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Innovation, marine litter, cooperation in the Mediterranean – the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund launches a call to foster a "Sustainable Blue Economy". With a total budget of € 14.5 million, the call will accelerate the implementation of the European maritime policy and the deployment of the blue economy across Europe and in the Mediterranean. ​

Read the Call text

EMFF Info Day

Almost 200 participants took part in the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Information Day held on 9 November in Brussels. Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella announced a publication of the new Sustainable Blue Economy call with a total budget of €14.5 million.  This new investment initiative is one of the commitmnets made by the European Union at Our Ocean 2017 global conference to further promote sustainable blue growth across the EU. 

Webstreaming and presentations

The event was be web-streamed. Check the recording.

Presentations from the InfoDays can be found here:

1. Sustainable Blue Economy Call for Proposals 
2. How to apply - tips for your proposals
3. Horizon 2020 - Societal Challenge 2
4. Strand 1: Demonstration & market
5. Strand 2: Fighting marine litter
6. Strand 3: Blue networks in the Mediterranean
7. Strand 4: Restoring marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean

Download the full Agenda.

Downloald the flash report from the event.

Sustainable blue economy call 

• Strand 1  Demonstration projects for the blue economy has a budget of €8.000.000. It will boost demonstration projects based on innovative technologies to test, deploy and scale up new industry, service applications and solutions for the blue economy. It will help improve the market-readiness of innovative technologies and/or maritime services.

• Strand 2  Efficient strategies and technologies against marine litter has a budget of  €2.000.000. It will support concrete methodologies and technologies for:

- reducing the volume and harmfulness of marine litter from sea-based sources;
- monitoring and quantifying the contribution of sea-based sources of marine litter and
- removing and recycling it, in an environmentally sound and resource-efficient way.

• Strand 3  Blue networks for the Mediterranean has a budget of €3.000.000. It will promote networking to support job creation, innovation and entrepreneurship in the blue economy of the Mediterranean Sea through cooperation between a wide variety of stakeholders such as education and training institutes, maritime clusters and fisheries local communities from the EU and its partner countries in the Mediterranean. 

• Strand 4  Joint actions for a sustainable Blue economy in the Mediterranean has a budget of €1.500.000. It will support the restoration of damaged or degraded coastal and marine ecosystems in zones of the Mediterranean with a high potential for a wide range of marine ecosystem services.

The launch of this call is an important concrete step to implement key Commission policy initiatives such as the Communication from the Commission: 

• Innovation in the Blue Economy: realising the potential of our seas and oceans for jobs and growth;
• Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean (WestMED) and
• Communication on International Ocean Governance.