COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PALIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL, THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean
Date: 2017-04-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: Mediterranean region (EU), Union for the Mediterranean, biodiversity, environmental protection, fishery management, maritime safety, maritime transport, regional cooperation, sustainable development, youth unemployment

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.4.2017  SWD(2017) 130 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PALIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL, THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean {COM(2017) 183 final}  
 
 
Table of contents 

GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................... 3 

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 6 

STRUCTURE OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ............................................................................. 8 

1.  GOAL 1 — A SAFER AND MORE SECURE MARITIME SPACE ..................................... 9 

1.1.  COASTGUARD FUNCTIONS COOPERATION (TRAINING, CAPACITY BUILDING, SEARCH AND 
RESCUE) ........................................................................................................................................ 13 
1.2.  MARITIME SAFETY AND RESPONSE TO MARINE POLLUTION ................................................ 14 

2.  GOAL 2 — A SMART AND RESILIENT BLUE ECONOMY ............................................ 16 

2.1.  STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ........................................................................... 21 
2.2.  MARITIME CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................... 22 
2.3.  SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND CIRCULATION ........................................................................... 23 
2.4.  SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (MARITIME TRANSPORT, PORTS, MARITIME 
AND COASTAL TOURISM, MARINE AQUACULTURE) ....................................................................... 25 

3.  GOAL 3 — BETTER GOVERNANCE OF THE SEA ......................................................... 31 

3.1.  MARITIME SPATIAL PLANNING/INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT INCLUDING 
LAND-SEA INTERACTION ............................................................................................................... 36 
3.2.  MARITIME AND MARINE KNOWLEDGE (DATA GAPS, DATA ANALYSIS AND SHARING) .......... 37 
3.3.  BIODIVERSITY AND MARINE HABITAT CONSERVATION ....................................................... 39 
3.4.  SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES AND COASTAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ................................ 41 

4.  MONITORING, REPORTING AND EVALUATION ......................................................... 43 

5.  STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ................................................................................... 44 

5.1.  DEDICATED WEBSITE .......................................................................................................... 44 
5.2.  CONSULTATION EVENTS WITH RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS ................................................ 44 
5.3.  OTHER CONSULTATION TOOLS: SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWSLETTER ..................................... 46 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
Glossary 

ACCOBAMS 

BLUEMED: 

Agreement  on  the  Conservation  of  Cetaceans  in  the  Black  Sea 
Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area 

A  research  and  innovation  initiative  for  blue  jobs  and  growth  in  the 
Mediterranean 

BLUEMED SRIA:  Strategic 

Research 

and 
https://www.researchitaly.it/uploads/12493/Bluemed%20SRIA_A4. pdf?
v=7fb440d. 

Innovation 

Agenda;  

CEF: 

CLLD: 

COSME: 

Connecting  Europe  Facility;  https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-
europe-facility 

Community-Led Local Development 

Europe’s  programme 
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/cosme_en 

for  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises; 

DCI: 

Development Cooperation Instrument; 

https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/funding-instruments-
programming/funding-instruments/development-cooperation-instrument-
dci_en 

EFSI: 

European Fund for Strategic Investment;  

http://www.eib.org/efsi/index.htm 

EFSD: 

European Fund for Sustainable Development; 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016DC0581&from=EN 

EIPP: 

European Investment Project Portal; 

https://ec.europa.eu/eipp/desktop/en/index.html 

EMFF: 

European maritime and Fisheries Fund; 

https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/emff_en 

EMODNET: 

European Marine Observation and Data Network; 

http://www.emodnet.eu/ 

ENI: 

European Neighbourhood Instrument; http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2014:077:0027:004
3:EN:PDF 

ENI-CBC-MED: 

European Neighbourhood Instrument Cross-Border Cooperation 
Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme; 
http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/enicbcmed-2014-2020 

ENP: 

European Neighbourhood Policy: 
Communications  on  ‘A  Partnership  for  Democracy  and  Shared 
Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean’ COM(2011) 200 http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0 200&from=EN 

3 

 
 
Review 

805; 
ENP 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/cooperate/macro_region_stra
tegy/pdf/report_implem_macro_region_strategy_en.pdf 

COM(2016) 

priorities, 

ERASMUS+:  

EU's  programme  to  support  education,  training,  youth  and  sport  in 
Europe; http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en 

ERDF: 

ESF: 

EU: 

EU H2020: 

FAO 

FAO-BGI: 

European 
Regional 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/ 

Development 

Fund; 

European Social Fund; http://ec.europa.eu/esf/home.jsp 

European Union 

EU's 
https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/ 

Research 

and 

Innovation 

programme; 

Food and Agriculture Organisation; 

Blue  Growth  Initiative  (FAO);  Blue  Growth  Initiative  –  FAO; 
http://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/fishery-information/resource-
detail/en/c/379558/ 

FARNET: 

European Fisheries Areas network; www.farnet.eu 

FLAG: 

GFCM: 

Global Strategy: 

ICZM: 

LIFE:  

Fisheries Local Action Group 

General 
http://www.fao.org/gfcm/en/ 

Fisheries 

Commission 

for 

the  Mediterranean; 

Strategy 

Global 
https://europa.eu/globalstrategy/en/global-strategy-foreign-and-security-
policy-european-union 

for  EU's 

security 

foreign 

and 

policy 

Integrated Coastal Zone Management 

EU financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation 
and climate action projects; http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ 

MARPOL 

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships   

MED Programme:  Mediterranean Programme; http://www.programmemed.eu/en 

MEDFISH4EVER:   https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/inseparable/en/medfish4ever 

MSP: 

MSSD: 

Maritime Spatial Planning 

Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development; 
http://www.unep.org/docs/unepmap/mssd_2016_2025_eng.pdf 

PELAGOS 

Agreement creating the Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals  

PRIMA: 

RAMOGEPOL 

REMPEC:  

Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area; 
https://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index.cfm?pg=prima 

Agreement to set up a pilot zone for the protection of the  marine 
environment in order to co-ordinate joint actions to limit marine 
pollution in the border area between Italy - Monaco – and France. 

Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the 
Mediterranean Sea; 
http://www.rempec.org/rempecnews.asp?NewsID=372 

4 

 
 
UfM: 

Union for the Mediterranean 

UNEP-MAP: 

United Nation Environmental Program-Mediterranean Action Plan 

VKC: 

WWF: 

Virtual Knowledge Centre 

World Wildlife Fund 

5 

 
 
 
Introduction 

The  ‘Initiative  for  the  sustainable  development  of  the  blue  economy  in  the  western 
Mediterranean’ is described in two documents: 

(1) a Communication from the European Commission to the other EU Institutions; and 
(2) a  Framework  for  Action,  in  the  form  of  a  Commission  Staff  Working  Document, 

complementing the Communication. 

The purpose of the Initiative is to foster sustainable blue growth and jobs, improve safety 
and  security  and  preserve  ecosystems  and  biodiversity  in  the  western  Mediterranean 
region.  This  will  be  achieved  through  coordination  and  cooperation  among  the  relevant 
countries  on  three  main  goals  and  a  few  priority  areas  of  action.  While  geographically 
speaking  the  Initiative  focuses  mainly  on  the  seas  and  coasts  surrounding  Algeria,  France, 
Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia, it also addresses 
the  marine  and  coastal  areas  as  interconnected  systems.  The  scope  of  the  actions  may 
therefore vary  depending on specific needs, and the Framework for Action remains open to 
other partners in the Mediterranean region. 

The  Initiative  builds  on  the  Union  for  the  Mediterranean  process  and  its  Ministerial 
Declaration on the Blue Economy adopted on 17 November 2015.1 This Declaration invited 
the countries of the Union for the Mediterranean to explore the added value and feasibility of 
appropriate maritime strategies (including at sub-regional level), building on the experience of 
the 5+5 Dialogue process. Therefore the 10 countries concerned have been fully involved in 
preparing both the Initiative and of the Framework for Action. 

The extensive, bottom-up consultation process for the Framework for Action involved a wide 
range of stakeholders from the region representing international, national, regional and local 
authorities, but also the private sector, academia and civil society (this process is described in 
detail in Chapter 5 of the Communication).  

This allowed pointing to a series of gaps that can be summarized as follows: 

a)  Strategic  gaps:  several  sectorial,  strategic,  legislative  and  programming  frameworks 
for the blue economy in the western Mediterranean are asymmetric in their objectives 
and/or  geographical  scope  (for  instance  EU  or  neighbourhood  countries).2  Greater 
coordination could help to implement them in a more coherent and effective manner 
while avoiding any duplication of effort.  

b)  Information  and  knowledge  gaps:  data  availability,  accessibility,  processing  and 
understanding  are  dissimilar  and  fragmented.  This  hampers  awareness  raising,  the 
dissemination  of  information  and,  more  importantly,  evidence-based  policy-making. 
There  is  also  a  limited  capacity  for  informing  decision-makers  and  engaging  in 
dialogue with them. In addition, fragmentation within and across sectors and countries 
makes  it  difficult  to  achieve  the  critical  mass  needed  to  attract  knowledge  and 
investment  and  trigger  innovation  and  competitiveness  both  at  national  and  sub-

1   https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/en/node/3846. 
2   For  example  the  EU  Maritime  Security  Strategy,  the  2050  Africa's  Integrated  Maritime  Strategy  and  the 
African Charter on Maritime Security; the BLUEMED Initiative; the Maritime Spatial Planning and Marine 
Strategy  Framework  Directives;  the  Cohesion  and  Neighbourhood  Policies,  including  the  European 
Territorial  Cooperation  programmes;  the  EU  Blue  Growth  Strategy,  the  EU  Common  Fisheries  Policy  and 
the FAO Blue Belt Initiative; the EU Strategy for more jobs and growth in coastal and maritime tourism; the 
EU Traffic Monitoring Directive, the Switchmed Programme. 

6 

 
 
                                                            
regional level. 

c)  Enforcement gaps: national capacities and resources vary from country to country and 
some authorities need support at national and regional level to implement, enforce and 
monitor  the  measures  agreed  under  the  different  frameworks  (protocols  ,  guidelines 
and codes of conduct, standards)3  and initiatives.4 In addition, enforcement gaps can 
prevent  a  state-of-the-art  application  of  modern  concepts  to  maritime  and  coastal 
planning, aquaculture, maritime tourism and skill development. 

Based  on  the  above  gaps,  three  ways  in  which  the  Initiative  could  add  value  have  been 
identified: 

1.  Tailoring  responses  to  challenges  and  tackling  geographic  or  thematic  asymmetries, 
for example by focusing on cross-border threats in order to reduce risks and mitigating 
their consequences; benchmarking for decision-making. 

2.  Bundling  interventions  and  promoting  horizontal  coordination  and  enforcement. 
Examples  include  obtaining  economies  of  scale,  using  resources  more  efficiently, 
providing citizens with better services and implementing international agreements and 
commitments. 

3.  Promoting  the  awareness,  alignment  and  vertical  coordination  of  existing  strategic 
initiatives  and/or  actions  among  stakeholders  at  local,  regional  or  national  level,  for 
example by aligning policy frameworks where appropriate and desirable, networking 
and promoting best practice, and disseminating results. 

To make sure that concrete results are obtained, the Framework for Action sets the main goals 
to pursue and how to get there, outlining to a certain extent some of the possible actions and 
projects  for the  region.  It  is  conceived  as  a rolling  document,  meaning  that  new  actions  are 
added  over  time  and  existing  ones  are  adapted  as  they  move  towards  completion. 
Implementation of the Framework for Action is the responsibility of all (at national, regional, 
and  local  level),  and  throughout  its  duration  sufficient  information  and  outreach  will  be 
crucial  to  make  it  widely  known  among  all  types  of  stakeholders.  However,  within  each 
participating  country  the  WestMED  Task  Force  will  be  in  charge  of  prioritising  actions, 
coordinating  and  monitoring  implementation  of  the  Framework  for  Action  and  revising  its 
contents as necessary. 

