Blue Economy Strategy

European Commission

Details European Commission

Blue Growth is the long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole. Seas and oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth (Blue Growth, Opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth, European Commission Communication 2012).

The “Blue Economy” represents roughly 5.4 million jobs and generates a gross added value of almost €500 billion a year. However, further growth is possible in a number of areas which are highlighted within the strategy. Established blue economy sectors include fisheries, marine aquaculture, offshore energy production, maritime transport, cargo handling and warehousing, shipbuilding, coastal tourism and recreation.

The European Blue Growth strategy
consists of three key components:

01 Develop sectors that have a high potential for sustainable jobs and growth: aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, ocean energy and seabed mining.

02 Essential components to provide knowledge, legal certainty and security in the blue economy:

a. marine knowledge to improve access to information about the sea;

b. maritime spatial planning to ensure an efficient and sustainable management of activities at sea;

c. integrated maritime surveillance to give authorities a better picture of what is happening at sea.

03 Sea basin strategies to ensure tailor-made measures and to foster cooperation between countries:

Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and North Sea.