The second presentation session of the projects funded by the Blue Growth Programme of EEA Grants 2014-2021, organized by the Directorate General for Maritime Policy, took place on July 8th, in digital format.
The opening session was attended by the Director-General for Maritime Policy, Helena Vieira, who reinforced the importance of these sessions to show the diversity of the approved projects, representing a blue economy also vast in terms of application areas, and to promote the interaction among the Promoters.
Maria João Lois, Head Deputy of National Focal Point, pointed out the relevance of the Blue Growth Programme in the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism, not only in terms of allocated funds, but also from the bilateral perspective, as it is the Programme where we found the most common interest with donor states, Norway and Iceland, because the importance of the Sea in our countries. “(…) From these 9 projects here today, 7 have partnerships with these donor countries entities”, declared.
The promoters of the financed projects took the floor, demonstrating the potential of the innovative products and technologies that they aim to develop and/or commercialize, in a clear commitment with sustainability and blue circular economy. From the valorization of greenhouse effluents with microalgae, to macroalgae production by innovative methods, to the efficient use of wave energy at low cost or to the development of technological solutions that aim to modernize the fishing sector, the monitoring of water quality for aquaculture or the cost-benefit analysis of coastal interventions, were some of the projects that the 120 participants in the session had the opportunity to discover.
The session ended with the intervention of Ellen Aabø, Chargé d’affaires of the Royal Norway Embassy, who referred that these projects illustrate the vast potential that the Ocean provides and are a manifestation that through the Blue Growth Programme of the EEA Grants, Portugal and Norway are able to provide concrete contributions to the European Green Shift and to the global efforts of sustainable Ocean management.
The final message belonged to the Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos: “This session showed that we have a business sector linked to the sea and fruitful in ideas that deserves to be encouraged”. He also stated that the solutions presented were deeply in line with the recent European Council conclusions, or the Integrated Maritime Policy dedicated to a sustainable blue economy or even the recently approved Portuguese Ocean Strategy, designed to promote the Ocean in our national economy in grounded on the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the European Green Deal.
Watch here the video of the session.