3   For  example,  decision,  recommendations/resolutions  by  sectorial  intergovernmental  organizations,  the  UN 
Fish  Stocks  Agreement,  the  FAO  Agreement  to  Promote  Compliance  with  International  Conservation  and 
Management  Measures  by  Fishing  Vessels  on  the  High  Seas,  the  FAO  Code  of  Conduct  for  Responsible 
Fisheries, FAO International Plans of Action, the FAO Port State Measures Agreement, the General Fisheries 
Commission  for  the  Mediterranean  guidelines  on  multiannual  management  plans  for  sustainable  fisheries, 
Barcelona convention, International Maritime Organization standards etc. 

4   For  example,  the    mid-term  strategy  (2017–2020)  General  Fisheries  Commission  for  the  Mediterranean 
towards  the  sustainability  of  Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  fisheries,  Horizon  2020  initiative  for  a  cleaner 
Mediterranean,  the  Strategy  for  Water  in  the  western  Mediterranean,  the  Sustainable  Consumption  and 
Production  Action  Plan  the  United  Nation  Environment  Programme/Mediterranean  Action  Plan  and  the 
Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development. 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
Structure of the Framework for Action 

The Framework for Action reflects the goals and priorities selected in the Communication. It 
is articulated into: 

-  Goals: these address the core challenges for the region and are therefore essential to 

the success of the Initiative. The three goals are: 
1.  A safer and more secure maritime space; 
2.  A smart and resilient blue economy; 
3.  Better governance of the sea. 

-  Priorities:  the  main  areas  where  the  Initiative  can  create  added  value,  either  by 
tackling a challenge or by seizing an opportunity. For each priority, the Framework for 
Action presents tables with possible actions. 

-  Actions:  interventions  and  projects  (such  as  new  approaches,  closer  coordination  in 
policy  making,  investments,  training  or  networking  initiatives,  policy  reviews)  that 
countries and stakeholders carry out to address the different priorities of the Initiative. 
All  interventions  should  not  preclude  existing  EU  competences  and  legislation. 
Funding  sources  are  also  indicatively  proposed.  They  are  subject  and  without 
prejudice to the assessment of the evaluation procedures and criteria for the concerned 
funds, programmes and projects. 

-  Targets: result indicators are proposed and as far as possible quantified for each goal. 

Baselines and timeframes have been determined or estimated for most targets. 

-  Union  priorities:  this  section  describes  how  the  actions  identified  will  help 
implementing the European Union’s priorities ‘Jobs, growth and investment’, ‘Energy 
Union and climate change’, ‘Migration’ and ‘A stronger global actor’. 

-  Background projects: examples drawn from reports and from stakeholder inputs to 

stimulate further initiatives and to illustrate what is needed. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
1.  Goal 1 — A safer and more secure maritime space 

Goal  1  is  about  improving  the  safety  and  security  of  activities  at  sea.  This  is  essential  to 
ensuring: 

- 
- 
- 

the sustainable development of a range of blue economy activities and for job creation; 
the good governance of the region’s sea and coastal areas; and 
the region’s prosperity and stability. 

The  success  of  the  other  two  goals  of  the  Initiative  also  hinges  on  the  degree  of  safety  and 
security. 

Challenges 

The region faces a number of complex maritime threats, and there is growing concern about 
their possible impact on human lives and economic assets. 

On  average,  there  are  about  60  maritime  transport  accidents  per  year  in  the  western 
Mediterranean,  15  of  which  involve  tankers  transporting  oil  or  chemicals.5  Nearly  half  the 
accidents leading to significant spills (of more than 100 tonnes) over the last decade occurred 
in the western Mediterranean Sea (ICM 20156). The region still fares rather well compared to 
other sub-basins, but new economic developments may expose it to more risks, especially in 
areas where maritime traffic is congested (such as the Strait of Gibraltar, the Bonifacio Strait 
or  the  Sicily  Channel),  and  within  harbours  and  terminals.  The  doubling  of  the  Suez  Canal 
will  exacerbate  the  threats.  The  concentration  of  ships  increases  the  risk  of  collisions,7 
environmental and noise pollution (WWF 20158) and accidents.9 

There is also a growing need for greater cooperation on law enforcement. The region has been 
highly  exposed  to  migration.  In  2013-2015,  for  example,  an  average  of  11 000  illegal 
migrants  per  month  crossed  the  region  through  the  western10  and  central11  Mediterranean 
routes.  The  central  route  in  particular  has  seen  a  dramatic  increase  in  violence,  exploitation 
and  abuse  perpetrated  by  smugglers  against  migrants,  and  in  the  number  of  casualties. 
Managing mixed migration flows towards Europe has become an increasingly complex issue 
and  one  of  the  main  priorities  of  the  EU  Neighbourhood  policy.  Moreover,  the  current 
demographic and climate change trends risks exacerbating the existing competition to control 
resources and could fuel the geopolitical instability of the region. 

Maritime  surveillance  bodies  could  set  up  joint  emergency  rescue  plans  to  address  the 
humanitarian consequences of these migrant flows, which often exceed the capacities of local 
coastguards.  Indeed,  the  lack  of  cooperation  across  the  sub-basin  undermines  the  ability  of 
local bodies (OSCE 2014) to respond and adapt in real time to the unpredictable magnitude of 
and developments in illegal migration flows. 

5Http://www.medmaritimeprojects.eu/download/ProjectMediamer/SH_Meeting_WME/WM_Transport_factshee
t_300115.pdf. 
6   http://arxiv.org/pdf/1510.00287.pdf. 
7   Source: Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) 2015. 
8   http://www.medtrends.org/reports/MEDTRENDS_REGIONAL.pdf. 
9   Voluntary oil discharges into the sea, comprising ballast waters, garbage, washing residues by chemical 

tankers or bulk carriers, sludge and bilge discharges. 

10  From Morocco and Algeria to Spain. 
11  From Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta. 

9 

 
 
                                                            
Gaps 

A variety of policies and governance frameworks already cover a wide range of the region’s 
specific environmental concerns.  

Notably, the primary responsibility to prevent and fight maritime pollution of ships rests with 
the  States.  The  national  capacities,  the  EMSA  anti-pollution  operational  capacity  and  the 
assistance  provided  by  REMPEC  have  to  be  taken  into  account  to  avoid  duplicating  efforts 
and  ensure  maximum  results.  Concrete  actions  should  tap  into  the  existing  international, 
regional  and  sub-regional  awareness  of  environmental  and  sustainability  issues  and 
willingness to address them. 

Efforts have been made to address maritime risks and threats in general. These include: 

- 
- 
- 
- 

- 

- 
- 
- 

the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean Region;12 
the EU Maritime Security Strategy and its Action Plan; 
the European Border and Coast Guard package;13 
a  pilot  project  launched  in  2016  to  improve  operational  cooperation  on Coast  Guard 
functions between three EU agencies (FRONTEX, EFCA and EMSA) in the western 
Mediterranean  
the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy and the Lomé Declaration on Maritime 
Security; 
the Seahorse Mediterranean Network; 
the EMSA/SAFEMED projects; 
the European and Mediterranean Coast Guard Functions Forums. 

The above Regulation has promoted a pilot project launched in 2016 to improve operational 
cooperation on coast guard functions between three EU agencies (FRONTEX-EFCA-EMSA) 
in the western Mediterranean. Since the refugee crisis, migration control has become an EU 
Neighbourhood  policy's  priority  and  numerous  activities  focusing  on  migration  have  been 
also developed under the European Agenda for Migration. 

However, these  activities are still relatively scattered across the region, despite security  and 
migration being trans-boundary issues that can be addressed only through a well-coordinated 
response  by  all  countries  concerned.  Cooperation  between  EU  Member  States  and  southern 
partner  countries  should  therefore  be  strengthened  to  address  the  safety  and  security 
challenges in the region. 

Priorities 

1.1 Cooperation between coastguards 

Actions  will  seek  to  increase  cooperation  between  coastguards  across  the  two  shores  of  the 
western  Mediterranean  region  through  actions  such  as  networks  among  training  centres 
(enhancing  mutual  understanding  of  needs  and  competencies),  joint  training  and  staff 
exchanges. Capacity building will be supported, for example regarding illegal unreported and 
unregulated fishing, the vessel traffic service and search and rescue. 

Actions will also increase the capacity of the authorities of southern partners to tackle irregular 
migration and illicit trafficking by strengthening their border surveillance systems through the 
Seahorse  Mediterranean  Network.  This  Network  exchanges  information  on  irregular 

12  Requested by the 2013 UfM Ministerial transport Conference and adopted by the EuroMed transport Forum 

in March 2015. 

13  Regulation (EU) 2016/1624 , Regulation (EU) 2016/1625, Regulation (EU) 2016/1626. 

10 

 
 
                                                            
migration at sea by connecting the national contact points in the African countries concerned 
to the EUROSUR network. 

ADDED  VALUE:  At  present  there  are  several  initiatives  developing  maritime  security  and 
safety,  but  assets  are  deployed  at  different  levels  or  by  different  partners  in  the  western 
Mediterranean region. Progress has been made to facilitate voluntary data exchanges across 
the  two  shores  of  the  western  Mediterranean  region  in  specific  fields  or  during  emergency 
situations (e.g. oil spills) as well as through the recent establishment of the European Boarder 
and Coast Guard Agency. However, cooperation between coastguards across the two shores 
remains  limited  and the  missing links  between agencies  and  between  agencies  and  national 
authorities to improve the real-time response to emergency situations at sea still need to be 
addressed.  The  participation  of  all  western  Mediterranean  countries  in  the  Seahorse 
Mediterranean  Network14  is  key  to  preventing  and  tackling  migration  on  the  western  and 
central Mediterranean routes. 

1.2 Maritime safety and response to marine pollution 

Actions will aim at encouraging data sharing on maritime traffic by giving southern countries 
support  to  improve  the  infrastructure  (Automatic  Identification  System/Vessel  Traffic 
Monitoring  and  Information  System)  and  to  enable  their  possible  access  to  the  already 
existing  platforms  (SAFEMED,  SafeSeaNet  and  Marine  Pollution  Common  Emergency 
Communication  and  Information  System),  and  by  expanding  the  data  and  information 
currently available. 

Actions  will  enhance  the  response  capacity  (planning,  preparedness  and  tools)  to  counter 
marine  pollution  from  accidents  across  the  two  shores  of  the  western  Mediterranean  region 
and support the development of a new generation of tools to improve the emergency response 
to marine pollution from accidents. 

ADDED VALUE: Maritime data sharing needs to be optimised across the two shores of the 
western  Mediterranean  region  in  order  to  improve  situational  awareness  allow  for  an 
effective use of national means and improve cooperation on cross-border operations. Efforts 
to  facilitate  interoperability  and  data  exchanges  have  so  far  been  confined  to  specific 
projects,  crises  and  exercises.  Some  partner  countries  share  environmental  data  through 
SAFEMED, while their access to SafeSeaNet (sharing of traffic data) is being hampered by 
both  physical  hurdles  (lack  of  infrastructure)  and  political  ones  (sensitivity  of  data  to  be 
exchanged, reciprocity). This means that several functions are still missing out on useful data. 
The  Initiative  will  encourage  the  sharing  of  information  as  highlighted  during  the  11th 
meeting of the EuroMed Maritime Working Group.15 

Union's priorities 

This goal strongly supports the Union’s priorities: 

  Jobs,  growth  and  investment:  by  ensuring  both  the  safety  and  security  of  activities  at 
sea, this goal is key to job creation and the sustainable development of a range of relevant 
blue economy activities. 

  Migration:  this  is  an  area  with  implications  far  beyond  the  scope  of  the  Initiative. 
However,  this  goal  will  improve  the  coastguards’  ability  to  control  coastlines  and  carry 
out  search  and  rescue  operations  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  western  and  central 

14  Participating  countries:  Spain,  Portugal,  France,  Italy,  Malta,  Cyprus,  Greece  and  Libya.  Invited:  Algeria, 

Tunisia and Egypt. 

15  April 2016, cf. http://www.rempec.org/rempecnews.asp?NewsID=372. 

11 

 
 
                                                            
Mediterranean. It will also enhance the local management of migration issues, promoting 
a more effective circular migration and preventing the exploitation of migrants and their 
children across the region. 

