//   4th online debate - "Mediterranean and Blue Growth: How to plan a Sustainable Blue Economy?"

Blue Growth has become a major policy objective for the European Commission, Member States and a broad range of maritime actors. It has contributed to jobs and economic growth, supported innovation and research, and promoted a collaborative and inclusive approach to the maritime economy. However, there are still many challenges facing the development of maritime economies.

One of these challenges is Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), which can help to accommodate tomorrow’s Blue Economy by creating a framework for evidence-based and inclusive maritime spatial plans from national authorities. MSP reconciles economic needs with other dimensions and demands, including the protection of the environment, the supply of ecosystem services, the interactions between activities and processes occurring at sea and onshore, and cross-border cooperation.

Issues, that will be addressed in the Live debate, include but are not limited to:

• How to plan and accommodate the Blue Economy in the MED area?
• Synergies versus tensions – How to work together rather than apart?
• How to ensure that Blue Economy is transparent and inclusive enough?
• A new integrated European maritime policy: the Sea Not only as an Economic Space but also as a Political One. How should this look like?

Mr. George Kremlis, as President of the Circle the Med Forum and the International “Circular Clima Institute” of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) will host Mr. Dimitrios Oikonomou, Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Mrs. Eleni Hatziyanni, Policy Officer DG MARE, Mrs. Lise Guennal, Project Officer for the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) and Dr. Andrea Barbanti, Research Manager at National Research Council - Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR).