Blue Growth opportunities for marine and maritime sustainable growth.

The EU Blue Growth Strategy lays down long term strategies to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors. The goal of the Strategy is to achieve growth in the blue economy, in order to ensure its contribution to the EU's international competitiveness, resource efficiency, job creation and new sources of growth, safeguard biodiversity and protect the marine environment, and to preserve the services that healthy and resilient marine and coastal ecosystems provide.
This policy puts emphasis on European seas and oceans and their important role on the European economy with great potential for innovation, economic growth and job creation. To this end, measures will be taken to ensure sustainability in the blue economy and to protect the marine environment. Potential environmental concerns are addressed to reduce negative environmental impacts of maritime activities such as the emissions of pollutants and the discharge of noxious substances. Moreover, in order to unlock the potential of the blue economy, Member States will be encouraged to make strategic investments, facilitate access to finance, and develop employee skills for innovative growth.
Blue growth focus areas where additional effort at EU level could stimulate long-term growth and jobs in the blue economy in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, are: (I) blue energy, (II) aquaculture, (III) maritime, coastal and cruise tourism, (IV) marine mineral resources, and (V) blue biotechnology. Marine energy industry will be supported to enhance the efficiency of harvesting the European energy resource, minimize land-use requirements of the power sector and reduce the European greenhouse gas emissions. However commercial operation of blue energy technologies will need investments and therefore EU measures, including funding, will be taken for giving industry the confidence to invest in ocean renewable energy. Aquaculture sector will be developed to provide fresh and trustworthy products to consumers, help coastal communities diversify their activities while alleviating fishing pressure, preserve fish stocks, and to provide employment. More maritime space will be allocated for aquaculture activities to increase EU's competitiveness in the global market, taking into account the potential impacts on wild fish stocks and water quality. The maritime and coastal tourism sub-sector will be promoted due to the fact that it generates employment and provides additional source of income for coastal communities. The exploitation and mining of marine minerals will be improved to overcome the supply shortage. The policy underlines that all mineral-related activities will be carried out in an environmentally sustainable manner in line with the provisions of UNCLOS. Blue biotechnology will be developed to unlock the potential of marine aquatic products which provide inputs to the health, cosmetic and industrial biomaterials sectors as well as to the food, feed and chemical industries.