In the context of the 2022 Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue, the MedThink 5+5 network of Western Mediterranean think tanks organised a thematic seminar on sustainable blue economy in the Western Mediterranean which was held on 7 and 8 November at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal).
Under the title “Tapping the potential of Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Mediterranean: Policies and Practices to Accelerate the Sustainable Transformation” the seminar brought together experts, institutional representatives and professionals of the blue economy from countries of the 5+5 Dialogue in order to exchange ideas, experiences and good practices to accelerate the transition of the blue economy in the Western Mediterranean towards more sustainability and inclusiveness.
Organised by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) with the collaboration of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations (IPRI), the seminar provided a space for discussion and knowledge-sharing to foster a more sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean region, particularly considering its untapped potential in terms of economic development, and mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of climate change.
The thematic seminar was opened by Nuno Severiano Teixeira, President of the Instituto Portugês de Relaçoes Internacionais (IPRI); Senén Florensa, Executive President of the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and Almotaz Abadi, Deputy Secretary General of the Water and Environment Division at the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat (UfMS). In his keynote speech, Secretary of State Bernardo Ivo Cruz in charge of International Trade and Foreign Investment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal highlighted the potential of the blue economy to be an important driver for sustainable growth and development in the whole Western Mediterranean.
Pedro Soares Oliveira, Director of Middle East and Maghreb Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Government of Portugal, and José María Fernández López de Turiso, Deputy Director General for the Maghreb at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain, highlighted the importance of regional and multilevel governance initiatives such as the 5+5 Dialogue, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the WestMed Initiative to promote the development of blue economy models based on the principles of sustainability across borders.
The event was structured across four main issues: what are the future prospects for blue economy cooperation frameworks in the Western Mediterranean, how to harness the potential of sustainable blue economy models, what is the role of blue innovation and digitalisation, and how to develop maritime skills and careers.
Participants presented initiatives to accelerate the transition to a sustainable blue economy in the Western Mediterranean, including the Declaration of the Union for the Mediterranean on Sustainable Blue Economy and the WestMed initiative, which is successfully promoting sustainable blue growth and jobs together with the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity in the countries of the 5+5 Dialogue. They highlighted good practices such as the adoption of circularity principles in the blue economy. The challenge is now to mainstream these practices and replicate them in all countries and sectors of the blue economy to really make a difference. It was remarked that, in this endeavour, the adoption of indicators and a better monitoring (including a “blue economy tracker”) could allow to better grasp the changes taking place and take the necessary measures to speed up the transition.
The role of maritime clusters was emphasized as engines for innovation, bringing together all the ecosystem of the blue economy, especially universities, training institutions, research centres, policymakers, and the maritime industry. This model, already well developed in Europe, has been gaining ground with the recent constitution of clusters in the Maghreb, which are now engaging into cross-border cooperation and the creation of incubators. As stressed by a participant, innovation is not only digital and increasingly comes from the blue bioeconomy based on the use of bio-marine resources in a way that it promotes ocean conservation while generating economic growth and job creation.
Finally, participants stressed that there is a crucial need for education and trainings that match the new businesses and job market requirements in the blue economy. In that sense, the promotion of women entrepreneurship in the blue economy should be encouraged by public policies in order to close the gender gap in the sector. An initiative such as the Blue Skills labeled by the UfM offer training and capacity building to close these gaps in the blue job market.
Since its inception in May 2016, the MedThink 5+5 network has organised several annual fora and thematic seminars back-to-back with Ministerial Conferences of the 5+5 Dialogue with experts from around the region and beyond. This event, held under the 2021-2022 Spanish presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue was the first seminar organised by the network on the topic of a sustainable blue economy.
Agenda of the thematic seminar
Find here the presentations of the speakers:
Ana Brazao (Fondation Oceano Azul)
Leila Ben Hassen (Wima Tunisie)
Photos of the seminar:
