EUMOFA has recently published the second edition of the study “Blue bioeconomy report”. The study aims to provide an updated overview of the European Union’s blue bioeconomy sector, focusing on cutting-edge applications of aquatic biomass by examining three topics.

New report shows that while most fish stocks remain overexploited, the number of stocks subject to overfishing has decreased for the first time in decades.

According to a new report on the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi 2020), released today, while 75% of fish stocks remain subject to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10 percent between 2014 and 2018. Exploitation ratios are down by a similar proportion. Taking into account newly assessed stocks, the number of fish stocks with high relative biomass has doubled since the last edition published in 2018.

Today, the Commission has welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and EU Member States on the new Erasmus+ Programme (2021‑2027).

Erasmus+ is a real European success story, consistently identified as one of the most successful initiatives of the EU. Since its inception in 1987, the programme has expanded considerably. It now covers all education and training sectors ranging from early childhood education and care, and school education to vocational education and training, higher education and adult learning. It supports cooperation on youth policy and promotes participation in sport.

The Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea (CMA) 2020 Regional Stakeholder Conference is the first regional event organised following the signature of the Bucharest Ministerial Declaration in May 2019 and the subsequent launch of the CMA implementation in February 2020, under the Bulgarian yearly coordination.

The conference builds on the main outcomes of the previous regional stakeholder event held in Istanbul in March 2019, with its main outcome being the establishment of a list of potential projects that could feed the CMA implementation. The current context is rather unusual and obliges CMA countries to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to be able to identify a recovery response that can support resilient and sustainable development of blue economy sectors in the region.

Consequently, the objective of the 2020 Regional Stakeholder Conference is to jointly examine, in the light of the above-mentioned context and identified blue economy sectors, the outcomes of regional stakeholders events held in 2019, in order to take stock of the elements that can be retained to develop blue economy flagship projects in the years ahead. In this scope, cooperation with the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the Black Sea and the Black Sea CONNECT project are of paramount importance and are well integrated into the conference contents. The event also aims to mobilise regional stakeholders, as they play a crucial role in the complex process of flagship projects identification and implementation. The event will provide them with an important opportunity to share their experience, exchange views and provide their concrete contribution with a regional and national perspective. The process aims to be bottom-up and collective: CMA national coordinators and policy stakeholders need to work together with the involved blue economy actors - public authorities, academia, business, civil society – in order to jointly shape flagship projects.

The conference will revolve around three main elements, starting with a high-level panel discussion on challenges and opportunities for a sustainable and resilient blue economy in the Black Sea in the new pandemic context. With this input, concrete project discussions will be kicked-off under three specific thematic sessions: coastal and maritime tourism, maritime transport, and fisheries and aquaculture. These are some of the most relevant sectors for the region in terms of gross value added and jobs creation that have been mostly impacted by COVID-19. Digitalisation and circular economy will be included in all three thematic sessions as essential transversal drivers to boost sustainable activities while enhancing resilience. As a final but key element, the conference will debate on the different streams of financing opportunities.

Link: https://blackseablueconomy.eu/save-date-10-december-2020-common-maritime-agenda-black-sea-regional-stakeholder-conference

A new survey invites stakeholders to take part in the prospective Blue Economy Partnership co-design process by sharing insights and suggestions on the first draft of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).

The proposed Blue Economy Partnership is a co-funded partnership under the Horizon Europe research and innovation framework programme 2021-27. The format is a public-public initiative with a core group of partners including research and innovation ministries and funding agencies from the participating countries.  

The SRIA builds on existing mature and inclusively developed pan-European and regional strategic frameworks.

The current draft of the SRIA has been prepared on the basis of input from representatives of Member States, countries associated to the current Framework Programme and JPI Oceans, in close collaboration with the European Commission.  

The feedback collected via the survey will be analysed by the drafting team and feed into the revision of the SRIA.  Share your views by 16 December.

Link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/open-consultation-blue-economy-partnership-2020-nov-25_ro

To help meet the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, the European Commission presented the EU Strategy on Offshore Renewable Energy. The Strategy proposes to increase Europe's offshore wind capacity from its current level of 12 GW to at least 60 GW by 2030 and to 300 GW by 2050. The Commission aims to complement this with 40 GW of ocean energy and other emerging technologies such as floating wind and solar by 2050.

This ambitious growth will be based on the vast potential across all of Europe's sea basins and on the global leadership position of EU companies in the sector. It will create new opportunities for industry, generate green jobs across the continent, and strengthen the EU's global leadership in offshore energy technologies. It will also ensure the protection of our environment, biodiversity and fisheries.

Link : https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_2096

Ocean observation is essential for the knowledge base of the Green Deal. Data are collected by different authorities for different purposes. A proposed EU initiative aims to achieve a common EU approach for measuring once and using the data for many purposes.

It proposes :joint planning of observation activities and a framework for collaboration on a national and EU scale

By oceans observations we include all surveys, monitoring campaigns or sampling programmes for measuring the state and dynamics of oceans and the marine organisms that inhabit them. It does not include observations made from earth-orbiting satellites which are dealt with elsewhere. By oceans, we mean seas and oceans including the seabed as well as the overlying water column.

An inception impact assessment has been published. There were 39 replies (see complete replies here).

An open consultation has now been opened to seek stakeholder views.

Have your say

The blue economy is growing fast and attracting investment worldwide. Its potential for sustainable economic growth, in line with the European Green Deal, is enormous. Unfortunately, not all economic activities at sea contribute to a healthy marine environment. A new report by the European Commission analyses why that is, and how we can turn the tide.

https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/press/why-does-money-keep-flowing-activities-harm-ocean_en

EMFF opens a new Blue Economy Window call with a total budget of € 20 million. Join online our virtual info day and learn all what you need to know about the EMFF BlueInvest grants 2020.

This call is intended for SMEs across the European Union. You can get up to 70% co-funding for your project with an average EU contribution between between €700.000 and € 2.500.000.

Website: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/emff-information-day-2020

The Black Sea has always left a powerful impression on Europeans throughout history. Today, it is still one of the continent’s most important seas. A unique sea basin, rich in biodiversity, heritage and natural resources, the Black Sea has been a prominent waterway for goods, ideas and people for millennia. But the Black Sea is facing significant challenges, ranging from environmental to human-induced, all contributing to degradation that began as early as the 1970s. This CORDIS Results Pack highlights important and cross-sectoral EU-funded research initiatives that have been working towards ensuring the sustainable future of the Black Sea by supporting its research and innovation ecosystem.

Link: 

https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/422446-ambitious-cooperation-for-a-healthy-resilient-and-productive-black-sea

The book published by the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV) is filled with the contributions of 93 researchers from eight countries and 28 universities, institutes and civil society organizations. The 361-page book, online published in English, becomes an important resource for everyone from scientists to decision-makers, by comprehensively addressing the issue of marine litter that threatens our seas increasingly every day.

Link: http://tudav.org/en/our-fields/publications/books/

On Science Day, the FAO Mediterranean Projects, AdriaMed, CopeMedII, EastMed, MedSudMed, and the GFCM BlackSea4Fish project, organized a workshop to address common regional small-scale fisheries (SSF) issues such as collaborative science (including participatory data collection, reporting and monitoring), local ecological knowledge (LEK), climate change and the environmental impacts of fishing.

Please find more details in GFCM's news