EU Commissioner Sinkevicius emphasis importance of the blue economy during a visit to Ostend

On 6 September 2021, the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, visited Ostend to learn more about a number of local initiatives within the sustainable blue economy in Belgium. Accompanied by Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy, Agriculture and Fisheries Hilde Crevits, the EU Commissioner stopped at the Ostend Marine Station and visited the citizen science initiative CoastSnap.

The programme started at the Ostend Marine Station of the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), which recently opened a seawater pipeline and is home to the VLIZ Marine Robotics Centre. This centre develops innovative measuring techniques and strategies in the field of marine robotics to increase the innovation capacity of marine research and the blue economy.

After a warm welcome by the mayor of Ostend, Bart Tommelein, the EU commissioner elaborated on the European ambitions for the blue economy and the potential of aquaculture to meet the growing demand for sustainable food. Mr. Sinkevicius said: "The EU is committed to protecting and cleaning up its coasts, seas and oceans to safeguard our biodiversity and ecosystems. This is our main weapon in dealing with the impact of climate change. A reform of the marine economy is necessary to protect our ecosystems, but also to safeguard the wealth of our coastal communities. Flanders proves that a sustainable blue economy is not just a concept on paper, but an increasingly tangible reality that will help us to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal."

Hilde Crevits, Vice Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy, Agriculture and Fisheries, then delivered a speech on the challenges and ambitions in the local blue economy. This was followed by a number of speeches by local actors in the blue economy.

This was followed by a demonstration of the control room of an offshore wind farm; an explanation of the Blue Accelerator, a maritime innovation and development platform that is located off the coast of Ostend; and a visit to a project in which marram grass is planted to create new dunes that prevent sand from being deposited on the dike.
 
Afterwards, attendees went to the local CoastSnap station, where citizens can contribute to science by taking a photo with their smartphone and sharing it via social media. In this way, they provide valuable data to monitor the coastline and study the evolution of the beach. Mr Sinkevicius was very enthusiastic about this and eager to participate in this fascinating global citizen science project.

The visit of the EU Commissioner to the city of Oostende is in line with Mr. Sinkevicius' desire to learn more about local projects and initiatives in the blue economy. The programme was jointly prepared by Bluebridge, De Blauwe Cluster, Marine@UGent, Ostend Science Park and the Flanders Marine Institute.