Marseille, 8 March 2016: The aim of the “Collaborative Lab” (focus group) is to assess, following a participatory approach, the feasibility of a Maritime Strategy for the Western Mediterranean sub-sea basin and a possible action plan. Among several areas of cooperation amongst northern and southern countries, we want to assess the potential visions and ideas to promote “Marine and maritime innovation and knowledge transfer across the Western Mediterranean”.
The aim of the “Collaborative Lab” (focus group) is to assess, following a participatory approach, the feasibility of a Maritime Strategy for the Western Mediterranean sub-sea basin and a possible action plan. Among several areas of cooperation amongst northern and southern countries, we want to assess the potential visions and ideas to promote “Marine and maritime innovation and knowledge transfer across the Western Mediterranean”. A strong potential exists for a new economic development in the region through highly innovative sectors requiring research investment and knowledge generation, which could be better propelled by regional cooperation within the North-South corridor and with EU support.
For this purpose, Plan Bleu organizes a first round of exchanges with a limited number of relevant experts and policymakers in Marseille on Tuesday 8th March 2016. The objective is to discuss and exchange ideas on the development of emerging activities and application of new technologies and innovation processes to foster economically and environmentally sustainable maritime activities across the West Mediterranean.
More information:
The European Commission has commissioned the Ecorys / Plan Bleu / SML Consortium to provide services to support the preparation of a possible Maritime Strategy for the Western Mediterranean and the development of an action plan to implement this strategy. The Consortium is implementing a working methodology based on a strong participatory approach able to engage relevant stakeholders to find concrete areas of cooperation and coordination and to obtain the required political support.
A Maritime Strategy for the Western Mediterranean can only be viable if it comes out of exchange and dialogue with stakeholders in the region and in accordance and consistency with the existing political initiatives at the regional, sub-regional and national level.
In this context, the Consortium organizes four collaborative laboratories to engage relevant stakeholders in different locations around the Western Mediterranean, as follows:
- “Sustainable coastal and maritime tourism including cruise and nautical transport”, Rome, Italy, 4 March 2016;
- “Maritime highways for safer and cleaner seas, including integrated surveillance issues”, Tunis, Tunisia, 10 March 2016;
- “Maritime and marine innovation and knowledge, including emerging sectors, new technologies and biotechnologies”, Marseille, France, 8 March 2016;
- “Governance and means for a better implementation at sub-regional basin”, Barcelona, Spain, 15 March 2016.
Website: http:/www.westmedstrategy.eu
