Launch of Europe Jacques Delors’ Sustainable Blue Economy Centre
Ocean protection and governance have been at the heart of Europe Jacques Delors’ work since its inception. Through its Director General, Geneviève Pons, and its Vice-President, Pascal Lamy, the think tank has played and continues to play a substantial role in the EU Mission Starfish 2030, in Southern Ocean protection with Antarctica 2020, in the development of the Forum Mondial de la Mer - Bizerte, as well as in launching the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Ocean Strategy Group.In a blogpost, Europe Jacques Delors focused on the importance of the sustainable blue economy and, in an Op-ed, argued for a “European Blue Deal” as one of the major initiatives of the next mandate of the European Commission.
Driven by the mission of “making our cosmos viable”, Polygreen’s expertise lies in circular economy solutions and waste management. The company is a pioneer in the domain of “Zero Waste Islands” and founder of the Just Go Zero Tilos project, which was presented on 31 May 2023 in the context of the Palermo event of the EU Starfish 2030 mission.
Europe Jacques Delors now launches the Sustainable Blue Economy Centre in partnership with Polygreen. United by the desire to make the blue economy more sustainable and more respectful of the environment, we have joined forces to provide insights and useful recommendations to guide future EU policy towards a more sustainable blue economy through impact-oriented research.
The Centre will focus on several issues in its research and analysis, amongst others on effective resource management, decommissioning marine cables, oil spill prevention and marine ecosystems regeneration. In their upcoming publications, Europe Jacques Delors and Polygreen will drive forward innovative solutions for EU policymaking and respond to the challenges in the field of the blue economy. The first paper will focus on “Zero Waste Islands”, taking the results of Just Go Zero Tilos, as a case study for a new approach towards a more sustainable resource management model.
The term “blue economy” commonly refers to all the activities linked and interlinked with the coast and the sea, whether marine-based or marine-related. In Europe, traditional sectors operating at seas and on the coasts, such as fisheries, coastal tourism, and maritime transport, have systematically overlooked the environmental limits of the ecosystems. Transforming these sectors is crucial for the success of the European Green Deal, which requires all actors in the blue economy field to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better protect biodiversity – while also ensuring a fair transition, which will not leave anyone behind. In addition, coastal and marine environments offer several innovative solutions for the green transition which are yet to be used to their full extent, such as biotechnologies, bioeconomy, and ocean renewable energy. The EU has displayed a keen interest in these emerging sectors. However, both financial efforts and political support need to be ramped up for the transition of the blue economy to be successful. The Sustainable Blue Economy Centre aims to contribute to these efforts.