Around 1,000 people from across Europe have gathered in Limassol last week for European Maritime Day 2026.
The annual event in Cyprus brought together policy-makers, researchers, entrepreneurs, regional authorities and civil society groups to discuss issues affecting Europe’s seas, coastal communities and the “blue economy” — economic activity linked to oceans and coasts, according to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
Topics discussed during the two-day meeting include the next EU budget, ocean data, clean maritime transport, marine protection and coastal resilience.
CINEA said a workshop it organised on sustainable tourism focused on skills development, community-led initiatives and marine conservation, with examples presented from projects including CoastalPro, FAMENET, Dive In Our Islands and LIFE PROMETHEUS.
“Sustainability and economic development are not opposing goals,” Luca Marangoni, a head of unit at CINEA, said in the statement.
Cleaner shipping and women in the blue economy
CINEA also took part in a European Maritime Safety Agency workshop on “Powering Maritime Decarbonisation with Blue Energy”, which discussed cooperation between ports, national authorities, industry and European institutions.
“The maritime energy transition is underway, but we need to pull more resources to reach the scale needed,” Aneta Willems, a head of department, stated, adding that EU funding was “a cornerstone” of that work.
Separately, Giulia Carboni, a programme coordinator manager, opened a session titled “Waves of SHE: Women Shaping the Blue Economy”, organised by the WIN BIG project.
“Every decision we make about the sea should include all voices connected to it,” Carboni said.
CINEA noted that an EU stand at the event showcased projects supported by programmes it manages, including CoastalPro, MarineGuardian and RHE-MEDiation, as well as initiatives addressing submerged marine munitions — underwater explosives and other ordnance — such as CAMMera, MUNI-RISK, MmINE-SwEEPER and MUNIMAP.
