Morocco-news Archives

2nd Call for Experts: WestMED Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism | Deadline 31 March 2025 (EOB)

10 March 2025/in News /by Communication team

Deadline to register for this 2nd Call for experts: 31st March 2025 (EOB). Only applications submitted within the deadline will be accepted. Prioritization will be given to experts from Southern shore countries of the Westmed 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.

Registration will open soon

For questions: contact Marta Pascual from the WestMED National Hub Spain or Stephanie Vella from the WestMED Nation Hub Malta

Check the dedicated Sustainable Tourism Technical Group page

Elke Westenberger presenting the WestMED Initiative at Salon Haleutis 2025 in Agadir, Morocco

WestMED and Moroccan Blue Economy developments presented at Salon Halieutis 2025

10 February 2025/in News /by National Hub Morocco

WestMED Morocco organised a Blue Economy presentation during the 7th edition of Morocco’s’ Salon Halieutis, a biennial international meeting of the fishing sector. It did so, as part of the EU’s Morocco Delegation exhibition. The fair took place in Agadir from February 6 to 9, 2025, and was themed: “Research and innovation for a sustainable fishing sector.”

Joint presentation with Morocco’s Blue Economy Development Commission: CIDEB
Following a proposal from the Delegation of the European Union in Morocco, WestMED’s Moroccan National Hub, Mr. Hassan Agouzoul, seized the opportunity to also invite Ms. Shiham Fellahi for a joint presentation focused on the Blue Economy. Ms Fellahi is the coordinator of the Interministerial Commission for the Development of the Blue Economy (CIDEB), that was created in 2023 to manage the development of the Moroccan Blue Economy Strategy, officially launched in February 2024.

At the opening of her presentation Ms. Elke Westenberger, acting as support to WestMED’s Moroccan National Hub, expressed WestMEDs appreciation for this opportunity to present the WestMED Initiative at this platform.

She presented the background this Initiative and the results that have been achieved through assisting projects and project ideas focused on strenghtening the sustainable blue economy; mainly by helping to find project partners and finding funding funding opportunities. She also highlighted the work of the regional thematic technical stakeholder groups that have been created, focused on sectoral discussions and joint project proposals: green shipping, sustainable aquaculture, the Maritime Clusters Alliance and the recently created technical group on Sustainable Tourism. During her presentation, Ms Westenberger made direct references to the upcoming Moroccan Blue Economy strategy.

WestMED Morocco (upcoming) activities
Ms Westenberger also recalled the main event organized by WestMED Morocco in 2024: a national dialogue focused on the main challenges of blue economy implementation in Morocco – specifically regarding Integrated Institutional Governance, Energy, Seawater Desalination, Green Hydrogen and Biodiversity, climate resilience and the development of a National Blue Tourism Strategy. This event took place with the participation of leading policymakers and private stakeholders. This was followed by an overview of WestMED activities planned for 2025 in Morocco; mainly the organization of an in-person national blue economy dialogue as well as blue economy webinars for the stakeholders of Morocco’s 9 coastal regions with the objective of encouraging the creation of maritime clusters in each of these regions.

Blue Economy Development in Morocco
Ms. Siham Fellahi, from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Budget Department, then took the floor in her function of coordinator of the Interministerial Commission for the Development of the Blue Economy (CIDEB) that was created in the framework of the World Banks financing instrument PforR (Program for Results).

The Blue Economy Results Program is a strategic initiative supported by a $350 million contribution from the World Bank and a $5 million grant from the PROBLUE fund. Led by CIDEB, eight government departments are mobilized to strengthen the management of marine resources, integrating economic development, job creation and environmental preservation. Coordination mechanisms, such as a Project Management Unit, have been established, and the active participation of local communities is encouraged through innovative projects aimed at supporting the economic development of communities and the conservation of marine ecosystems, in accordance with SDG 14.

She gave an overview of the state of the blue economy in Morocco and its national significance, as well as the implementation of the blue economy PforR aiming at developing a Moroccan blue economy strategy over 5 years. The program has two pilot regions, Souss-Massa and Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, which are the main blue economy contributors through the fishery and tourism sectors. 8 main institutional partner organizations representing ministries, government agencies and research institutes collaborate to roll out the program.

Ms. Fellahi placed a particular accent on the necessary development of maritime clusters and blue finance, which corroborates the main working themes identified also by the WestMED National Hub and bodes well for forthcoming collaborations this year.

After these two presentations a discussion with the audience followed whereby great interest was shown in the available funding opportunities, although it had to be made clear that WestMED is an Assistance Mechanism and does not fund projects itself.

It was a pleasant event in a collegial and informative setting, and we reiterate our thanks to the EU for its invitation and to Ms. Fellahi for her presence and insights.

For more information: contact Elke Westenberger or Hassan Agouzoul (WestMED Morocco): morocco@westmed-inititiative.ec.europa.eu

EU in Morocco links on this event:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/euinmorocco/
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ek8iV7zks/?mibextid=wwXIfr

More information on the Blue Economy in Morocco

slider poster with vector of project people holding puzzle pieces

Regular updates on WestMED (Technical) thematic stakeholder group activities

10 February 2025/in News /by Communication team

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

white blue city sidibou-said,tunisia with blue sea in the background

Tunisia assumes co-presidency of the WestMED Initiative

22 January 2025/in News /by Communication team

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.