  A stronger global actor: existing regional processes will be reinforced on relevant areas 
already  identified  by  the  Communication  on  International  Ocean  Governance16.  These 
include  capacity  building;  ensuring  the  safety  and  security  of  seas;  and  fighting  illegal 
fishing practices. 

Targets for goal 1 

(This list is tentative and non-exhaustive) 

  Full  Automatic  Identification  System  coverage  achieved  by  2018  aiming  to  increase 

sharing of maritime traffic monitoring data at regional level17  

  Border  surveillance  strengthened  by  involving  neighbourhood  countries  in  the  Seahorse 

Mediterranean Network by 201818 

Possible additional indicators for goal 1 

  Number of joint operations of coastguard functions. 

16  JOIN(2016) 49 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52016JC0 049&from=EN  
17  Baseline: concerned neighbouring countries have no full access to data sharing platforms (2016). 
18  Baseline: only Libya is involved (2016). 

12 

 
 
                                                            
1.1. 

Coastguard functions cooperation (training, capacity building, search and rescue) 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of existing 
projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Enhancing coastguard cooperation 
through: 
- 
- 

networking among training centres 
joint training sessions (on bilateral 
and multi-lateral basis) 
common exercises 
exchange of staff 
capacity building/training 
networking among coastguards 

- 
- 
- 
- 

Promoting training on fisheries control 

Vessel Traffic Service (VTS): support 
national capacity building needs in the 
field of VTS (capacity building, 
training) providing administrative 
assistance and training of personnel 
(VTS operator/ supervisor/ manager). 
Improving maritime search and rescue 
cooperation: 
- 
-  by promoting joint activities and 
exercises among the national 
authorities 

by developing SAR capabilities and 

National coast guard 
authorities, European 
agencies, MED Coast 
Guard Functions 
Forum (MEDCGFF) 
and regional bodies 
with competencies in 
CGFs (ECGFF) 

Enhance the cooperation in the field of 
training among coast guard authorities in 
order to reach a common level of skills 
in performing coast guard functions. 
Improve the level of interoperability 
among different bodies 
Establish temporary coastguard technical 
groups 

National coast guard 
authorities, European 
agencies 
Countries of the sub-
region 

Improve fighting against illegal, 
unreported and unregulated fishing 

Improve the vessel traffic services in the 
sub-region in order to enhance the 
maritime safety and to reduce collisions. 

National coast guard 
authorities (Maritime 
Rescue Coordination 
Centres — MRCCs)  

Increase SAR capabilities taking into 
account the existing agreements and 
cooperation framework, notably in the 
case of mass rescue operations. 
Share assets and risk analyses among 
countries. 
Define common standards 
Increase the capacity to tackle irregular 

13 

Seahorse Mediterranean Network 

National border and 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
ECGFA-Net, 
Networking Maritime 
Academies, 
SAFEMED III. 
MEDCGFF 

Twinning IMP for 
Tunisia, VTS Morocco 
and Spain in Gibraltar 
Strait 
Marine training 
institutes  
SARMEDOCC 
is a running agreement 
between Italy, Spain 
and France. 
Other countries could 
be associated. 

Seahorse 

Funding 

Grants for 
coastguard training, 
EMFF 
EMSA programmes 
(SAFEMED IV - 
ENI),  
WestMED 
Assistance 
Mechanism (EMFF 
2017) 
EFCA training for 
partner countries 
(EMFF) 
Twinning projects 
TAIEX 
EMSA programmes 
(ENI) 

EMSA programmes 
(ENI), 
European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI, 
FRONTEX 
DCI 

 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

coast guard authorities 
of the region 

migration and illicit trafficking by 
strengthening border surveillance 
systems 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
Mediterranean project 

Funding 

EU(TPCMA) 

1.2. 

Maritime safety and response to marine pollution 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of 
existing projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Maritime traffic data sharing: providing 
support to non-EU countries 
(AIS/VTS/VTMIS infrastructure, 
capacity building, training)  

Enhance anti-pollution (OPRC) 
response emergency planning of coastal 
administrations as supporting element 
in sustainable development 

National 
administrations, 
EMSA and other 
regional relevant 
bodies. 
National authorities, 
European (e.g. 
EMSA) and regional 
(e.g. REMPEC) 
bodies responsible 
for pollution 
response issues. 

National, regional, 
local administrations 

Develop a new generation of Decision 
Support System tools for emergency 
response in relation to marine pollution 

Public and private 
stakeholders  

Increase the exchange of data and 
better respond to maritime safety 
issues. 
SAFESEANET accessible to 
partner countries. 
Harmonise existing contingency 
plans on pollution response 
through expert working group, 
common exercises (both table-top 
and live exercises) and sub-
regional workshops 

Ensure interoperability among 
national authorities responsible 
for marine pollution response 
through multi-level planning  
Improve transport systems for 
smart, greener and safer mobility 
in the WestMED, in particular in 

14 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
SAFEMED III 
MAREΣ’s community  

RAMOGEPOL 
and LION PLAN, can be 
supported by the action in 
order to improve their 
harmonisation and to ensure a 
full coverage of the west 
Mediterranean region. 
Plan de Emergencia ante el 
riesgo de Contaminación 
Litoral (PELCA) 
IMO-MRCC Morocco-Rabat  
BLUEMED SRIA 

Funding 

EMSA programmes 
(SAFEMED IV,  
ENI) 

European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI 

EU Horizon 2020, 
European Territorial 
Cooperation 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

coastal zones, lagoons and 
restricted areas 
Improve transport systems for 
smart, greener and safer mobility 
in the WestMED, in particular in 
coastal zones, lagoons, restricted 
and/or sensitive areas, also with 
the use of European GNSS. 

BLUEMED SRIA  

programmes 
ERDF and ENI 
EU Horizon 2020, 
ERDF and National 
Funds 

Actions 

from accidents 

Develop new tools, materials and 
methods to ease and improve the 
decision-making process in managing 
on-board emergency situations 

Develop innovative technologies for 
safer vessels, with real time structural 
monitoring, the ability to navigate in 
degraded conditions (safe return to port) 
and to operate in extreme 
environmental situations (resilient 
ships) 

Identify and implement safer, secures 
and clean offshore installations/devices 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
2.  Goal 2 — A smart and resilient blue economy 

is  about  boosting  research  and 

innovation,  and  developing  skills, 
Goal  2 
entrepreneurship  and  industrial  cooperation,  thus  creating  sustainable  jobs  and 
investment opportunities. 

Innovation  and  knowledge  sharing  is  essential  to  ensure  a  resilient  blue  economy  in  the 
western Mediterranean, to accompany the generational change in the labour market and make 
the  region  more  competitive,  able  to  build  on  technological  and  market  opportunities,  and 
more resilient to cyclical crises and shocks. 

Challenges 

Based  on  a  United  Nations  scenario,  between  2007  and  2030  the  working  age  population 
(aged  over  15)  in  the  Mediterranean  region  will  increase  by  over  100  million  people.19  As 
much as 84% of these additional workers will be located in the South. Youth unemployment 
rates are already very high all around the western Mediterranean, ranging between 14% and 
58%  (average  2011-2015)20,  while  the  demographic  trends  show  an  ageing  working 
population on the Northern shore of the Mediterranean and a growing proportion of youth on 
the Southern one. 

Employment  demand  in  ocean-based  industries  as  a  whole  is  set  to  more  than  double  by 
2030,21  with  especially  rapid  growth  occurring  for  example  in  marine  aquaculture,  fish 
processing,  offshore  wind  and  port  activities.  But  the  maritime  workforce  on  the  Northern 
shore  is  ageing,  and  young  people  are  no  longer  attracted  to  maritime  careers.  Whether  in 
traditional  or  emerging  maritime  sectors,  businesses  cannot  find  the  desired  skills  and 
profiles.22 This mismatch between demand and supply is mainly due to a lack of dialogue and 
cooperation between industry and the different levels of education.  

Beside this employment paradox there is also a dual R&D challenge. On one hand, activities 
such  as  tourism,  transport  and  fisheries  that  are  traditionally  at  the  forefront  of  the  blue 
economy require greater innovation and diversification to remain sustainable, competitive and 
profitable over time and provide qualified employment. On the other hand, to deploy their full 
potential  several  emerging  activities  and  value  chains  (such  as  blue  biotechnology,  marine 
renewable  energies,  biological  and  other  resources)23  require  dedicated  support  to  gain 
adequate  critical  mass  and  attract  tailored  R&D  and  investment.  In  this  regard,  also  the 
European  regions  need  to  align  better  the  use  of  their  European  Structural  and  Investment 
Funds with other funds on the basis of complementary Blue Growth priorities in their Smart 
Specialisation Strategies for Research and Innovation. 

Moreover, a lack of comparable and aggregated socioeconomic data is preventing knowledge 
sharing and cooperation among businesses, researchers and policy makers across the region. 
Research  cooperation  and  investments  remain  quite  limited  for  a  number  of  maritime 
innovative  technologies,  such  as  marine  aquaculture,  blue-biotech  and  sustainable  marine 

19  http://www.ipemed.coop/adminIpemed/media/fich_article/1323859454_Tomorrow_the-Mediterranean-

2030_eng.pdf. 

20  http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS. 
21  The ocean economy in 2030, OECD (2016) 

http://www.oecd.org/sti/the-ocean-economy-in-2030-9789264251724-en.htm. 

22  Ecorys's  "Study  on  supporting  a  possible  network  of  maritime  training  academies  and  institutes  in  the 

Mediterranean sea basin" draft Final Report pag. 22-23 

23   This will be aligned with the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and related to the International Bioeconomy Forum. 

16 

 
 
                                                            
energy.  Although  some  clustering  initiatives  have  emerged  across  the  sub-basin,  and  show 
great potential compared to the overall performance of the Mediterranean basin,24 the lack of 
synergy between maritime sectors (whether traditional or emerging) remains a major hurdle to 
knowledge sharing and innovation. 

Gaps 

A  number  of  strategic  initiatives  and  frameworks  are  currently  being  promoted  across  the 
western Mediterranean to boost economic activity, research and innovation. These include: 

the EU Blue Growth Strategy and Maritime Policy; 
the EU Strategy for more jobs and growth in coastal and maritime tourism;25 
the BLUEMED Initiative; and 

- 
- 
- 
-  FAO Blue Growth. 

Despite  their  laudable  content,  these  initiatives  target  either  the  EU  or  the  Neighbourhood 
countries,  but  not  both.  Initiatives  implemented  through  EU  calls  do  not  always  reflect  the 
specific  needs  of  beneficiaries  in  the  western  Mediterranean,  and  support  for  cross-cutting 
synergies  activities  among  southern  and  northern  stakeholders  is  usually  limited.  Action  is 
required to ensure coordination among existing initiatives, target corresponding sectors on the 
northern and southern shores, and promote stronger synergies across the region. 

Other initiatives do cover both EU and Neighbourhood countries such as  the Action Plan for 
Sustainable Consumption and Production, the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the 
Mediterranean Area and the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean region26. 
They  offer  an  opportunity  and  would  also  benefit  from  greater  synergies  and  cooperation 
across stakeholders and greater private sector involvement in implementing them at western 
Mediterranean level. 

Priorities 

2.1 Strategic research and innovation 

In line with the BLUEMED Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, actions will cover a 
range  of  strategic  areas  of  research  and  innovation  in  the  region,  including  support  to  the 
sustainable exploitation of Mediterranean biodiversity, to bio-based innovative industries and 
services27  (producing  for  instance  food  ingredients,  pharmaceuticals,  cosmetics,  chemicals, 
materials  and  energy)  and  to  new  technologies  for  ocean  observation  and  monitoring 
(including  of  deep-water  and  seafloor  biological  and  mineral  resources).  New  concepts  and 
protocols will be developed by private companies and maritime operators to maximise the use 
of  infrastructure,  ships  and  platforms  for  scientific,  environmental,  safety  and  security 
purposes.  Tailor-made  solutions  and  new  technologies  will  be  pursued  to  harness  marine 
renewable energies and mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

ADDED VALUE: The BLUEMED Initiative deserves to be extended to the southern shore of 
the western Mediterranean to:  

- 

tackle asymmetries in terms of its geographic scope;  

24  https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/sites/maritimeforum/files/Med%20clusters%20-

%20Annexes%20def_0.pdf. 

