event were dedicated to thematic sessions, building upon the outcomes of the technical and working groups of the WestMED, as well as the rising challenges experiences in this area of the Mediterranean. These thematic areas focused on:
Furthermore, the availability of EU funds, particularly the INTERREG ones, were discussed, with the Managing Authorities of Italy, Malta and Tunisia present. Presentations were delivered on the respective programmes from the Managing Authorities of EU Funding Programmes and from the Italian Agency for Cooperation Development AICS.
Many project ideas
The event also gave the opportunity to experienced entrepreneurs and researchers to present their project ideas to potential project partners.
Worth noting is the identification of project ideas stemming from Transport Malta, Port Authority of Northern Tyrrenean, INSTM Tunisia, Mauritanian Marine Cluster, SWAP-TOX project, DuWo srl and Le Vie dei Tesori, Signo Motus who are actively seeking partners and funding opportunities for their project proposals.
Forty participants took part in-person on October 4, 50 on October 5 and 30 on October 6. Between 15 to 30 participants joined remotely online each day.
Finally, the event marked the interest of INFN-LNS to join WestMED activities with the support of the WestMED’s Italian National Hub.
More information
Leonardo Mazari, National Hub Italy | Stephanie Vella, National Hub Malta
Press articles: La Sicilia and Catania Metropolitana
The popularity of the Mediterranean sea and its coastal regions amongst tourists remains at an all time high. After a temporary covid dip, the latest figures show that numbers of tourists have already reached pre-pandemic levels and are further on the rise.
Traditional ‘sun, sea and sand’ tourism has resulted in improved livelihoods for many local communities, averaging 11.5% of total employment in Mediterranean countries. It is therefore, one of the leading sectors of the economy in the region.
At the same time, it also puts tremendous pressure on the environment. Mass tourism is one of the main causes of increased pollution and a driver for uncontrolled building along the coastlines. This, coupled to a growing demand for water, food and energy and the structurally rising temperatures (sea and land), severely impacts the region’s resources, and is therefore not viable in the long run.
Additionally, these same pressures lower the attractiveness of tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.
The European Commission is actively addressing many of these issues to safeguard the connection between economic welfare and the environment with the ‘Sustainable blue economy’ concept.
This has been an ongoing process since 2013 – as part of the Commission’s targeted approach for several European Sea basins with dedicated blue strategies for the Atlantic (Atlantic Action Plan), the Black Sea (Common Maritime Agenda) and the Western Mediterranean (WestMED Initiative).
In 2021 the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) decided to fund so-called flagship projects (pilot strategic initiatives) for each of the sea basin strategies with 5.5 million euro to accelerate achievement of their respective goals.
For the Western Mediterranean the main objective of this EMFAF flagship funding was to ‘strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the coastal and maritime tourism sector, as part of a smart and resilient blue economy – one of the key goals of the WestMED Initiative. This, by preserving the marine and coastal environment as well as marine cultural heritage, and contributing to the attractiveness of coastal areas by means of ecotourism, digitalisation and mobilising private-public investments.’
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, three projects that function as a catalyst for change, were selected for co-financing.
All three are focused on enhancing eco-tourism in the region, cross-border cooperation (including non-EU WestMED countries as partners such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania) and actively sharing knowledge amongst stakeholders from both the northern and southern shore, to multiply results.
These projects are also examples of the rapid development and transformation of the tourism industry 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.
ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR
This project boosts new managerial, blue, green and digital skills to pave the way for an eco-friendly, zero-impact cruising sector.
The project designs innovative, sustainable and smart theme-based cruising packages targeting Millennials and Gen Z, aimed at minimising the impact of large groups of visitors.
The project also develops and delivers a specialised capacity building programme, enabling cross-border cooperation, exchange of good practices and unlocking new business opportunities around the eco-cruise sector.
The target group consists of small and medium sized companies in the West Mediterranean area, as well public and private stakeholders in charge of the promotion of EU and West European coastal and maritime destinations.
According to project coordinator Marika Mazzi Boém from X23, the company leading the project, the timing after Covid is critical for the cruise industry to reinvent itself:
“Rather than focusing on strategies to grow tourism, what we need now is to implement actions for containing mass tourism in favour of sustainability. So innovation is key at different levels: in technology, to increase environmentally friendly practises and reduce carbon footprint; in the travel experience, as personalization is a must; and in business modeling, to bring tangible economic and social benefits to local communities”.
| More info about ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR | |
| Budget | Overall: €990 222
EU Contribution: €792 178
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| Partners/ Countries | Coordinator: X23 The Innovation Bakery (Italy)
Italian Tourist Board-ENIT (Italy) Celestyal Ship Management (Greece) Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (Cyprus) Green evolution (Greece) Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Tunisia-CCIT (Tunisia) Leancubator (Algeria) Tanger City port management Company – SGPTV (Morocco) ASCAME (Spain) |
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| Duration | 1 September 2022- 31 December 2024 |
EU WeMED_NaTOUR
This project supports local tourism SMEs and involves them in the creation and delivery of eco-tourism packages targeting the growing school-trip tourism market.
