Contribution of local and regional authorities to the development of the blue economy
The study is conducted for the Committee of Region by CASE in partnership with the European Institute of the Mediterranean based in Barcelona. The blue economy is an essential driver of development in the Mediterranean region, however, whereas its importance has been broadly measured and acknowledged, its impact at the regional and local level steel needs to be evaluated. Therefore, this study will analyse the contribution of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the blue economy.
In that extent, experts will provide an annotated bibliography of the contribution of LRAs to the development of blue economy in the following areas: coastal tourism; food, health and ecosystem services; energy at sea and raw materials; maritime and transport activities; environmental monitoring and protection of maritime areas. Then, the main blocking points for the contribution of LRAs to those areas will be identified. The importance of the 5+5 dialogue for the blue economy will be also analysed. Experts will then identify and provide a list of funding possibilities available to LRAs from the South Mediterranean partner countries that would allow them to fund projects related to the development of the blue economy. Finally, policy recommendations will be proposed to in order to give LRAs the tools to better support the blue economy. The note will cover the following countries: Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Lybia.