25  COM(2014) 86: 

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/cooperate/macro_region_strategy/pdf/gov_macro_strat_en.pdf. 
26   Requested by the 2013 UfM Ministerial transport Conference and adopted by the EuroMed transport Forum 

in March 2015. 

27  In line with the Strategy for Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe, adopted by the 

Commission in February 2012. 

17 

 
 
                                                            
- 

- 

create economies of scale by making more efficient use of available infrastructure and 
resources for research; and  
increase stakeholders’ capacity for partnerships across the two shores of the region. 

2.2 Maritime clusters development 

Actions  will  aim  to  support  medium,  small  and  micro  enterprises  in  the  blue  economy  (for 
example through national maritime clusters, incubators, boosters, business angels and tailor-
made  financial  vehicles),  and  foster  an  effective  network  of  maritime  clusters  across  the 
region.  Regional  clusters  on  renewable  energy  and  on  active  ageing,  based  on  marine  and 
maritime  resources  and  technologies  can  also  benefit  sustainable  economic  and  social 
development in the region.  

ADDED VALUE: As emphasised by the BLUEMED Initiative, maritime clusters are key to 
creating innovation, jobs and growth. They play a key role in generating the critical mass for 
economic  activities  currently  not  appealing  to  private  investors,  notably  by  developing  new 
avenues for north-south cooperation and between ‘traditional’ and ‘emerging’ activities, and 
by  identifying  and  building  innovative  value  chains  across  the  region  —  in  line  with  the 
‘smart specialisation’ concept.  

2.3 Skills development and circulation 

Actions will foster the development of innovative maritime skills through a range of strategic 
actions to match demand and supply. They will also promote advanced training on sustainable 
blue  growth,  and  incentives  for  networking  and  exchanges  between  maritime  institutes  and 
academies  at  regional  and  national  level.  It  is  also  essential  to  raise  awareness  of  maritime 
professions  and  make  them  more  attractive  to  young  people,  and  to  increase  cooperation 
between  maritime  education  institutes  and  industry.  Special  attention  will  be  given  to 
matching the job supply and demand for multimodal freight transport services, supply chains 
and infrastructure. Moreover, actions will seek to harmonise existing skills and functions for 
managing migration issues across the region and to promote more effective circular migration. 

ADDED  VALUE:  It  is  important  to  build  on  existing  cooperation  and  on  the  available 
resources.  Nevertheless,  a  recent  study28  points  to  an  important  coordinating  role  for  the 
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in this domain and identifies a number of possible ways 
to  address  the  current  mismatch  between  supply  and  demand  for  blue  skills  and  increase 
cooperation among maritime training and education institutions. 

2.4 Sustainable  consumption  and  production  (maritime  transport,  ports,  maritime  and 

costal tourism, marine aquaculture) 

Actions will: 

-  implement  sustainable  consumption  and  production  models  and  practices,  help  identify 
sources of pollution, assess risks and hazards and disseminate management tools; support 
the  use  of  clean  energy  sources  (solar  and  wind)  for  seawater  desalination  and  build 
capacity across the region; promote energy efficiency and adaptation to climate change in 
coastal cities; 

28   Ecorys, MRAG, Study supporting a possible network of maritime training academies and institutes in the 

Mediterranean sea basin, 2016, see https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/en/node/3951. 

18 

 
 
 
                                                            
-  promote  green  shipping  through  clean  fuels  and  innovative  technologies;  optimise  port 
infrastructure,  interfaces  and  procedures/operations  across  the  region;  develop  the  Trans 
European Network for Transport and motorways of the sea and related port terminals; 

-  develop new theme-based tourist products and services including: 

  natural,  cultural  and  historical  itineraries  (including  underwater),  nautical  and 
cruise tourism, sustainable marinas, pesca-tourism, fisheries cultural heritage and 
recreational fishing; 

  building eco-friendly artificial reefs; 

  protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems (beaches and dunes) on the islands 

 

 

linking up sea and inland attractors (eno-gastronomy, culture, sports, etc.), and 

recognising skipper licences. 

-  develop  common  technical  standards  for  sustainable  marine  aquaculture  across  countries, 

diversify the sector and build capacity. 

ADDED  VALUE:  Maritime  and  land-based  activities,  along  with  the  progressive 
urbanisation of the coastline, put many pressures on the marine and coastal ecosystems of the 
sub-basin  and  can  also  affect  the  long-term  sustainability  of  sectors  such  as  marine 
aquaculture  and  maritime  and  coastal  tourism.  These  pressures  range  from  high  resource 
consumption  (water,  energy,  food  products,  raw  materials,  coastal  space)  to  air  and  water 
pollution  and  waste.  The  Framework  for  Action  will  contribute  to  the  sustainable 
development  agenda  by  encouraging  the  implementation  of  the  Action  Plan  for  Sustainable 
Consumption and Production and by mainstreaming its approach into all sectors of the blue 
economy. 

The  implementation  of  the  Transport  Action  Plan  for  the  Mediterranean  Region  will  be 
encouraged to overcome existing barriers to the development of the motorways of the sea and 
investment in greater inter-connectivity, including inland and multimodal connections. It will 
also encourage a shift towards smarter and greener mobility in the region. 

The  tourism  sector  is  an  essential  source  of  jobs  across  the  region,  but  it  suffers  from 
fragmentation,  high  seasonality,  poor  visibility  and  a  lack  of  product  diversification  and 
appropriate skills. Coastal and island destinations are increasingly exposed to environmental 
and climate change pressures. 

Aquaculture  in  the  western  Mediterranean  region  has  specific  potential  to  be  exploited. 
However,  practices  vary  widely  between  the  two  shores,  and  existing  initiatives  focus  on 
either  the  northern  shore  (common  fisheries  policy,  BLUEMED  Initiative)  or  the  southern 
shores  (Blue  Belt  Initiative-FAO).  Furthermore,  the  aquaculture  sector  faces  problems  of 
space,  public  acceptance  and  co-existence  with  other  economic  activities  that  must  be 
addressed urgently. 

Union’s priorities 

This goal strongly supports the Union’s priorities: 

  Jobs,  growth  and  investment.  Promoting  investment  in  blue  technologies,  green 
maritime transport, sustainable tourism and aquaculture will help create growth and jobs 
in  the  region.  Strong  emphasis  will  be  placed  on  developing  human  capital  (skills  and 
administrative  and  institutional  capacity)  and  promoting  entrepreneurship,  networks  of 
shared competence and technology transfer. 

19 

 
 
  Energy Union and climate change. The focus is in particular on making sustainable use 
of  natural  resources,  including  water,  promoting  the  use  of  renewable  energies  and 
reducing waste generation and environmental risks. 

Targets for goal 2 

(This list is tentative and non-exhaustive) 

- 

Inclusion of western Mediterranean countries in the BLUEMED Initiative and in its 
Strategic Research Agenda by 201729; 

-  25 % increase in certified eco-ports and marinas by 202230; 
-  20 % increase in sustainable aquaculture production value by 202231; 
-  20 % increase in off-season tourist arrivals by 202232; 

Possible additional indicators for goal 2 

-  Number of new sustainable tourism management schemes by 2022; 

-  Number of joint touristic offers (and marketing) across the region by 2022; 

-  Number of jobs created in the region by 2022. 

29  Baseline 2016: PT, ES, FR, IT and MT are involved. 
30  Baseline 2016: 11 certified ports (source ESPO), other sources: The Yacht Harbour Association, Assomarina. 
31  Baseline 2014, sources EUROSTAT, FAO and DCF. 
32  Baseline 2012-2015, sources EUROSTAT, other sources to be defined. 

20 

 
 
 
                                                            
2.1. 

Strategic research and innovation 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of existing 
projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Developing marine bio-based 
innovative industries and services. 

Research institutes, 
business and public 
authorities 

Sustainably exploiting deep waters and 
seafloor biological and mineral 
resources. 

Research institutes, 
business, public 
authorities 

Develop new concepts and protocols 
with private companies and the 
maritime operators to maximise the use 
of infrastructure, ships and platforms 
for scientific and environmental 
monitoring, safety and security 
purposes. 

Develop tailor-made solutions and new 
technologies  to  improve  efficiency  on 
and 
installations, 
exploitation  of  marine 
renewable 
energies  (offshore  wind,  streams  and 
waves) and the power grid charge. 

maintenance 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

New products from bio-based 
innovative industries and services, such 
as for producing food ingredients, 
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, 
materials, energy. 

New products and value chains. 
New smart robotic systems and devices 
for exploring and working on deep 
seafloor, incl. high spatial and temporal 
resolution and observation (in-
situ/remote tools). 
Have instruments and strategies to 
maximise the use of infrastructure, 
ships and platforms in the area. 
Plan and cross-check offshore fixed 
and mobile infrastructures and 
environmental monitoring and 
surveillance needs from coasts to open 
sea. 
installations, 
Improve  efficiency  on 
maintenance and exploitation of marine 
renewable energies. 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
Projects of the Pole Mer 
Méditerranée and the 
Moroccan Centre for 
Fisheries valorisation and 
technologies 
CSVTPM-Agadir 
BLUEMED SRIA 

BLUEMED SRIA 

Funding 

European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI, National Funds, 
Blue Calls (EMFF) 
EU Horizon 2020 
EU Horizon 2020, 
LIFE, European 
Territorial Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI, National Funds 

EU Horizon 2020, 
European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI, National Funds 

BLUEMED SRIA 

EU Horizon 2020, 
ERDF, National Funds 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Assessing  climate  change  impacts  on 
the  western  Mediterranean 
region 
(marine ecosystems and their resources 
from regional to local scales). 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Networking among researchers. 

Researchers, 
research institutes 
and universities. 

Have  an  overview  of 
the  climate 
change  impacts  on  marine  ecosystems 
and  their  resources  from  regional  to 
local scales, including a comprehensive 
assessment  of  climate-related  risks  in 
the region. 
Establish temporary technical groups to 
explore  and  develop  new  research 
areas. 

2.2. 

Maritime cluster development 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
BLUEMED SRIA 

Funding 

Green Climate Fund33 

WestMED Assistance 
Mechanism (EMFF 
2017) 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of existing 
projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Network of maritime clusters of 
the WestMED 

Place-based and 
national and regional 
clusters of the 
WestMED. 

Promote the development of 
medium, small and micro 
enterprises in the blue economy 

Business, national and 
local authorities, 
research and training 

Enhance the networking among 
the existing clusters and develop 
joint actions for boosting 
knowledge transfer in the blue 
economy as well as increasing 
local SMEs’ capacity to 
innovate. 
Define the framework for 
establishing national maritime 
clusters (legal, procedural, 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
BlueNET project (Adriatic-
Ionian and eastern 
Mediterranean) 

Funding 

EMFF IMP call 2017 

Copernicus, marine services. 

ERDF, EMFF, ENI, 
COSME, ESDF, EFSI, 
National Funds 

33   An AE or an executing entity (i.e. project or programme sponsor) may submit a concept note for feedback and recommendations from the Fund, in consultation with the 

National Designated Authority or Focal Point. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

institutes. 

Promoting regional clusters on 
renewable energy and on active 
ageing based on marine resources 
and maritime technologies  

Business, national and 
local authorities, civil 
society, research and 
training institutes 

2.3. 

Skill development and circulation 

organisational, financial, etc.). 
Establish incubators, boosters, 
business angel services and 
tailor-made financial vehicles to 
create start-ups and support 
SME development (including 
micro enterprises).  
Develop new services and 
products 

European Innovative Partnership 
on Active and Healthy Ageing.  
Digital Platform on Active and 
Healthy Ageing.  

