The European Maritime Day (EMD) 2025 took place from 21st to 23rd May in Cork, Ireland, in a hybrid format. Under Ukraine’s coordination, the Common Maritime Agenda (CMA) for the Black Sea has promoted active dialogue, shared learning, and collaboration with other sea basin initiatives to support a more resilient and interconnected European maritime future. As part of this common effort, the European Commission and Government of Ireland hosted a successful high-level panel dedicated to inter-basin cooperation.
Key discussions in the high-level panel: Maritime Regional Cooperation for a Sustainable Blue Economy: Synergies between Sea basins strategies
The high-level panel built on discussions and exchanges from the last year’s edition up to date, showcasing best practices and collaborative efforts across the Atlantic, the Western Mediterranean, the greater North Sea and the Black Sea. The panel emphasised the importance of a common vision for a climate-resilient, low-carbon blue economy. Cross-basin cooperation is proving essential in aligning national and regional priorities, fostering a coherent strategy, and ensuring continuity and transparency in policy dialogue and common governance systems. This collaboration has been particularly impactful through Thematic Groups such as SustAqua and SustTourism Technical Groups active in the Black Sea and the Thematic Groups active in the WestMED, generating practical opportunities, such as joint projects, and effective tools for knowledge exchanges among a wide range of stakeholders.
During the discussions, the Ukrainian coordinator of the CMA highlighted the initiative’s dual role not only as a tool that fosters cooperation within the basin but also as a strategic driver that amplifies and reinforces impact on the ground. the initiative brings unique insights and lessons learned that help identify opportunities for stakeholder engagement and contribute to broader EU objectives, including the European Ocean Pact, the European Green Deal, and the EU Mission to restore our Oceans and Waters. In this regard, concrete examples were shared, such as the promotion of low-impact aquaculture techniques and the creation of networks between SMEs and research institutions in the aquaculture sector. Knowledge sharing was also underlined as key to addressing socio-economic challenges in the coastal tourism sector of the countries involved.
The CMA remains also committed to addressing relevant topics such as maritime security, and environmental preservation, notably through the CMA Regional Roundtable on War-related pollution in the Black Sea, held on the 6th of June. War-related pollution has been integrated into the CMA’s work plan and is being addressed by EU-funded projects such as RESPONSE, EU4EMBLAS, Black Sea Sierra, as well as national and EU actors such as EMSA and HELCOM. In parallel, the CMA will continue to promote ecosystem-based management and sustainable maritime practices. This includes tackling marine litter, promoting nature-based solutions, supporting R&D, innovation and smart investment, and enhancing youth opportunities through blue skills and ocean literacy at the local level and across all Sea Basin Strategies.
This successful session at the EMD2025 in Cork has generated valuable insights and feedback, directly contributing to a sustainable blue economy across all Europe’s Sea basins. Ultimately, the CMA is actively reinforcing strategic cooperation, looking forward to sharing more achievements and building on this progress at EMD next year's edition in Limassol, Cyprus.