EU Regions and stakeholders interested in exploring new interregional value chains in fisheries, aquaculture, coastal and maritime tourism, blue biotechnologies, and marine renewable energy, can get involved by expressing their interest to form a new partnership.
This event was the first joint national event connecting the Atlantic Action Plan and the WestMED initiative. It was organised by the French national hub for the WestMED and the Atlantic Assistance Mechanism.
The event will host an exciting array of exhibitors from around Europe who will showcase the blue economy’s innovation and investment potential. In this way, the EMD exhibition space is an ideal place for stakeholders to meet, exchange experiences and discuss the latest developments.
A new strategic agreement between Greek and Tunisian maritime clusters represents an official gateway to boost the blue economy between the western and eastern Mediterranean.
On February 11, 2024, the GFCM Scientific Committee on Aquaculture, organized a workshop in close cooperation with WestMED Algeria on Climate Change, Resilient Aquaculture, and Mitigation Strategies. This event took place during the International Fisheries and Aquaculture exhibition (SIPA Algerie 2024) in Oran, Algeria.
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has announced funding for eight research infrastructure projects focused on transforming various sectors. The selected projects are focused on issues such as energy optimisation, AI, quantum research, biomolecule detection and more. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, said the funding will support “pioneering research”.
Embark on a journey through FLOW, the recent event shaping the future of floating offshore wind in the European Atlantic countries. As port authorities and the marine renewable energy sector join forces, the workshop underscored the need for careful planning to meet energy targets. The promising future of offshore wind hinges on collaborative efforts, setting the stage for potential follow-up workshops driven by participant interest.
Uncover the dynamic collaboration between the Atlantic Action Plan and WestMED initiative in their groundbreaking joint event. Marking France's AAP Presidency, the event showcased blue economy initiatives. Funding opportunities, notably the Innovation Fund, took center stage and Poles Mer's pivotal role in project development through the Assistance Mechanism was emphasized. Ahead, the agenda includes promoting project insights and launching the Smart Ports "En Grand" call in February 2024.
The online event "Innovative aquaculture practices and synergistic approaches with other sectors" organised by the Turkish National Hub in December 2023, brought together more than 70 stakeholders representing various maritime sectors. The event stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between national authorities, academia, development agencies, and private sector businesses to promote innovative aquaculture practices in the country. The Aquaculture Technical Group within the Common Maritime Agenda (CMA) was highlighted as a key platform for achieving Türkiye's future goals and priorities in the aquaculture field.
On February 12, 2024, the Algerian National Hub of the WestMED Initiative, in coordination with the Ministry of Fisheries and Fisheries Production, organized their national event focused on on ‘Green Shipping in Algeria.’ This took place in Oran, Algeria.
WestMED 2023 award winner Galatea is an excellent example of a sustainable blue economy accelerator. Read about this initiative and the importance of accelerators to boost innovation.
As of 2024, Portugal will co-chair the WestMED Steering Committee for 2 years. It will do so together with Mauritania that had already assumed this position in 2023. We asked Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Director General for Maritime Policy and Portuguese Co-chair of the Westmed Initiative, for her views on the task ahead.
As part of the Swap Party initiative, the Green Team launched the "Green Wardrobe" quiz designed to test your knowledge of sustainable fashion practices and inspire you to make greener choices for your wardrobe. Put your eco-friendly knowledge to the test. Be one of the first three participants to answer the quiz correctly, to earn a fantastic (sustainable) prize!
Twelve LIFE Strategic Projects in the fields of nature, environment and climate action have been selected for funding. These major new additions to the LIFE portfolio represent a significant step towards realising the EU's ambitious goal of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050. Projects are set to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
An all-staff info session on cross-programme cooperation took place earlier this week to raise awareness about synergies and cross-programme actions performed by the Agency in 2022 and 2023. After opening remarks from our CINEA Director, colleagues from different departments involved in the Task Force on synergies and cross-programme feedback to policy presented some of the key deliverables from the 2022 and 2023 action plans.
Thanks to the Green Team, 10 additional electric plug sockets for e-bikes have been installed in the garage of CINEA, to support sustainable commuting initiatives. They are conveniently located in the garage, along the bike racks, to the left as you enter. Don’t forget to bring your charging plug however!
The results of the annual assessment of CINEA’s internal control system are out, with no major weaknesses reported and highlighting areas where the Agency is doing very well. Thank you to the colleagues who have contributed to this exercise!
At the end of this month, we bid farewell to our 17 Bluebook trainees who joined CINEA in October last year. We warmly thank all of them for their motivation, commitment and contribution to the Agency’s work in the past few months. Find below a few of their traineeship highlights they would like to share with us!
The first ever Inter-EA Job Fair (5-9 February) is now over; and it was a great success! All recordings and materials used are now conveniently stacked in a dedicated section on EISMEA intranet.
The first, headline results show that overall, staff satisfaction ratings have remained high and in line with the 2021 results. Specifically, the Staff Engagement Index now stands at 73%, about 1 percentage point higher than the 2021 index. Detailed report with an analysis of all questions par DG/EAs is being prepared and will follow in March.