ERDF, ENI, ESF, 
European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, EMFF 
Blue calls  

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of existing 
projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Promoting networking and 
exchanges between maritime, 
port and logistic institutes and 
academies (sub-regional and 
national) 

Maritime institutes and 
academies 

Increase cooperation between 
maritime education institutes 
(both higher level and Vocational 

Business, VET 
institutes, universities, 
maritime institutes and 

Develop new curricula and share 
capacities. 
Exchange know-how north-south 
to educate and train seafarers and 
fishermen. 
Improve student circulation. 
Establish maritime/blue economy 
training centres. 
Define skills gaps and work 
together on concrete solutions (i.e. 
development of curricula, training, 

23 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
RAFISMER (African Network 
of fisheries and marine sciences 
institutes) 

Funding 

EMFF IMP-MED call 
2017, 
Erasmus+ Capacity 
Building Action 
(annual call) 

List one or more relevant 
approved projects from Blue 
Career Call 2016 

EMFF Blue Career 
Call, 
Erasmus+ Capacity 

 
 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

and Educational Training - VET) 
and industry 
Advanced Training School on 
Sustainable Blue Growth 

academies 

etc.). 

Oceanographic and 
maritime institutes, 
academies and 
universities 

Establish an international platform 
for exchanging scientific 
knowledge and technological 
know-how in the field of 
sustainable blue growth for the 
benefit of WestMED countries. 

Increase the awareness and 
attractiveness of the maritime 
profession among young people. 

Education institutes, 
students, public 
authorities, 
international 
institutions 

Matching of job supply and 
demand for multimodal freight 
transport services, supply chains 
and infrastructure 

Public authorities; 
business; labour 
unions; VET 
providers; universities 

Promoting skill development on 
migration and management of 

Regional and local 
administrations, 

Disseminate best practices. 
Promote cultural exchanges 
programmes to discover maritime 
jobs. 
Develop youth volunteers’ 
programmes for protecting and 
cleaning marine habitats. 
Establish lycées maritimes in 
coastal towns. 
Improve technological, 
entrepreneurial and management 
skills for multimodal freight 
transport services, supply chains 
and infrastructure. 
Definition of training standards for 
the management of low carbon fuel 
(e.g. LNG) and underwater 
operations (repairing and 
refloating). 
Harmonise skills and capacities for 
managing migration issues. 

24 

Building Action 
(annual call) 
Blue Growth Initiative 
- FAO, European 
Territorial Cooperation 
programmes 

European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI, ESF, EMFF 
(Priority axis 4) 
Erasmus+ European 
Volunteering scheme 
(3 calls a year), 
National Funds 
Erasmus+ Capacity 
Building Action 
(annual call), 
CEF, National Funds 

Advanced training school on 
sustainable blue growth in the 
Mediterranean and Black Sea 
organised by the Italian Institute 
of Oceanography and 
Experimental Geophysics. 
Moroccan experience in the 
Blue Growth initiative of FAO. 
Countries experiences on blue 
growth. 
SAFEMED 

 Erasmus + CONTAINER; 
 Knowledge alliances CTWays; 
 CEF-T: Picasso and 
GAINN 4MOS; 
 CAF-T B2M OS. 
Strategic project for skills 
development. 

M@res Project (circular 
migration). 

Migration package 
(ENI), European 

 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

migration flows 

development and 
cooperation agencies, 
other relevant 
institutes and 
universities 

Promote circular migration. 
Prevent migrant exploitation, in 
particular with reference to 
children 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
Projects of the MENA 
programme. 

Funding 

Territorial Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI 

2.4. 

Sustainable consumption and production (maritime transport, ports, maritime and coastal tourism, marine aquaculture) 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of existing 
projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Indicative 
actors 
Public and 
private 
stakeholders 

Sustainable consumption and production 

Actions 

Implement coordination/cooperation 
schemes and comparable risk assessment 
of the effects of multiple anthropic 
pressures at different depths, including 
deep-sea areas; comply with regional 
conventions and the Marine Strategy 
Framework Directive (MSFD) 

Identify and measure chemical compounds 
and other sources of pollution in different 
marine matrices and their impact on marine 
organisms; develop early warning tools to 
detect pollutants 

Develop and test (bio) remediation actions 
in different areas/places, including possible 
re-use and recycling of hazardous materials 

Expected results 

Background projects/initiatives  Funding 

Have robust shared tools and 
strategies for a more sustainable 
exploitation of local resources and to 
prevent their depletion  

BLUEMED SRIA 

SpilLess project 

EU Horizon 
2020, LIFE, 
European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
EMFF Blue Labs 
call 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Actions 

collected. 
Sustainable management of fishing ports 
and fishing vessels 

Indicative 
actors 

Regional and 
local 
authorities, 
fishermen and 
fisheries 
associations 

The development of innovative solar 
powered seawater desalination facilities 
and solar cooling or refrigeration plants for 
the provision of drinking water, cooling 
and additional electricity. 

Public and 
private sector 
stakeholders 

Management of waste from ships and 
fishing vessels 

All concerned 
organisations 
and 
research 
institutes 

Expected results 

Background projects/initiatives  Funding 

BLUEMED SRIA 

EMFF, ERDF, 
ENI 

Water strategy for the western 
Mediterranean. 
BLUEMED SRIA. 
Global Clean Water Desalination 
Alliance. 
Masen Desalination Pilot Project. 
Masdar’s renewable energy 
desalination pilot programme, 
which includes four pilot plants 
using advanced desalination 
technologies.  
Several projects 
(e.g. Guardian of the Sea: 
collection of land-based waste at 
sea by fishermen) 

European Fund 
for Sustainable 
Development 
(Neighbourhood 
platform) 
ENI (bilateral) 

EMFF, FAO, 
National Funds 

Increase energy efficiency in ports 
and vessels. 
Reduce the dependence of fishing 
harbours and villages on fossil 
sources of energy. 
Improve management in terms of 
reduced discards and waste. 
Reduce the cost of the fishing units 
in the production of ice and the 
electrification of port facilities. 
Promote the use of environmental 
management tools, such as EMAS. 
Set up a reference model in each 
country. 
Develop local capacity to 
sustainably desalinate water and 
feed cooling systems, including off-
grid solutions that do not require use 
of batteries. 
Promote the development of local 
fisheries industry and/or touristic 
activities and create jobs. 
Support the economic development 
of local coastal communities. 

Improve users’ awareness of 
collecting and recycling waste. 
Promote facilities and equipment for 
the reception and recycling of waste 
from fishing vessels in ports and 
fishing villages, and set up one 
reference model in each country 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Actions 

Improve waste management in ports and 
coastal zones  

Indicative 
actors 
Public-private 
sector 

Expected results 

Background projects/initiatives  Funding 

Implement principles of the Port 
Reception Facility Directive  

MARPOL Convention 
72 London Dumping Convention 
and its protocol of 1996 
SAFEMED 
Port Reception Facility Directive 

SAFEMED IV, 
CEF, ESIF, ENI 

Maritime transport 

Actions 

Promoting green shipping through 
clean fuels (LNG network, on shore 
power) 

Ship owners; 
National and port 
authorities; 
Fuel distribution 
companies 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Optimising port infrastructure, 
interfaces and procedures/operations  

Port authorities, ship 
owners, national and 
local administrations 

Developing motorways of the sea 
and related port connections 

Port authorities, ship 
owners, national and 
local administrations 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
 Greencranes; 
 Costa; 
 LNG Danube Masterplan; 
 GAINN 4CORE; 
 GAINN 4MOS; 
 MedAtlantic Ecobonus; 
 Poseidon Med II; 
 Picasso. 

Valencia-Livorno Ports 
Cooperation project 

Funding 

CEF-T, National 
Funds 

European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI, 
EFSI, EIPP 
CEF-T 
ERDF, 
EIPP, EFSD 

EFSI, 

Define, test and deploy the infrastructure 
network for the use of alternative fuels, 
notably LNG — liquefied natural gas for 
maritime transport and on-shore power 
supply. 
Design and build LNG-powered ships, 
bunkering stations and LNG distribution 
stations. 
Ensure the continuity of the transnational 
chain of LNG fuel distribution. 
Boost maritime transport, short-sea 
shipping capacity, cross-border ferry 
connectivity and integration in 
multimodal logistic chains through 
digitalisation and simplification of 
procedures 
Enhance maritime transport and deep-sea 
shipping capacity 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Coastal and maritime tourism 

Actions 
Promoting transnational natural, 
cultural and historical routes. 

Brand-building of thematic tourist 
products and services. 

Common quality standard and 
certification. 

Upgrading the legal framework for 
new demands (chartering, whale 
watching, etc.). 
Promoting new tourism models and 
sea-land itineraries 

regional 
local 

Indicative actors 
National, 
and 
administrations, 
business  associations, 
SMEs, tour operators, 
MPA managing 
entities 

Expected results 
Address tourist seasonality in a 
sustainable manner. 

Develop thematic brands and 
diversify products and 
destinations. 

Reach new international 
markets. 

Background projects/initiatives  Funding 
EMFF approved projects 

EMFF Calls (2017) 
COSME, ERDF, EIPP 

Interreg projects 

ACCOBAMS initiatives 

POCI34 

Business 
organisations 

Develop top-end destinations 
connecting the port and the 
harbour city with the 
hinterland by creating a sea 
and land itinerary with 
thematic stopovers and new 
technologies. 

Odyssea programme launched by 
the French Federation of Yacht 
Harbours (FFPP) gathering more 
than 70 harbour cities, 9 countries 
and 16 Mediterranean and 
European regions in FR, ES, IT, 
GR, PT, MO, MT 

COSME, European 
Territorial Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI 

Promoting tourism-fisheries and 
fisheries cultural heritage 

Fisheries local action 
groups, coastal 
communities, tourist 
operators 

Diversify fisheries and create 
jobs in coastal communities. 

Protecting and restoring coastal 
ecosystems (beaches and dunes) on 
the islands 

Regional and local 
administrations, 
environmental NGOs 
and universities 

Disseminate and implement 
sustainable coastal tourism 
models based on marine 
coastal ecosystem and changed 

FARNET, Pesca Turisimu project 
(FLAG Corse) and Pescatourisme 
83 (FLAG Varois) 
Moroccan approach of building 
fishing villages and landing 
points 
LIFE projects 

EMFF (Priority Axis 4 
and IMP call) 

LIFE, National Funds 

34  Science, Technology and Innovation Operational Programme http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/atlas/programmes/2000-2006/portugal/science-technology-and-

innovation-operational-programme-poci 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Establishment of environmentally 
oriented artificial reefs 

Research institutes, 
professionals, marine 
fisheries and fishing 
cooperatives, 
Department of 
Maritime Fisheries 

Promoting sustainable marinas 

SMEs, business 
associations, marinas, 
research institutes 

Explore and protect the underwater 
natural and cultural heritage through a 
multidisciplinary approach 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Establish a network for collaboration 
between marine and archaeological 
institutions and the creation of a 
common disclosure and data sharing 
policy 

Develop new concept of smart robotic 
systems for submarine archaeology 

Expected results 
behaviour of residents and 
tourists. 
Have ecological niche fishing 
and nurseries that can preserve 
the endemic species and ensure 
an ecological balance for some 
stocks. 
Exchange of knowledge. 
Introduce new income-
generating activities for 
artisanal fishermen in order to 
reduce the pressure on fish 
stocks. 
Exchange practices and 
promote the adoption of 
volunteer standards for 
sustainable marinas, including 
environmental management 
tools, such as EMAS. 
Provide data and tools for 
protecting and sustainably 
exploiting the region’s 
underwater and coastal natural 
and cultural heritage. 

Develop new underwater 
tourist services. 

29 

Background projects/initiatives  Funding 

Art-reefs project (IT, FR, ES) 
Moroccan experience of 
immersion of artificial reefs at 
artisanal and industrial scale 
along the national coast 

EMFF calls, National 
Funds 

BLUEMED SRIA 
ARCHEO sub-project 

European Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, LIFE, 
ERDF, EMFF, ENI 

EU Horizon 2020, 
LIFE, European 
Territorial Cooperation 
programmes, ERDF, 
ENI, EMFF (incl. Blue 
Labs call) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aquaculture 

Actions 

Promote the diversification 
of aquaculture and the use 
of multitrophic marine 
farming systems 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Establish new practices to ensure long-term 
sustainability of aquaculture. 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
BLUEMED SRIA 
Aquaculture project H2020 

Develop common technical 
standards across countries 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Capacity building for 
promoting sustainable and 
certified aquaculture farms 

Local agencies and public 
administrations, 
aquaculture farms research 
and training institutes. 

