Blue growth Stijn Billiet DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Overview The EU's blue economy is already significant 550 billion EUR Gross Value Added (4% of the EU economy), 5 million jobs EU is global market leader in marine equipment, offshore wind, tidal and wave energy, cruise ship building The EU's blue economy has huge potential to grow further Land: 30% of Earth, 95% of economic activity Oceans: 70% of Earth, 5% of economic activity Member States' Exclusive Economic Zones jointly are the largest in the world (more than 20 million km²) Sustainable management of oceans to protect growth base: natural capital We need to remove obstacles to further growth Knowledge and research Skills Financing Regulatory and policy obstacles Global level playing field
Major blue economy sectors Traditional sectors Shipping, shipbuilding and marine equipment [more than 1.5 million jobs] Fisheries and Aquaculture [more than 420 000 jobs] Offshore oil and gas [160 bn EUR turnover in 2014] Coastal Tourism [more than 2.7 million jobs] Emerging sectors Blue data [making high-quality data widely available would increase productivity by 1 bn EUR/year] Offshore energy [global investment needs of 690 bn EUR by 2040 for offshore renewables] Marine biotechnology [2.6 bn EUR global market] Seabed mining [value of proven deep seabed mineral resources is 150 tn EUR]
The blue economy ( bn)
Removing obstacles to growth I Knowledge and research Challenge Knowledge needed to foster business innovation (off-shore energy, aquaculture, biotech, data services, seabed activities ) and inform policy makers Many cutting-edge blue industries, mostly SMEs, face start-up challenges Ensure continued public acceptance of Blue Economy (ocean literacy) Data-sharing, for example through EmodNet, the EU's Blue Data Network The world's most advanced high-resolution seabed map by 2020 Horizon 2020: up to 100 million EUR per year for marine research and bring it to the market
Challenge Removing obstacles to growth II Skills Jobs paradox: 23 million unemployed in the EU but Blue Economy sectors lack qualified staff Skills gaps in emerging and traditional blue sectors Blue Economy careers not always seen as attractive A grant programme for "Blue Careers" in Europe Engagement with all blue industry, e.g. through maritime clusters Raise awareness amongst stakeholders Remove labour market obstacles (e.g. recognition of qualification for skippers)
Removing obstacles to growth III Financing Challenge Top-notch industries such as marine renewables, or crucial infrastructures such as ports, need massive investment New ocean industries are seen as high-risk economic activities. Market failure: not enough risk financing Structural funds may invest up to 10 bn in the Blue Economy EFSI: Some projects already selected for funding under EFSI relate to the Blue Economy (e.g. offshore wind farms in UK and Belgium) More risk funding needed to move from pre-commercial to commercial (example: ocean energy)
Challenge Removing obstacles to growth IV Regulatory and policy obstacles Blue business needs legal certainty and an enabling regulatory and policy environment Joint EU-industry-Member States strategies already in place to promote blue growth in ocean energy, coastal and maritime tourism, aquaculture, EU sea-basin strategies - e.g. Technology Masterplan for the Baltic in 2016 Maritime Spatial Planning - adoption of implementation strategy in 2016 Guidance on the application of environmental rules to the blue economy - e.g. aquaculture and ocean energy
Challenge Removing obstacles to growth V Global level playing field EU companies can suffer competitive disadvantage if global playing field is uneven Promoting global rules, e.g. on emissions, sustainable fishing and aquaculture Blue Growth advocacy in trade policy (FTAs) and development policy Initiative on Ocean Governance
Sustainable management of oceans to protect growth Services and assets (CO 2 absorption, climate regulation, habitats, ) provided by oceans worth 21 tn EUR Challenges: oceans under pressure 30% of fish stocks overfished, illegal fishing costs 10 bn EUR per year 50% of coral reefs disappeared (provide 8 tn EUR in ecosystem services per year, e.g. biodiversity, storm protection, tourism, ) Benefits of all ecosystem services in the Mediterranean: 26bn per year Fighting overfishing and illegal fishing Tackling marine pollution and marine litter (including through circular economy package) Creating Marine Protected Areas Addressing climate change and acidification
Next steps Implementation of Blue Economy and maritime industrial strategies (e.g. follow-up of ocean energy roadmap) Maintaining and improving competitiveness of EU maritime industries Unlock risk financing: EFSI, InnovFin, Innovation Fund, Structural Funds, EU-industry-Member States alliances to support emerging industries (e.g. aquaculture and ocean energy) Tackle the skills gap in the Blue Economy International level playing field for responsible Blue Growth: ocean governance initiative