21st May 2025 | Brest, France
SITES proudly participated in the European Maritime Day 2025, represented by Chiara De Santis, currently completing her internship with our team. The event focused on the Energy Transition Partnership for EU Fisheries & Aquaculture, an initiative launched in 2023 to support the EU’s goal of climate neutrality in these sectors by 2050.
In her opening speech, Charlina Vitcheva (DG-MARE) emphasized the structural progress achieved since 2023 and announced the development of a strategic roadmap to be published in 2026. The session explored key issues including:
- Ensuring the viability and competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture;
- Addressing regulatory complexity, technology gaps, and skills development;
- Promoting energy efficiency and attracting private investment;
- Advancing progress from the ten thematic working groups established in 2024;
- Launching a pilot project with the EU Parliament to showcase sectoral transformation.
A noteworthy intervention came from Mati Sarevet, Distant Water Fleet Coordinator, who spotlighted the technological readiness gap within the shipbuilding sector, particularly for long-distance fleets. Bridging this gap is critical to enabling the distant water fleet to align with the EU’s climate goals.
The session concluded with an engaging World Café activity. Participants were split into four rotating discussion groups, each engaging with different working group coordinators every 10 minutes. This dynamic and participatory format fostered inclusive dialogue, allowing attendees to:
- Highlight key recommendations,
- Propose new ideas and priorities for the energy transition.
Insights gathered will inform the roadmap and be compiled in a forthcoming document, ensuring continuity and practical impact.
Chiara’s active participation underlines SITES’ commitment to sustainability and our role in fostering knowledge exchange across the blue economy. We are proud to support the next generation of change-makers like Chiara in building a more climate-resilient future.
👉 Learn more about Chiara’s internship at SITES: https://sinnovations.org/welcoming-chiara-de-santis-to-the-sites-team