Have in place agreed standards on issues such 
as monitoring of discharges or prevention of 
escapes. This will increase legal certainty, 
facilitate cross-border investment, contribute to 
a high level of environmental protection and 
promote a level playing field for operators. 
Increase aquaculture production 
Disseminate knowledge on aquaculture 
practices. 

SHOCKMED and other 
General Fisheries Commission 
for the Mediterranean (GFCM) 
projects, similar regional 
initiatives in other sea basins 
(e.g. HELCOM) 
GFCM projects 

Funding 

EU Horizon 
2020, EMFF, 
ENI and 
National 
Funds 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
EMFF 

ENI, EMFF, 
FAO 

30 

 
 
 
 
3.  Goal 3 — Better governance of the sea 

Goal  3  is  about  promoting  the  sustainable  management  of  maritime  economic  activities 
and preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. 

Coupling socioeconomic development with healthy marine and coastal ecosystems requires a 
solid  institutional,  legal  and  technical  framework  that  can  balance  competing  demands  for 
limited  natural  resources  and  space.  Effective  and  efficient  governance  systems  require 
constant cooperation and synergies among existing structures and initiatives. This is essential 
in order to make informed and sound choices and identify trade-offs between environmental, 
economic, social, political and administrative aspects. 

Challenges 

The western Mediterranean region is a hotspot of anthropic pressure (economic, demographic 
and  environmental).  As  many  as  7  of  the  13  areas  of  the  Mediterranean  where  dense 
economic  activity  strongly  interacts  with  conservation  issues  are  found  there.35  Potentially 
competing maritime economic activities in the same waters may deter or prevent investments, 
while  their  cumulated  pressures  can  increase  waste  generation  and  energy  and  water 
consumption, exacerbate the exploitation  of  mineral  and  biological resources  and ultimately 
lead to more pollution and the serious deterioration of marine and coastal ecosystems. 

The  region  has  the  greatest  biodiversity36  in  the  Mediterranean  and  is  one  of  its  most 
productive areas. However, similarly to the rest of the sea basin, several of the region’s fish 
stocks  have  been  subject  to  long-term  overexploitation.37  Nationally  designated  marine 
protected  areas,38  including  Natura  2000  sites  under  EU  Birds  and  Habitats  Directives,  and 
SPAMI39  sites,  cover  together  about  3.5 %  of  the  western  Mediterranean  waters,40  which  is 
still  quite  far  from  the  target  of  having  10 %  of  the  coastal  and  marine  areas  conserved 
through effectively managed and well-connected system of protected areas and other effective 
area-based conservation measures.41 

It also is worth mentioning that marine litter has been found at all surveyed locations in the 
western  Mediterranean sub-basin,  including  off  the  Catalan  coasts  and  canyons,  the  Gulf  of 
Lions, and the Algero-Balearic basin, with high densities found at its north-western part and 
on  the  continental  slope  (Pham  et  al.,  2014).  A  recent  large-scale  study  targeting  floating 
debris reported densities of up to 195 items per km2 (96 % of which were polymers), with one 
of the peaks located in the Algerian Basin (CIESM, 201442). 

35  MEDTRENDS Report 2015 Piante C., Ody D., 2015. Blue Growth in the Mediterranean Sea: the Challenge 

of Good Environmental Status. MedTrends Project. WWF-France: 
http://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/medtrends_regional_report.pdf. 

36  Species  diversity  in  the  Mediterranean  increases  from  east  to  west:  43 %  of  known  species  occur  in  the 

eastern Mediterranean, 49 % in the Adriatic, and 87 % in the western Mediterranean. 

37  Notably, 44 out of 48 stocks assessed in 2012-2014 (source: STECF and GFCM) are considered to be outside 
safe biological limits and this poses a risk to the future sustainability of the fishery sector in the sub-region. 

38 Reference to the Habitats/Birds Directives. 
39 Reference to the RAC SPA/BD Protocol. 
40  MAPAMED, database on Sites of interest for the conservation of marine environment in the Mediterranean 

Sea. MedPAN, UNEP/MAP/RAC-SPA. April 2016 release: http://www.mapamed.org. 

41  Fixed by the Aichi biodiversity target 11 and adopted under Sustainable Development Goal 14.5. 
42  Ibid. p. 62. 

31 

 
 
                                                            
Networking  within  administrations  and  integration  between  governments  and  with  civil 
society  can  open  up  new  forms  of  collaboration  and  partnerships,  and  offer  new  ways  to 
sustainably  manage  maritime  activities.  The  private  sector  must  be  more  actively  involved 
together  with  other  key  players,  such  as  academia,  researchers,  NGOs  and  citizens.  The 
involvement and participation of stakeholders in the decision-making processes is still weak 
and requires greater accountability. 
Finally,  enforcing  existing  and  future  environmental,  fisheries  and  transport  rules43  relies 
upon the existence of an institutional and administrative framework that is well organised at 
all levels (international, regional, national, local) and that can, in principle, be implemented in 
a  coordinated  and  result-based  way.  To  guarantee  consistent  and  effective  enforcement,  the 
institutional framework must attract sustained financial resources and investments. 

Gaps 

Environmental concerns in the western Mediterranean region have been well identified under 
various long-lasting and consolidated governance frameworks.44 Among these, the Barcelona 
Convention and its protocols provide a legally binding set of instruments for the protection of 
the  marine  environment  and  the  coastal  regions  of  the  Mediterranean,  while  the  General 
Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) provides a framework (also binding) to 
support the sustainable harvesting of fishery resources. 

There  is  a  long-standing  tradition  of  cooperation  on  marine  and  maritime  issues  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  a  wide  range  of  agreements  and  strategic  initiatives  (International 
Maritime Organisation, Blue Growth Initiative by FAO, UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan – 
Barcelona Convention and its Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, Regional 
Action  Plan  for  Marine  Litter  and  Regional  Action  Plan  for  implementation  of  ICZM 
protocol,  among  others)  have  been  adopted  and  ratified  by  most  surrounding  countries. 
Environmental  issues  in  particular  have  been  the  subject  of  various  initiatives  under  the 
framework  of  UNEP/MAP  —  and  in  most  cases,  in  partnership  with  other  regional 
structures.45  Their  implementation  is  supported  by  a  solid  network  of  Regional  Activity 
Centres.46  The  recent  GFCM  mid-term  strategy  (2017-2020)  towards  the  sustainability  of 
Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  fisheries  and  MEDFISH4EVER47  also  offer  a  good  basis  to 
address the current overexploitation of fish stocks. 

However, while there is real  political will to resolve environmental  and fisheries challenges 
and  shift  to  sustainable  patterns,  the  region  is  still  lacking  appropriate  awareness, 
dissemination  and  cross-sectorial  evidence-based  policymaking.  Many  shortcomings  also 
remain in implementation and enforcement, in particular at national and local level. 

Moreover,  data  availability,  processing  and  understanding  are  dissimilar  and  fragmented. 
Stress tests on marine data indicate serious knowledge gaps on the geological and ecological 
nature of the southern waters and a decrease in public investment in monitoring programmes 
in  the  north.  Information  gaps  on  catches  and  the  effort  of  small-scale  fisheries  make  the 
support to the fisheries sector quite challenging. 

43  Including resolutions, recommendations and decisions. 
44  Assessment of feasibility and added value to support a possible sustainable blue economy initiative for the 

western Mediterranean (http://www.westmed-initiative.eu/downloads/). 

45  MoU signed between UNEP/MAP and FAO-GFCM (2012), IUCN (2013), UfM (2013), ACCOBAMS 

(2016), UNEP/MAP Joint Strategy with GFCM, ACCOBAMS, IUCN-MED in cooperation with MedPAN, 
other. 

46   UNEP/MAP RACs: Plan Bleu, REMPEC, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Priority Actions 

Programme, Specially Protected Areas and INFO/RAC. 

47  Valletta’s Ministerial Declaration on the sustainability of Mediterranean fisheries adopted on 30 March 2017. 

32 

 
 
                                                            
Priorities 

3.1 Spatial planning and coastal management 

Actions will seek to improve the management of maritime, marine and coastal areas by local 
actors and ensure an appropriate and coordinated implementation of the EU Maritime Spatial 
Planning (MSP) Directive and the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) 
of  the  Barcelona  Convention  for  addressing  the  cumulated  impact  of  economic  activities  at 
sea  and  on  the  coasts  based  on  ecosystem  approach.  They  will  also  aim  to  improve  our 
knowledge  of  land-sea  interactions  and  develop  eco-friendly  engineering  solutions  for  the 
good environmental status of seas and coasts. Another key area of work will concern the tools 
to select appropriate sites for offshore installations and to fulfil the energy and environmental 
requirements of the region. 

ADDED VALUE: Consistency will be sought in the implementation of the MSP Directive, the 
EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Barcelona Convention Protocol on ICZM. 
Additionally, an enabling environment for public and private stakeholders to feed and inform 
the decision-making process will be promoted. 

3.2 Marine and maritime knowledge 

Actions  will  promote  data  collection,  maintenance  and  storage  through  the  existing 
instruments, databases and projects (notably EMODNET, the Virtual Knowledge Centre that 
is managed by the UfM Secretariat and Horizon 202048 projects) and expand their geographical 
and thematic scope across the region. This will include maintaining and updating information 
on erosion phenomena and coastal risks, harmonising and expanding the coastline monitoring 
systems  at  sub-basin  scale,  and  developing  common  tools  to  assess  the  impacts  of  human 
activities.  Support  to  the  developing  of  unmanned  autonomous  vehicles  (and  related 
underwater  infrastructure)  is  an  important  aspect  to  be  considered,  as  are  broader  technical 
assistance and capacity building on maritime affairs. 

ADDED VALUE: Evidence-based policy making requires harmonised and up-to-date marine 
and  maritime  data  on  areas  such  as  investments,  gross  value  added,  employment,  waste 
production and disposal, bathymetry, water quality and environmental monitoring. 

These data make it possible to: 

-  design appropriate actions to boost economic activities (e.g. coastal tourism, deep-sea 

- 

and short-sea shipping, biotechnologies, renewable energy sources); 
tackle  horizontal  and  cross-cutting  aspects  (research  &  innovation,  businesses 
clustering and climate change mitigation); and 

-  assess  the  cumulated  impacts  of  human  activities  for  better  spatial  planning  and 

coastal management. 

The fact that these necessary data are often either unavailable or are available only to some 
countries  means  that  increased  data  sharing  and  synergies  between  initiatives  and 
stakeholders must be pursued. 

3.3 Biodiversity and marine habitat conservation 

Actions will seek  to assess the atmosphere-land-sea pressures and the risks for both ecosystems and 
human  health,  including  the  vulnerability  and  resilience  of  the  Mediterranean  sea's  biodiversity. 
Support will be provided to establish and manage marine protected areas, reduce marine litter, 
manage  ballast  water  and  monitor  acoustic  pollution  in  close  cooperation  with  Barcelona 

48  Horizon 2020 - EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). 

33 

 
 
                                                            
Convention and other relevant global and regional actors.. Actions will focus on strengthening 
the  local  ability  to  identify  invasive  alien  species  and  routes  of  invasion,  the  conditions 
conducive  to  invasion  and  the  structure  and  functioning  of  marine  ecosystems.  Importantly, 
awareness  campaigns  on  marine  environment  and  biodiversity  and  environmental 
volunteering across the region can be supported. 

ADDED VALUE: The region features a uniquely rich marine and coastal biodiversity, and 
several iconic species (such as whales, dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and birds) are more and 
more  threatened  by  the  many  pressures  they  are  under.  These  include  pollution, 
eutrophication  phenomena,  the  destruction  of  marine  and  coastal  habitats,  disruption  of 
wildlife  migratory  routes,  changes  in  coastal  dynamics,  marine  litter  and  noise.  Countries 
will  be  supported  to  meet  agreed  international  commitments  such  as  the  Barcelona 
Convention,  the  Marine  Litter  Regional  Plan  in  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Convention  on 
Biodiversity (and related EU commitments). 