It will do so, by creating immersive ‘learning by visiting’ school trips for the ‘new generations’: primary and secondary school students in three age ranges; 6-10 years, 11-13 years, and 14-16.
Schooltrip tourism is beneficial as it not only helps to reduce seasonal peaks but also diversifies the market, increasing awareness of the value and vulnerability of Western Mediterranean marine ecosystems, coastal destinations and culture.
Claudia Iglesias, Project Design and Policy Specialist from X23 is clear on the benefits of this approach:
“Benefits will go two ways: children will have the opportunity to learn, by visiting beautiful landscapes and to contribute preserving the fragile and unique ecosystems; and local tourism SMEs will be actively involved at destination, crucial players to the new value chain that we want to create”.
| More info about EU WeMed_NaTOUR | |
| Budget | Overall: €995 270
EU contribution: €796 683 |
| Partners/ Countries | Coordinator: X23 The Innovation Bakery (Italy)
Turismo de Portugal (Portugal) Travel without plastic (Spain) Office National de Tourisme – ONTM (Mauritania) International Social Tourism Organisation – ISTO (Belgium) Italian National Tourism Board-ENIT (Italy) Balearic Marine Cluster (Spain) |
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| Duration | 1 July 2022 – 31 October 2024 |
REBOOT MED
REBOOT MED (Recovering, Experiencing and Boosting eco-tourism in the WestMed area) is a project that encourages public-private partnership, co-defining Blue Economy Action Plans for the Recovery of the tourism sector, and to incubate, accelerate and test eco/blue economy tourism products and packages in Mauritania, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Italy and France.
This is done by engaging local multi-stakeholder clusters that have been created in 6 WestMed countries and 10 pilot areas as well as accompanying ecotourism ideas to be tested in real conditions.
Tommaso Scavone, project designer and project manager from Petra Patrimonia Corsica, is proud of the results achieved so far:
“We are demonstrating that when citizens, public stakeholders and private actors are willing to co-develop long-term visions, it is possible to activate sustainable processes at all levels. On the ground there are several ideas and initiatives carried out by pioneers – women, youth, start-uppers – looking for collaboration and partnerships: all of them are linked together by a ‘fil rouge’ that is “the love for their territories. And we as partners are there – on the ground – to support all of them and to try together to reboot ecotourism in the WestMed area!”
| More info about Reboot Med | |
| Budget | Overall: €1 200 000
EU Contribution: 999 380 |
| Partners/ countries | · Coordinator: Coopérative Petra Patrimonia Corsica (France)
· PRISM Impresa Sociale s.r.l. (Italy) · Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions-CPMR (France) · F.A.R. Maremma (Italy) · WWF Med (Tunisia) · Balearic Islands Tourism Agency (Spain) · Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tanger-Tetouan- El Hoceima (Morocco) · Diawling National Park (Mauritania) · Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry – ASCAME (Spain) |
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| Duration | 1 September 2023-31 August 2024 |
References
LaSpezia, 8 June 2023
With the support of the WestMED (WM) Assistance Mechanism and the Italian national clusters CTN BIG and Federazione del Mare, the Maritime Clusters Alliance organised an event during SeaFuture 2023 in LaSpezia Italy focused on the WestMED Maritime Cluster Alliance
The main objective was to provide an overview of the cooperation among maritime clusters that are part of the WestMed Maritime Cluster Alliance (WM MCA) after two years since its inception- including:
Daniele Bosio and Luca Palazzo, WestMED National coordinators for Italy highlighted the importance of the Maritime Clusters Alliance Alliance towards the creation of a real Mediterranean ecosystem, particularly for a country like Italy that is currently preparating its first national strategic “Piano del Mare” (Plan for the Sea), as the main action after the establishment of the newly formed ‘Ministry of the Sea and Civil Protection.’This Ministry is going to coordinate the competencies thgat is currently spread over 13 ministries.
Also, the inclusive role of Italy during its WestMED co-presidency was underlined, particularly for its embedding effort, to let regional and INTERREG managing authorities adopt WestMED priorities in the new 2021-2027 programmes and workplans.
Manuel Pleguezuelo (EC-DG MARE) reminded the priority given by DG MARE to the Maritime Cluster Alliance, considering the already achieved results, highlighting the work of the dedicated WestMED Workgroup and the role to include the outcomes within the recent EMFAF call that expired in late January 2023.
