By Caecilia Manago (ERINN Innovation)

The European Blue Forum was launched on May 26th the following day after European Maritime Days 2023, at the Oceanopolis in Brest, France.

Photo: Visit the European Blue Forum page

The European Blue Forum is intended to enable stakeholders to come together and discuss both challenges and priorities, with the aim to identify innovative solutions, bringing benefits to people and communities across Europe. At the Launch of the Forum, the Panel Sessions were held, discussing what is expected from European Seas by 2030, how a sustainable Blue Economy looks without fossil fuels, and how this transition can be supported by the wider community.

Photo: Panel Session 2

The Sessions provided a platform to discuss different points of view and needs by different stakeholder groups, showing the challenges and opportunities posed by the EU Blue Forum’s aim ‘of finding consensus, synergies and solutions towards a common vision’. MISSION ATLANTIC’s new webtools may help to inform these stakeholder dialogues. For example, the StrathE2E app allows users to perform computer simulation models on ecosystem impacts. It can be used by different stakeholders without the need for expert knowledge or specific training. In the closing remarks, Xavier Guillou (DG Mare, European Commission) highlighted that the political objectives are fixed for 2030, and emphasised the importance of launching a dialogue to reach these aims.

Photo: Closing Remarks by Xavier Guillou, DG Mare, European Commission