3.4 Sustainable fisheries and coastal community development 

Actions  will  foster  the  sustainable  development  of  small-scale  fisheries  and  coastal 
communities  by  increasing  the  region’s  ability  to  manage  fish  stocks  through  multiannual 
fisheries  plans,  technical  measures,  closing  areas  and  other  specific  conservation  measures. 
They  will  also  seek  to  boost  the  region’s  ability  to  ensure  proper  data  collection,  regular 
scientific  assessments  and  an  adequate  legal  framework  for  control  and  inspection. 
Particularly on the southern shore, technical assistance is important to design and implement 
specific  plans  and  measures.  Local  technical  groups  can  be  set  up  to  analyse  specific 
opportunities and threats and define joint measures and intervention techniques. Best practices 
for  marketing  fisheries  products  can  be  identified  and  circulated,  while  knowledge  and 
resources  can  be  provided  to  increase  the  added  value  of  fisheries  products  and  diversify 
economic  activities  in  coastal  communities  (also  through  bottom-up  approaches  such  as  the 
Community-Led Local Development). All actions will have to be carried out in coherence and 
synergy with the future regional plan of action for small-scale fisheries. 

ADDED VALUE: The fisheries production of the western Mediterranean region accounts for 
about  60 %  of  the  whole  Mediterranean,  with  extreme  diversity  of  exploited  species  and 
fishing techniques. However, there is no doubt that Mediterranean stocks are in peril and that 
their exploitation needs to be brought to sustainable levels before they are driven outside safe 
biological limits. 

Actions are currently fragmented across the two shores, so greater regional coordination and 
cooperation  will  be  pursued  through  the  implementation  of  the  GFCM  mid-term  strategy 
(2017-2020)  towards  the  sustainability  of  Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  fisheries  and  by 
implementing  the  GFCM  Data  Collection  Reference  Framework.  This  will  also  ensure  that 
the  common  fisheries  policy  is  implemented  more  consistently  at  sub-basin  level  and  will 
promote the economic and social cohesion of coastal communities. 

Union's priorities 

This goal strongly supports the following Union priorities: 

  Jobs,  growth  and  investment.  By  establishing  a  well-coordinated  technical,  legal  and 
institutional framework able to balance competing demands for limited natural resources 
and space, this goal will provide an environment conducive to sustainable investments at 
sea and along the coasts, which is a pre-condition for creating jobs and growth. 

34 

 
 
  Energy  Union  and  climate  change.  This  goal  focuses  on  knowledge,  planning  and 
management tools which play a critical role in informing decision-making processes and 
ensuring  that  investments  are  planned  and  infrastructure  is  managed  with  due 
consideration for climate change effects such as rising sea levels and coastal erosion. 

  A  stronger  global  actor.  Existing  regional  processes  will  be  reinforced  in  the  areas 
already  identified  by  the  Communication  on  International  Ocean  Governance.  These 
include capacity building, marine litter, regional fisheries management, marine protected 
areas, maritime spatial planning, ocean observation and blue science and innovation. 

Targets for goal 3 

(This list is tentative and non-exhaustive) 

-  100 % of the waters under national jurisdiction and 100 % of coastlines to be covered by 
Maritime  Spatial  Planning  and  Integrated  Coastal  Management  and  their  implementing 
mechanisms to be fully in place by 2021; 

-  At least 10 % of the coastal and marine areas to be covered by marine protected areas and 

other effective area-based conservation measures by 2020;49 

-  20 % reduction in marine litter on beaches by 2024;50 
-  Southern Mediterranean countries to be included in the European Marine Observation and 

Data Network EMODNET by 2020; 

-  All  States  equipped  with  an  adequate  legal  framework  and  the  human  and  technical 
capabilities  to  meet  their  fisheries  control  and  inspection  responsibilities  as  flag,  coastal 
and port States by 2020;51 

-  100 %  of  key  Mediterranean  stocks52  to  be  subject  to  adequate  data  collection, 
scientifically  assessed  on  a  regular  basis  and  managed  through  a  multiannual  fisheries 
plan by 2020.53 

49  In line with the Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biodiversity and related commitments of the EU and 

the Barcelona Convention. Baseline 2016: 3.5 %, Source MEDPAN. 

50   In line with the Marine Litter Regional Plan in the Mediterranean (UNEP-MAP, 2016). Baseline: 450-1500 

items/100 m [Decision UNEP(DEPI)/MED IG.22, adopted on 09-12 February 2016]. 

51,  In  line  with  the  United  Nations  Sustainable  Development  Goal  14.4  and  the  Ministerial  Declaration  on  the 

sustainability of Mediterranean fisheries, adopted in Valletta on 30 March 2017. 

52  In  the  western  and  central  Mediterranean  there  are  five  key  stocks  (Anchovy,  Sardine,  Deep-water  rose 
shrimp,  Hake,  Blackspot  sea  bream)  according  to  the  General  Fisheries  Commission  for  the  Mediterranean 
mid-term  strategy  (2017-2020)  towards  the  sustainability  of  Mediterranean  and  Black  Sea  fisheries  (22-
23 Sep 2016). http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/faoweb/GFCM/News/Mid-term_strategy-e.pdf. 
53  Ministerial  Declaration  on  the  sustainability  of  Mediterranean  fisheries,  adopted  on  30 March  2017  in 

Valletta. 

35 

 
 
 
                                                            
3.1. 

Maritime Spatial Planning/Integrated Coastal Zone Management including land-sea interaction 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of 
existing projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Develop innovative devices and 
approaches for limiting coastal erosion 
and pollution 

Improve the knowledge on land-sea nexus 
and develop coastal ecological 
engineering solutions and measures to 
reach a good environmental status 

Use integrated decision tools for selecting 
appropriate sites for offshore installations 
that fulfil energy and environmental 
requirements 
Promoting coordinated MSP and ICZM 

Public and private stakeholders 

To jointly develop new 
tools to address coastal 
erosion, achieve good 
environmental status 
and promote sustainable 
offshore operations 

Coastal and maritime 
stakeholders, national and local 
authorities (incl. hydrographic 
and oceanographic services), 
research institutes and networks 

Have MSP and ICZM in 
place and properly 
coordinated at cross-
border and transnational 
levels 

Ensuring long-term sustainability of 
coastal tourism and appropriate planning  

Public authorities 

Address threats such as 
climate change, alien 
species and jellyfish 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
BLUEMED SRIA 

Funding 

EU Horizon 2020 
European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI 

SIMWESTMED in France, 
Italy, Spain and Malta. 
RAMOGE and PELAGOS 
agreement. 
MSP pilot project for Djerba 
Island. 
ICZM projects (PAP-RAC) 
POSEUR54 
Interreg MED, regional 
operational programmes 
(ESIF) 

EMFF MSP Call, 
ERDF, National 
Funds 

European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 

54 Sustainability and Resource Use Efficiency Operational Program http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/it/atlas/programmes/2014-2020/portugal/2014pt16cfop001 

36 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

proliferation, 
demographic dynamic 
and urbanisation. 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

programmes 
ERDF, ENI 

3.2. 

Maritime and marine knowledge (data gaps, data analysis and sharing) 

The table below provides an overview of the identified actions, a non-exhaustive list of indicative actors and expected results, examples of 
existing projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Improving access to scientific 
information, virtual research 
environments and results on marine 
knowledge 

Research institutes and public 
authorities 

Extending geographical and thematic 
scope of existing databases 

Research institutes, public 
authorities, business, statistical 
institutes, UfM Secretariat, 
EMODNET 

Develop technological 
infrastructure on marine 
knowledge, notably with 
reference to the 
potential of its natural 
resources and their 
vulnerability to the 
effects of climate 
change and extreme 
phenomena 
Extend the coverage of 
EMODNET to the 
whole WestMED. 
Implement integrated 
monitoring plan for the 
Mediterranean seabed, 
water column and 
human activity based on 
outcome of stress test. 
Deploy the Virtual 

37 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
LIFEWATCH project 

Funding 

LIFE, EMFF 

VKC, EMODNET, REDIAM 
model developed by the 
Region of Andalucía and 
others. 
Mediterranean Observation 
System 

EMFF, EU 
Horizon 2020, 
National Funds 

 
 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

Public and private stakeholders 

Developing common methodologies and 
tools (novel sensors to assess the impacts 
of human activities) 

Developing unmanned autonomous 
vehicles and related underwater 
infrastructure 

Technical assistance and capacity 
building on maritime affairs, including 
establishing a working group for 
developing joint inspection schemes 
(WestMED) 

Competent authorities in 
interested countries 

Maintain updated data/information on 

Public and private stakeholders 

Knowledge Centre in 
the WestMED region, 
including through 
national VKC and by 
including satellite data 
in the tourism statistics. 
Address data gaps and 
access for business and 
civil society. 
Contribute to implement 
the Barcelona 
Convention and the 
Marine Strategy 
Framework Directive 
(MSFD) in shared 
waters. 
Enhance coordination 
and cooperation among 
WestMED countries to 
achieve the Good 
Environmental Status. 
Assist civil protection 
during response to 
calamities, support 
offshore economic 
activities. 
Increase administrative 
capacity to deal with 
maritime affairs. 
Ensure appropriate 
intra-national and cross-
sectorial coordination 
Jointly develop robust 

38 

BLUEMED SRIA 

IMO-MRCC Morocco-Rabat 

EcAp project 

EU Horizon 2020 
EMFF (MSFD), 
ERDF, National 
Funds 

IMP-MED Facilities 2012-
2014 and 2015. 

IMP/BE MED 
Facility 2016-
2018 (ENI) 

BLUEMED SRIA 

ERDF, ENI, 

 
 
 
 
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

erosion phenomena and coastal risks by 
harmonising and expanding the coastline 
monitoring systems for basin scale R&I 
activities  

and shared strategies 
and tools for assisting 
adaptation to climate 
change in the region. 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
Bologna Charter 

Funding 

National Funds, 
Green Climate 
Fund 

3.3. 

Biodiversity and marine habitat conservation 

The  table  below  provides  an  overview  of  the  identified  actions,  a  non-exhaustive  list  of  indicative  actors  and  expected  results,  examples  of 
existing projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Improve ballast water management 

Competent national 
and local 
authorities, ship 
owners. 

Assessment of inputs from atmosphere-
land-sea and anthropogenic pressures and 
from the risks and impacts on both marine 
and costal ecosystems and human health 
and wellbeing 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Harmonise ballast water 
management regulations and 
enforce the Mediterranean strategy 
on ships’ ballast water 
management.55 
Develop innovative treatment 
methods for ballast water 
management. 
Increase knowledge transfer and 
capacity. 
Promote the science-based 
sustainable exploitation and 
protection of the local ecosystems 
and natural heritage 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
BALMAS (IPA Adriatic CBC) 
and BALMED Project (LIFE -
Environment Programme), 
incl. a Mediterranean 
Observatory on ships’ ballast 
water management and a 
regional strategy for the risk 
management of invasive alien 
species. 

BLUEMED SRIA 
Amalia project 
UNEP-MAP (IAS project) 

Funding 

European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ENI, ERDF, 
LIFE 

EU Horizon 
2020, EMFF, 
Blue Labs Call, 
ERDF, National 
Funds 

55  http://www.rempec.org/rempecnews.asp?NewsID=210 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

Identify and address effects of 
invasive/alien species, including routes of 
invasions, environmental conditions 
conducive for invasions, structure and 
functioning of marine ecosystems and 
development of new products 
Fighting marine litter 

Public and private 
stakeholders 

Monitoring of acoustic pollution and 
mitigating actions 
Awareness campaigns on marine 
environment and biodiversity 

Research institutes, 
public authorities 
Civil society and 
public authorities 

Support for the establishment and 
management of marine protected areas  

Public authorities, 
MPA managing 
bodies, fishermen, 
civil society, 
business, 
research and 
training institutes 

Improve availability of data on 
marine litter. 
Improve capacity to collect marine 
litter. Reduce the presence of 
marine litter on beaches. 
Protect cetaceans and implement 
Descriptor 11 of the MSFD. 
Create a culture of marine 
environment and biodiversity 
protection. 