Launch of S3 Thematic partnership “Shipbuilding Propulsion Systems Alliance” with 26 partners from 3 EU sea basins

30 November 2024/in News /by Communication team

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.

For more information on this Partnership, visit the S3 Community of Practice page of the European Commission

group picture with all participants from the WestMED Hackathon 2024

WestMED Hackathon 2024: Crafting Sustainable Blue Economy Projects

9 October 2024/in News /by Communication team

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 by Portugal, Mauritania and 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.

Download the hackathon report

Download the agenda

Watch all WestMED Hackathon ’24 presentations: dedicated playlist on WestMED’s YouTube channel

WestMED Steering Committee members sitting around a larfge conference table in Portugal, October 1, 2024

WestMED Stakeholders gather in Portugal for a 3-day agenda on the Blue Economy

6 October 2024/in News /by Communication team

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).

Read the full article

Download the agenda

Watch all WestMED Hackathon ’24 presentations: dedicated playlist on WestMED’s YouTube channel

Marisa Lameiras da Silva (Portugal) and Demba Diawara (Mauritania) co-chairing the WestMED Steering Committee | Copyright photos: DGPM

CALL for Experts: WestMED Technical Group on Sustainable Tourism | Deadline 15 September 2024 (EOB)

24 July 2024/in News /by Communication team

Deadline to register for this 1^st 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.

Registration deadline has passed

For questions: contact Marta Pascual from the WestMED National Hub Spain or Stephanie Vella from the WestMED Nation Hub Malta

Check the Online webinar on 16 October 2024

Check the dedicated Sustainable Tourism Technical Group page

WestMED Steering Committee meeting in Brussels with representatives sitting at a round table on June 26 2024

Members and observers of the WestMED Steering Committee gather in Brussels to discuss latest developments

12 July 2024/in News, Uncategorized /by Communication team

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).

Significant visibility of the Initiative
In recent months, the WestMED Initiative has achieved significant visibility and dissemination, as highlighted by Iglika Yakova (DG MARE). The WestMED Initiative has actively participated in various events, including the UfM Stakeholders Conference (19-20 February), the WestMED side event at the Our Ocean Conference (15-17 April), Deportibus (11 May) the European Maritime Day (30-31 May), Posidonia (7 June), the Macro-Region and Sea Basins Strategies Days (12-13 June).

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’.

Visit the UfM website for more information on the UfM Regional Platform on 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.

e-FishMed engaged in the Blue Economy and the fight against IUU fishing

11 July 2024/in News /by Communication team

The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) supports and implements the project “Mediterranean virtual regional training academy on fisheries control and inspection (e-FishMed)“, initiated by the European Commission and financed by the European Union under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

This project was launched in 2022 and is a follow-up to the “FIUUFRA” project which was supported by the WestMED Assistance Mechanism

Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia are beneficiary countries of the project, and the initiative is supported by France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

The virtual academy is pivotal to harmonise fisheries control and inspection activities and foster cooperation and exchange of best practices between northern and southern Mediterranean countries.

Since February 2022, EFCA and the participating countries worked hard together to make the project successful.

Common Curriculum
As a first tangible result, a common training curriculum for fisheries inspectors and Fisheries Monitoring Centres (FMCs) operators was defined by EFCA and agreed by participants countries. The goal is to improve monitoring, control, and surveillance activities in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic through a better common understanding of the rules to be applied to fisheries control and inspection activities.

E-learning platform
In parallel, to achieve the second result, EFCA designed an e-learning platform (registration required), targeted to officials involved in fisheries control and inspection from e-FishMed beneficiary countries. The platform hosts e-learning modules and other training materials such as video tutorials, manuals, and international, regional, and national legislation. Through this tool, fisheries inspectors and FMC operators can train themselves anytime from anywhere! Currently, 159 officials from beneficiary countries are already using the platform and the ambition is to continue to grow.

In-person training
Starting from September 2023, the project complemented the online learning experience with presential training sessions. A regional “train-the-trainers” course was organised by EFCA, with the support of Malta and France. The course aimed to reinforce capacities, skills and competences of fishery inspectors involved in training activities for their peers.

Two national training sessions on risk management methodology were also organised: one in Morocco jointly with the Moroccan Maritime Fisheries Department and another one in Tunisia together with the General Directorate of Fishery and Aquaculture. This latter counted with France support.

In July 2024 another regional training for FMC operators took place in EFCA premises in Vigo. During this training, participants had the opportunity to share experiences and best practices and to visit the EFCA Coordination Centre.

Exchange programme for fisheries officials
As a third result, the project achieved to set up an exchange programme for fisheries officials, sharing of expertise, and networking between northern and southern Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic countries. A first edition of the exchange programme, counting with Spain support, took place in Madrid and Malaga in April 2024 and the second edition, supported by France, will take place in Etel and Lorient in September 2024.

Regardless of the outcomes required and achieved by the project, the added value of the e-FishMed project lies in its capacity to further promote stronger cooperation on fisheries control in the Mediterranean Sea basin, creating networks, reinforcing trust, and being a forum for the exchange of experiences and best practices.

The added value of e-FishMed was also recently recognised in the WestMed Ministerial Declaration dated 23 June 2023 that welcomed the share of expertise and best practices within the e-FishMed project.

Furthermore, until its end, foreseen in January 2025, the project will continue to deliver and achieve results contributing to a sustainable blue economy and the fight against IUU fishing.

For more information you can contact efishmed@efca.europa.eu