Participation of the PABSEC International Secretariat in the Blue Economy Forum, Athens, 22 February 2022
Mr. Miltiadis Makrygiannis, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, attended, on 22 February 2022, the Blue Economy Forum II which was organized for a second consecutive year by the Delphi Economic Forum and the Institute for Sustainable Development of the European Public Law Organisation.
All main players operating in the Blue Economy such as leaders, policymakers and industrial actors, joined and discussed innovative solutions, in line with the EU Green Deal, the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
With the Blue Economy accounting for approximately 5.4 million jobs and generating a gross added value of almost €750 billion a year in the European Union, seas and oceans and coastal areas are drivers for the European and global economy and have great potential for innovation and further growth.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit hard sectors such as coastal and marine tourism, fisheries and aquaculture; however, the Blue Economy with all its fully-fledged and emerging sectors can contribute decisively to a green recovery.
As stated by the representative of the European Commission, “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”.
All participants agreed that the Blue Economy is central to the European Green Deal and indispensable to meet the EU’s environmental and climate objectives. They stated that Green and Blue go hand in hand. Indeed, the ocean is the main climate regulator and provides us with oxygen, food, energy and many critical resources for our livelihoods and for biodiversity.
The event included the following sessions: Policy for the Oceans, Green-Blue Mediterranean Initiatives and Climate Diplomacy, Shipping and Ports: Sustainable Transport & Sustainable Management, Food from the Ocean: Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ocean Literacy and Plastic-Free Oceans, Blue Technologies, Sustainable Blue Investments, The Future of Work in the Blue & Green Economy, Marinas & Yachting, Life on the Islands, Marine Renewable Energy: Marine Spatial Planning & RES Legislation, SDG Implementation and Gender in the Blue Economy, Investing in the Blue Economy.