Where next for Europe’s Seas at the European Ocean Days

Europe’s seas and natural environment are part of the social fabric of our Union and a source of great natural and economic wealth. At the same time, they also face a unique set of complex, inter-related challenges, from depleting fish stocks, to increasing environmental pressures, to increasing competition for sea space. It is an EU priority to preserve and protect our seas, to make the most of their potential by investing in their future and ensuring that future generations can benefit from their beauty and the opportunities they create.

With this perspective to the future this event aims to contribute to reflections on what future priorities might be for Europe’s Seas. Such a reflection should not only consider policy needs, but also the wider global, economic, technological and social transformations that are occurring within Europe and beyond.

In essence, the question to be addressed is: What, in this wider, evolving future landscape, might be the pathways for Europe’s Seas, with a perspective to 2050?

The specific feature of this event is that discussions would aim to address and bring together, as a whole, the broad range of stakeholders involved in all relevant EU and international policy initiatives relating to Europe’s seas and maritime activities. Thus participants from all relevant sectors are welcomed.

An outline programme is given below. Participatory discussions will be based around the following themes:

1. Global drivers
2. Economy
3. Society
4. Innovation

Each theme could look at opportunities, enablers and barriers, as well as the interlinkages between the themes, with a shorter-term perspective to 2030 and more longer-term to 2050.

Video from the event