The European Commission has published the fourth edition of “The EU Blue Economy Report”, providing an overview of the performance of the EU-27 economic sectors related to oceans and the coastal environment.
Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: “This report shows that the blue economy is an important driver of today’s European economy, in coastal communities and beyond. Moreover, with the European Green Deal, its importance will only grow in the future. The sector will contribute to decarbonisation and other European environmental objectives with innovative solutions and by reducing its own footprint. I call on Member States and private investors to support this transformation and invest in a sustainable blue economy.”
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said: “The EU Blue Economy report marks an important milestone towards establishing the European Blue Observatory, a knowledge sharing platform that will enable near real-time monitoring of decarbonisation efforts across Europe’s blue economy sectors.”
In its fourth edition, the yearly EU Blue Economy Report continues to analyse the scope and size of the Blue Economy in the European Union. It aims at providing support to policymakers and stakeholders in the quest for a sustainable development of the oceans, coastal resources and, most notably, to the development and implementation of polices and initiatives under the European Green Deal and in particular with the insight of the Sustainable Blue Economy Communication. Through its economic evidence, the Report takes stock of the Blue Economy, using the latest available data acting hence as a supporting tool for evidenced-based policy making. It also serves as a source of inspiration to all concerned stakeholders.
The European Green Deal and the European Strategy for data will necessitate reliable, accurate and centralised data for their initiatives. The EU Blue Economy Report 2021 intends to serve as a useful input to assessing the evolving contribution of oceans and coasts to the European economy. It is also intended to support the development of policies that pursue the EU strategic vision for a sustainable blue economy at all levels of governance.
The fourth edition of the Report provides a new perspective on the impacts that several factors have on the Blue Economy, including global challenges like climate change, emerging sectors such as maritime security and surveillance, enabling frameworks such as Maritime Spatial Planning, and innovative solutions from research & technological development. Most importantly, this edition also analyses the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the various sectors, as well as the effects of the mitigation measures put in place, such as the EU Recovery fund.
The Report comprises an overview of the EU Blue Economy for each European sea basin, providing figures on employment and Gross Value Added. Finally, the Report is equipped with an Annex providing a short overview of the Blue Economy in each Member State.
The 2021 EU Blue Economy report can be read here!