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On 24-25 May 2023, the members of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly participated in the European Maritime Day 2023 that was held in Brest, France. During the event, Europe’s maritime community had the possibility to network, discuss and outline joint action on maritime affairs and sustainable blue economy.
Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius opened the European Maritime Day 2023 with a conclusion that “if we combine our efforts, we can bring a better life for our coastal communities in Brittany, France, and all around the world”. Thus, he encouraged everyone to harness the power of collaboration and innovation for a prosperous future. State Secretary for the Sea of France Hervé Berville added that there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed jointly, but to do so, “we must make maritime policy a major geostrategic issue”.
During the conference, many important topics were discussed, such as challenges and opportunities for blue economy, role of ocean literacy in linking science with blue sectors, education and society, maritime security, Industry 5.0, achieving marine biodiversity protection targets in the EU, sunken ammunition in the Baltic Sea, offshore wind possibilities and many other important topics. The key conclusion of all of the sessions was that in order to succeed, collective efforts, genuine collaboration and cooperation across R&D, sectors and policies is of essence.
The European Maritime Day is the annual two-day event during which Europe’s maritime community meet to network, discuss, and outline joint action on maritime affairs and a sustainable blue economy. It is the place where ‘Ocean Leaders Meet’. It provides an engaging and complete interactive experience to catch up on the current state of play on a broad range of issues concerning the blue economy and the marine environment and discuss ways of moving forward. It features a large number of policy makers, excellent speakers, thematic sessions, stakeholder workshops and project pitch sessions organised by stakeholders and the European Commission. This year it was organised by the European Commission, the Metropole of Brest, the Secretariat General for the Sea, the Region of Brittany, and the department of Finistère.
The Baltic Assembly at the conference was represented by Vice President Jānis Vucāns and Member of the Presidium Jānis Reirs.
Read more about the conference here.
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