"Blue" energy from the sea will help us meet the EU's clean energy ambitions while also creating jobs and growth. Such technologies include offshore wind, but also wave and tidal energy, which are still in the early stages of development and need a little boost. Over the past months the Forum has identified key barriers to the development of the ocean energy industry and explored actions that would accelerate the move towards commercialisation.

Today's high-level meeting, the second of its kind, will discuss the key recommendations of the roadmap and provide guidance on how to implement them. Chaired by EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, it brings together business leaders and high-level government representatives, including Irish Minister for Energy Alex White and French Minister for Energy Ségolène Royal.

"Building a new industry has never been easy. It is crucial for countries and companies to work together. The work carried out by the Ocean Energy Forum shows that industry and governments can collaborate to identify common problems and barriers to the development of the sector. Now it is time to go one step further and flesh out the general recommendations so that we can start to take concrete actions to deliver this roadmap," Commissioner Vella said.

Mr Vella called on participants to build on the work achieved and develop a technical blueprint of a risk sharing fund by the next meeting of the Ocean Energy Forum in February. The aim is to present a final roadmap in early 2016.