On 18 January 2024, in Brussels, took place the Kick-Off of the Pilot Project “Transatlantic cooperation scheme delivering the Green Deal locally” co-financed by the European Parliament. The meeting gathered Mr Moray GILLAND, Head of Unit for Macro-Regions at DG REGIO, the European Commission, Maria Homem, Policy Officer at DG REGIO, Eleni Marianou, CPMR Secretary General, Elise Wattrelot, Executive Secretary of CPMR Atlantic Arc Commission, as well as the project partners: Forum Oceano (PT) and CEIMAR (ES).
In alignment with the Atlantic Arc Commission Task Force on Cooperation with non-EU Regions that aims at strengthening the links between Wales, Québec and EU Member Regions of the Atlantic Arc Commission, the project will aim at developing a precursor of cooperation scheme at the transatlantic level for the green recovery of Atlantic territories.
Lasting two years from December 2023 to December 2025 and with a budget of 790,500€, the project aims at creating a dialogue at the transatlantic level on green maritime infrastructure and sectors that are of importance to the Atlantic coastal regions and communities. It will also encourage the internationalization of SMEs in the Atlantic area by upskilling and reskilling the various stakeholders such as industries and clusters, universities and research centres, as well as local and regional authorities. It will also be a way to enhance the multilateral dimension of existing decentralized cooperation among regions, with a strong focus on offshore renewable energies and climate adaptation.
Expected deliverables will bring concrete solutions to the stakeholders and Atlantic Arc Commission Member Regions. Three workshops on the sustainable development of the marine sector are planned, focusing on transversal issues such as SME development and entrepreneurship. In addition, 2 on-field visits will be organised in Québec and Wales, allowing to develop a catalogue of best practices on sustainable innovations and a Roadmap for transatlantic cooperation for an Atlantic Green Transition. Finally, the project will allow to gather in a database the various transatlantic contacts for innovation and sustainable development, therefore strengthening cooperation at a global and on a multilevel scale.
For more information, please contact elise.wattrelot@crpm.org