Adriana Salazar Olivan presented the role of the Union for the Mediterranean role in support of the WestMED Initiative, putting in evidence the impact that theresults achieved are having on the broader scenario of the whole Basin. This is witnessed by the involvement of Turkish, Greek, Egyptian, Jordan, Croatian etc organizations within the partnerships supported by the WMAM.
This has confirmed the validity of the Assistance Mechanism concept, as a “bottom-up” team, supporting and staying beside stakeholders instead of above.
Shaun Patrick Ebejer (Malta) confirmed the importance that the Maltese co-presidency is giving to the topic of clusters, also for the benefit of its small but vital ecosystem. Not for a case, the interaction with the Italian clusters is growing and the two countries are possibly joining forces for a common national event in October.
Main Achievements of the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance and its members
Among the multiple achievements of the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance, Anja Detant remarked the attention that the European Commission and CINEA paid to the opening the EMFAF calls to third countries, particularly those of the WestMED sub-basin, and to the priorities of the WestMED Technical Groups and Work Groups.
Hamadi BABA HAMADI, summarized the process and the importance for his country towards such a move, as a starting point to fully integrate Mauritania in the common ecosystem and tighten cooperation with northern and southern WM countries. The centrality of the Fishery sector, of Maritime Transport and of Blue Skills are indicated as priority for Mauritanian dynamics and networking activities with the Mediterranean stakeholders.
On June 9th in Rome, the president of the Mauritanian Marine and Maritime Cluster has signed an MoU with the Italian national clusters, aiming at a closer cooperation, including the research activities.
Emna Sohlobji, in her position of secretary general of the CMT (but also as elected Leading Woman in African Blue Economy) has witnessed the boost that her cluster gained in EU funded projects, but also in the capacity to provide internationalization opportunities to their associated members, for the benefit of the national Blue Economy. A bright example was illustrated as the MEBLEUE 2022 speeded up this process, with the concrete cooperation cases fostered among training institutes, research institutes, ports etc.
Ruben Eiras, secretary general of Forum Oceano and National Hub for Portugal, presented the Hub Azul Dealroom (a comprehensive digital stakeholders’ platform), a service that is part of the larger Portuguese strategy for the Blue Economy and the need to enable a faster matchmaking between innovators, policy makers, promoters and investors. The Dealroom is a tool at disposal of the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance, to enlarge networks and foster new knowledge and partnerships.
Laurence Martin and Thanos Smanis, presented the European Blue Forum that was launched during the recent European Maritime Day in Brest, and the key role that maritime clusters will be playing there too.
ForMare, Forum Oceano, CTN BIG, Strategis Cluster, SGD4MED, Federazione del Mare, Pole Mediterranée described concrete project proposals that have been supported by the WestMED Assistance Mechanism to apply for funding – also with the perspective of possible capitalization actions. Most of these proposals were approved: ERASMUS+ – MARMED and MAQUAM, COSME Euroclusters – MedBan, IKAT and ELBE Alliance, EMFAF Women in Blue Economy – WINBIG, EMFAF Maritime Clusters CALLMEBLUE and Green Marine MED, EMFAF Ports & Maritime Transport POWER4MED.
Established cooperation agreements and synergies
Antonio Novo Guerrero, founder and president of the European Clusters Alliance (ECA), and Axelle Salvage fromEuropean Network of Maritime Clusters (ENMC) explained the efforts undertaken by the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance in liaising with their leading aggregations of clusters
The fruitful exchanges with ECA are now aimed at integrating networking agendas reciprocally, enlarging cross-sectoral exchange opportunities for WM MCA members and open the Blue specialization to the ECA. ENMC at their end, recognises the importance of the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliamce as a way to gain more direct access to and interact with a broader spectrum of maritime clusters within the Mediterranean region, and its Assistance Mechanism.
Finally Walter Wassallo, promoter of the Blue Marina Award (that recognises Italian marinas for their coherence with sustainable Development Goals-SDG’s), presented the second edition of the awards to be held in Trieste in 2023 and is already looking at its cross-border Mediterranean scope from 2024 on, thanks to the technical assistance of the Italian National Hub in close cooperation with National Hub colleagues from the WestMED countries.
Conclusions
Conclusions were then summarized by the intervention of Giovanni Caprino, President of CTN BIG, and the remote intervention of Matteo Bocci, who coordinates the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance together with WestMED’s Italian National Hub.
Along these conclusions also the opportunities represented to increase exchanges with Black Sea and Atlantic Sea Basins’ stakeholders were underline, as a further contribution to the internationalization strategies and synergies of the“WestMED Maritime Clusters Community”.
