Sustainable blue economy

The European Green Deal and the Recovery Plan for Europe will define the European economy for many years, or even decades. And the EU’s blue economy is fundamental to both efforts. Not only should the blue economy adhere, like every other sector, to the European Green Deal. It is also indispensable to meet the EU’s environmental and climate objectives. After all, the ocean is the main climate regulator we have. It offers clean energy and sustains us with oxygen, food, and many critical resources. There just can’t be green without blue.

To fully embed the blue economy into the Green Deal and the recovery strategy, the Commission has adopted a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU.

The detailed agenda for the blue economy should help achieve the European Green Deal’s objectives, and complement other recent Commission initiatives on biodiversity, food, mobility, security, data and more.

For example

• the blue economy contributes to climate change mitigation by developing offshore renewable energy, decarbonizing maritime transport and greening ports
• it will make the economy more circular by renewing the standards for fishing gear design, for ship recycling and for the decommissioning of offshore platforms
• developing green infrastructure in coastal areas will help preserve biodiversity and landscapes, while benefitting tourism and the coastal economy

Rather than an exhaustive action plan, the new approach provides coherence across the blue economy sectors, facilitates their coexistence and looks for synergies in the maritime space, without damaging the environment. It also underlines the need for investment in research, skills and innovation.

BlueInvest is an EU initiative supporting sustainable and innovative technologies and solutions for the blue economy. It provides investment and market readiness assistance to innovative SMEs and start-ups, promotes them to its growing investor community and helps them to raise finance. BlueInvest also builds investor capacity and helps investors to expand their portfolio into the blue economy. Through its work with the investor scene and dedicated financial instruments such as the InvestEU Blue Economy Fund with the European Investment Fund, it is boosting the finance ecosystem needed to nurture and scale up our blue champions, offering the support they need to be successful and to grow in the European Union and beyond.

A new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU - Transforming the EU's Blue Economy for a Sustainable Future

Blue economy reports

Report: Sustainability criteria for the blue economy

European Green Deal

Blue economy indicators

BlueInvest