The Conference of the Presidents of the outermost regions organized a workshop within the framework of the European Maritime Day held in Lisbon on May 17. This workshop helped to highlight the maritime potential of ORs as well as the projects implemented in this sector.
Mr. Pedro Ortega, Regional Minister of the Government of the Canary Islands in charge of economy, industry and knowledge, Mrs. Anna Szegvari Masa, blue economy Project manager of the Regional Council of la Reunion, Mr. Filipe Porteiro , Regional Director for sea affairs of the Government of the Azores and Cyrielle Cuirassier, EU Representative for European Affairs of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe in Brussels, participated to the workshop which was moderated by Mr. Antonio Domingos Abreu, Specialist in the UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences.
Through their presentations, the speakers discussed the key role that ORs can play in the European maritime policy and the different aspects of the development of sectors related to the blue economy: innovation in renewable energy in the Canary Islands, training in the framework of the sea school project in the Azores, innovative low-impact fishing techniques through the ORFISH project and cooperation as a development tool for the blue economy in the Indian Ocean.
As recalled in the ORs joint Memorandum, the sea is indeed a considerable opportunity for the economic and social development of our regions.