Blue Growth definition

Blue Growth means a long-term strategy to support marine growth as a whole. According to the European blue growth strategy (COM 2012 a), the seas and oceans are important engines of the European economy and have considerable potential for innovation and growth. Blue growth promotes the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth within the framework of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy (Maritime Affairs, 2017). The European blue growth strategy aims at creating a match between blue industry needs and ecosystem services through utilizing appropriate policies (COM 2017). Although much strategic work has been carried out over the last decade in the EU and Baltic Sea Region (BSR) to support sustainable development and future Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) processes, (e.g. in connection with Vision and Strategies Around the Baltic Sea (VASAB) and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), closer regional analysis is needed to better understand national and cross-border blue growth potential in specific areas, such as the Plan4Blue project area. Identifying and understanding the past and future economic development of the regionally significant blue economy industries and stakeholders is vital for successful MSP processes that support regional blue growth initiatives and sectoral strategies in Finland and Estonia. According to the EU MSP Directive (2014), the planning needs to be a coherent process involving all relevant actors in the maritime sector. This requires effective networking and active involvement from the planners and economic actors including individual companies, representatives of industry sectors and regional interest groups. The stakeholders need to exchange future-related information for outlining joint visions and strategic steps that can be acknowledged in the MSP processes to support sustainable blue growth.
Blue Growth means “the economic development based on the use of the economic potential of the oceans, seas and coasts for sustainable growth and jobs, to be developed in harmony with the marine environment.

Examples of Blue Growth in a sentence

  • The EU’s Blue Growth Strategy identifies coastal and maritime tourism as an area with special potential although there is no reference to how this will be affected by climate change (COM, 2014).

  • The main output of the Conference, promoted by the European Marine Board held in Rome in 2014, addressed the regional seas specificities calling for the “recognition of regional seas diversity […] the sensitivity of the Mediterranean Sea calls for particular attention which is acknowledged by the proposed Blue Growth Research and Innovation Initiative for the Mediterranean”.

  • Blue Growth Potential to Mitigate Climate Change through Seaweed Offsetting.

  • The combined activities of BlueBio will create a European Blue Bioeconomy Community which will, in turn, be used to initiate new actions to strengthen Blue Growth in the framework of the bioeconomy.

  • In the BlueBio partnership, the EU acts as a policy driver, giving direction to the strategic priorities and EU/MS commitments to deliver on: FOOD2030, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Blue Growth Strategy, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COP21 agreements and the International Ocean Governance agenda.

  • Sustainability involves both the developmental approach essential to all the initiatives within the Strategy, but also four specific issues: Climate Change, Natural Resources (water – ecosystems), Cultural Heritage and Blue Growth.

  • Programme objective: Increased value creation and sustainable growth Programme grant: €85,000,000 Programme co-financing: €15,000,000 Programme Operator: Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) Donor programme partner(s): Innovation Norway Programme area(s): Business Development, Innovation and SMEs Special concerns: The programme shall address Green Industry Innovation and Blue Growth.

  • Industry and society face significant challenges to achieve growth and to further develop the blue bio-economy (all economic activities that depend on the sea) in Europe, in harmony with the EU’s Blue Growth strategy.

  • Furthermore, an increase of food production from the sea contributes to the general food security and is one of the societal goals as expressed in the EU Blue Growth Strategy9.

  • The strategy behind the BlueBio work plan is to contribute to accelerate the development of the Blue Bioeconomy and a BlueBio Knowledge Community in Europe, by providing products and services, jobs and sustainable Blue Growth.