Have an integrated common policy 
for MPA management and 
establish marine blue belt policies. 
Create an observatory of marine 
ecosystems in the Mediterranean. 
Address the proliferation of alien 
species. 
Assess the impact of fishing gears 
used by the artisanal fleet on the 
marine habitats 

Promote environmental volunteering in the 
WestMED  

Environmental 
stakeholders 

Fundación MIGRES 

40 

Horizon 2020 depollution of 
the Mediterranean 
Plastic Buster project 
Litter Drone project 

LIFE, EMFF 

UNEP-MAP projects 

LIFE 

GFCM, UNEP-MAP, 
POSEUR 

MEDPAN, UNEP/MAP ( 
including SPA/RAC), GFCM 

LIFE, European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI 
LIFE, European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI 

LIFE, European 
Territorial 
Cooperation 
programmes, 
ERDF, ENI 

 
 
 
 
3.4. 

Sustainable fisheries and coastal community development 

The  table  below  provides  an  overview  of  the  identified  actions,  a  non-exhaustive  list  of  indicative  actors  and  expected  results,  examples  of 
existing projects/initiatives and possible sources of funding. 

Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Sustainable small-scale fisheries 

Fishermen’s associations, public 
authorities and international 
organisations 

Cooperation among fishermen on 
sustainable fisheries management 

Fishermen’s associations, public 
authorities 

Capacity building for fisheries 
management 

GFCM, European Commission, 
STECF, national 
administrations, research 
institutes and universities 

Design and implement 
plans and measures for 
sustainable small-scale 
fisheries (vessel sizes, 
gears, protected areas, 
biological closed 
seasons) 
Establish local technical 
groups to analyse the 
context and define 
shared measures and 
techniques. 
Define best practices for 
improving quality of life 
for fishing communities 
and for marketing 
fisheries products. 

that 

Ensure 
key 
Mediterranean  stocks56 
are  subject  to  adequate 
data 
are 
collection, 
scientifically 
assessed 
on  a  regular  basis  and 

Background 
projects/initiatives 
Scientific knowledge on the 
status of resources should be 
the starting point for designing 
and implementing any action. 
GFCM, UNEP-MAP 

Funding 

ENI, EMFF, 
FAO - GFCM 

FLAGS projects 
COPEMED (FAO regional 
project) 
GFCM 

EMFF, FAO - 
GFCM 

Blue Growth Initiative 

EMFF, FAO-
GFCM 

56  In the western and central Mediterranean there are five key stocks according to the GFCM mid-term strategy (2017-2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and 

Black Sea fisheries (22-23 September 2016). 

41 

 
 
                                                            
Actions 

Indicative actors 

Expected results 

Background 
projects/initiatives 

Funding 

Create added value to marine fisheries 
products 

Fisheries industries and 
research institutes, NGOs and 
public authorities (fisheries) 

Blue Growth Initiative  FAO, 
which interconnects research 
and governance. 
GFCM 

EMFF, FAO 

are  managed 
multiannual 
plans. 

through 
fisheries 

Ensure  that  all  States 
have  an  adequate  legal 
framework to meet their 
fisheries  control  and 
inspection 
responsibilities  as  flag, 
coastal and port States. 
Provide the knowledge 
and means to create 
added value of fisheries 
products in the 
countries. 
Exchange knowledge. 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
4.  Monitoring, reporting and evaluation 

It is clear that the Initiative’s actual results will ultimately hinge on the geopolitical stability of 
the whole basin, on migratory flows and on the parties' ability to mitigate the refugee crisis and 
adapt to climate change. Nevertheless, even tentative indicators can provide a snapshot of the 
changes  achieved,  ease  understanding  both  of  outstanding  problems  and  required  responses 
and help evaluate the effect, if any, of the actions and projects carried out for each goal. 

The targets (or result indicators) chosen relate as much as possible to concrete achievements 
with a sea basin or transnational impact. Sometimes, however, results are less quantifiable: for 
instance,  the  coordination  of  policies  across  national  boundaries,  the  creation  of  networks, 
greater awareness among decision makers of the mutual effects of national decisions, greater 
ownership  of  common  issues,  or  stronger  engagement  of  local  authorities,  SMEs  and  civil 
society. Consequently, targets will not always be quantitative variables but also, depending on 
the context, qualitative ones. 

Deadlines  or  timeframes  are  often  proposed  to  give  a  sense  of  direction  to  the  actions  and 
projects. However, these can at best be approximate estimates, subject to regular revision of 
the Framework for Action. 

While the Action Plan should remain relatively stable for a certain period of time, new issues 
may emerge along the way and priorities may evolve, requiring actions and relevant targets to 
be updated or replaced. In other words, the Action Plan will be a ‘rolling’ table. For the same 
reason a reasonable ‘buffering’ time must be built into the implementation of each project, with 
the proviso that impacts might only be measurable in the medium and longer term. 

The Assistance Mechanism for the western Mediterranean will be in charge of monitoring and 
reporting  on  projects,  mobilised  resources  and  progress  achieved.  All  concerned  parties  (EU, 
UfM,  national  and  regional  administrations,  international  regional  organisations,  international 
financial  institutions  and  relevant  agencies)  will  cooperate  with  the  assistance  mechanism  to 
provide the necessary information. 

Evaluation activities will be defined and planned by the WestMED Task Force. 

43 

 
 
 
 
5.  Stakeholder consultation 

In  drafting  this  Framework  for  Action  the  European  Commission  made  a  point  to  strongly 
involve all relevant actors and stakeholders so to ensure that all their interests and concerns 
were duly taken into account and to provide every possible opportunity for coordination and 
cooperation.  The  actors  and  stakeholders  were  involved  through  a  series  of  communication 
initiatives described below.57 

5.1. 

Dedicated website 

A  website  (http://www.westmed-initiative.eu/)  was  launched  in  mid-February  2016  to 
encourage stakeholders to get involved and to disseminate information and reports. It gave the 
Initiative immediate online presence and visibility. The website created awareness and raised 
interest among stakeholders, who could access and download relevant information and keep 
abreast of developments. 

5.2. 

Consultation events with relevant stakeholders 

Focus groups 

Focus groups were one of the key methods for engaging with relevant stakeholders across the 
sub-basin  during  the  preparatory  phase  of  the  project.  The  objectives  of  these  events  were 
three-fold: 

-  discussing  and  fine-tuning  the  findings  of  the  report  ‘Non-Paper  based  on  the  context 

analysis’; 

-  probing the interest and willingness of local stakeholders to support a maritime initiative 

for the western Mediterranean; and 

- 

suggesting possible ideas for cooperation with clear added value for the whole sub-region 
including EU and neighbouring countries. 

Four focus groups were organised  in different locations and by different  partners across the 
sub-basin.58 They involved 74 participants representing 61 organisations and covering most of 
the  concerned  countries.59  International  institutions,  transnational  cooperation  programmes 
business  associations,  research  and  innovation  centres,  universities  as  well  as  European, 
national  and  regional  authorities  and  agencies  were  represented.  This  allowed  the 
Commission to collect a wide range of views, assessments and proposals, and information on 
existing  relevant  frameworks  and  initiatives  in  the  region.  The  outcomes  of  this  phase  are 

57  Technical assistance for these tasks was provided by EASME through an external contractor (consortium led 

by Ecorys Spain, with Ecorys Brussels, Plan Bleu and Stratégies Mer et Littoral). 

58  Sustainable coastal and maritime tourism including cruise and nautical tourism (North-South corridor), Rome, 
4 March 2016; Maritime and marine innovation, including emerging  sectors and biotechnologies, Marseille, 
8 March 2016; Motorways of the sea for safer and cleaner seas, including integrated maritime surveillance, 
Tunis,  10 March  2016;  Governance  and  means  for  a  better  implementation  at  sub  regional  basin  (UfM 
Secretariat,  5+5 Dialogue,  Barcelona  Convention,  GFCM,  CPMR,  MEDPAN,  etc.),  Barcelona,  15 March 
2016. 

59  Representatives  from  Algeria,  and  Libya  were  also  invited,  but  could  not  attend  the  Collaborative  Lab  in 

Tunis. At this early stage it was not possible for a participant from Mauritania to be involved. 

44 

 
 
                                                            
summarised  in  the  report  ‘Findings  and  recommendations  from  stakeholder  involvement  in 
the preparatory phase’. 

Workshops 

The  intergovernmental  discussion  was  carried  out  through  four  workshops  with  the  10 
countries,  the  European  Commission  and  the  UfM  Secretariat.  The  workshops  were  also 
attended by UNEP-MAP, GFCM, the Managing Authorities of the MED and ENI-CBC-MED 
programmes, plus — at a later stage — CPMR and INTERACT. 

The  first  three  workshops  were  held  on  21 March,  29 September  and  1 December  2016  in 
Brussels  and  focused  mainly  on  the  process  establishing  the  Initiative,  defining  its  main 
objectives, goals and priorities and identifying possible actions. This work was based on the 
report  on  ‘Findings  and  recommendations  from  stakeholder  involvement  in  the  preparatory 
phase’,  the  report  on  ‘Assessment  of  feasibility  and  added  value  to  support  a  possible 
sustainable blue economy initiative for the western Mediterranean’ and on a preliminary list 
of actions identified and proposed by the countries. The Framework for Action was built on 
those contributions. 

A fourth workshop was held on 1 February 2017, in Barcelona to discuss the governance of 
the  Initiative.  Its  main  outcomes  are  summarised  in  Chapter  5  ‘Governance  and 
Implementation’ of the Communication. 

Stakeholder conference 

This  conference  was  another  building  block  of  the  dialogue  among  the  European 
Commission,  the  UfM  Secretariat,  the  Countries  and  the  main  local  and  international 
stakeholders. It was a way to present, discuss and finalise the main features of the Initiative 
and its Framework for Action. About 200 participants from all concerned countries gathered 
in Barcelona on 2 February 2017. 

In  addition  to  the  existing  ‘Non-Paper  based  on  the  context  analysis’,  several  reports  were 
published following the conference: 

- 

- 

- 

the report on ‘Findings and recommendations from the stakeholder involvement in the 
preparatory phase’; 
the ‘Assessment of feasibility and added value to support a possible sustainable blue 
economy initiative for the western Mediterranean’; 
an additional report on ‘Results from the stakeholder consultation’. 

All these reports are available on the Initiative’s website:  

http://www.westmed-initiative.eu/downloads/ 

Other events 

INTERACT Med Lab Group: WestMED Initiative Programmes’ consultation 

A  meeting  was  organised  on  7 February  2017  in  Valencia,  Spain,  to  inform  the  concerned 
European Territorial Cooperation and ENI CBC Programmes of the actions stipulated by the 
Initiative  and  its  Framework  for  Action,  as  well  as  findings  and  recommendations  from  the 
stakeholders’ conference. 

The meeting identified the main areas of common interest and made it possible to check the 
alignment of funds between the proposed actions and the relevant cooperation programmes. 

45 

 
 
Intermediterranean Commission of the Confederation of Peripheral and Maritime Regions 

An  assembly  of  the  Intermediterranean  Commission  of  the  Confederation  of  Peripheral  and 
Maritime  Regions  was  held  on  1 February  2017  in  Barcelona  to  discuss  priorities  for  the 
western  Mediterranean  region  and endorse  specific  recommendations,  which  were  shared  at 
the  stakeholder  conference  on  2 February  2017.  Proposals  and  recommendations  have  been 
included into the Framework for Action wherever relevant. 

5.3. 

Other consultation tools: social media and newsletter 

Social media were used in order to draw attention to the Initiative and its goals. The dedicated 
Twitter  account  (@WestMedStrat),  launched  in  February  2016,  was  regularly  fed  with 
content,  and  other  channels  from  other  institutions  and  organisations  that  were  considered 
influential were followed. 

Six  briefing  notes  summarising  the  state-of-play  and  orientations  from  the  stakeholder 
conference were published on the website and used to animate virtual discussions on Twitter 
ahead of the debates in Barcelona on 2 February 2017. 

Finally,  six  newsletters  were  issued  to  inform  the  stakeholders’  community  of  the  different 
stages of the development of the Initiative. 

46