Mark your calendar for the 5th EU Macro-Regional and Sea Basin Strategies Days, scheduled to occur from June 12th to June 14th, 2024, at The Egg in Brussels. This event is co-organized by DG Regional and Urban Policy and DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission. In 2024, the EU Macro-Regional Strategies Week evolves into a two-day onsite event with sessions dedicated to topics relevant to both Macro-Regional Strategies and Sea Basin Strategies. Under the theme Strategies4Cooperation, the emphasis will be on exploring current and future synergies among the seven EU macro-regional and sea basin strategies. More info on the programme and registration will be available soon.
Blue Growth
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After receiving 2,500 entries, the Green-Schools Marine Spatial Planning Poster Competition: "What I'd like to see for the sea" have awarded twelve students for their exceptional posters depicting their vision for the future of Ireland’s ocean and coast. In partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, students were tasked with illustrating their aspirations for the future use of Ireland's seas, aligning with the National Marine Planning Framework's goals.
Since the establishment of the Technical Expert Group, the voluntary members have identified priority areas where intervention was required and established a number of dedicated technical sub-groups to develop either guidance, standards or in some cases data models to address these challenges. The objective of this public workshop is to simultaneously provide an opportunity for the outputs of the TEG to be presented, providing visibility to their authors and contributors, whilst at the same time sharing them with member states’ planners and wider MSP practitioners in a practical and useable way, illustrated where possible with examples. The workshop will be hybrid, allowing online participation. Due to limited physical space, on-site attendance will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Maritime Spatial Plan of Cyprus was approved by the Council of Ministers on 20th December 2023 and published in the Official Gazette of the Republic on 29th December 2023 (Gazette No. 5844, Supplement III (I), P.I. 427/2023). It consists of text, maps per special area and sectoral-thematic maps. The Plan takes into account the main priorities, goals and strategic guidelines for the marine waters of the Republic, as defined in the Policy Statement on MSP which was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 21 December 2021.
HELCOM has officially launched its first data call for PROTECT BALTIC, inviting stakeholders to share crucial biotic, abiotic, and supporting data on the Baltic region. This initiative aims to boost protection efforts and improve spatial planning.
The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) is organising a wide-ranging public debate on maritime planning: on the future of the sea, the coast, marine biodiversity and offshore wind power. This national debate will take place on the territory of the maritime coasts of metropolitan France. The national consultation on the revision of the DSF will run from 20th November 2023 until April 2024, in particular to identify new areas for Offshore Wind, but also to agree on strict marine protected areas to meet the 2030 objectives.
On 20th November 2023 nine North Sea countries undertook significant steps towards the deployment of offshore wind energy. During the annual North Sea conference, the European Union, 8 Member States and Norway agreed on a shared Action Agenda for an integrated energy system by 2050. This Action Agenda includes more specifically the publication of joint NSEC offshore wind energy tender planning, enabling investments in supply chains, including infrastructure.
The Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) was officially established in November 2023, setting the framework for collaboration between 9 countries from the North Sea (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom), to strengthen cooperation on maritime spatial planning. The GNSBI aims to provide a regional platform for spatial integration of all uses by making proposals for better alignment of MSP, efficient management processes, and coordinating sectoral interests across boundaries - to tackle the spatial and ecological challenges of the Greater North Sea Basin.
The European MSP Platform just launched its brand-new Multi-Use Compendium! This initiative is a response to the growing volume of discussions and interest in the topic of multi-use. It represents an evolution from the heavily used 'Sectors and Conflicts' Pages on the MSP Platform. Tailored for Member States’ Planners and MSP Practitioners, the compendium aims to consolidate information from diverse sources, offering a comprehensive view of the opportunities, challenges, and enablers associated with the integration of various maritime economic activities at sea. However, the true value of the Compendium lies in collation of case studies – and this is where we seek your invaluable assistance!! While the combination of multiple maritime activities in a shared sea space is not a novel concept, the concrete examples from which lessons can be drawn are more prevalent at the local and regional scale. To capture this information, we have developed a simple template where you can provide us with any examples you might know of. Your contribution to this initiative will play a significant role in enriching our collective understanding and the creation of a resource that we hope will be an indispensable tool for planners and practitioners navigating the intricate landscape of multi-use scenarios at sea.
This topic is for the continuation of the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP), i.e. EU contribution in WP 2023-2024. The second instalment of the partnership is expected to contribute to all expected outcomes specified in topic HORIZON-CL6-2022-GOVERNANCE-01-02: European Partnership for a climate-neutral, sustainable and productive Blue Economy, for continuation and new development of activities.
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.
The objective of this call for proposals is to facilitate the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the EU, including through the effective application of Directive 2014/89 establishing a framework for MSP. This call is intended to fund projects developing innovative responses to tackle specific challenges that EU Members States might encounter when putting into effect, monitoring and/or revising their maritime spatial plans.
The inaugural Symposium of the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership taking place on 13-14 February 2024 at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium is set to unite visionaries, specialists, and professionals in a significant European gathering aimed at advancing the shift towards a sustainable blue economy. This event will consolidate the goals of projects financed in the initial Joint Transnational Call and outline the priorities for the upcoming second call. Attendees will have the chance to glean wisdom from prominent figures in science, policy, and business through panel discussions, facilitating the acquisition of fresh perspectives and the expansion of professional networks.
The objective is to develop transport infrastructure projects in maritime ports on the Core Network of the TEN-T.
Are you at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to combat the challenges posed by climate change? The ARSINOE project invites you to seize a unique funding opportunity through its Second Open Tender for Innovations, dedicated to climate adaptation.
The research is based on an extensive examination of existing literature, a survey, and in-depth interviews to explore the potential of 10 microalgae and macroalgae production systems in meeting animal feed needs in the EU. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current understanding regarding biomass, nutritional yields, costs, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
This recently launched platform serves as a centralized information hub for Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3s) throughout the European Union. Users can easily compare the S3 areas of EU regions and Member States, accessing vital contact details and links to the respective strategies in an intuitive manner.
On October 26 2023, Bulgaria hosted in Varna their 2nd National event of the year, "Blue Skills for the Future - Challenges, Career Opportunities and Prospects in the Blue Economy," known as Blue Careers Day.
In a collaborative effort to foster a sustainable, modern, and competitive blue economy in the Black Sea region, the Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda Stakeholder Conference 2023 took place in Bucharest on 22-23 November. Organized under the auspices of the CMA Romanian coordination, alongside the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism and the European Commission, the event drew active participation from about 200 stakeholders.