EMD in My Country Webinar
BLACK SEA BEYWATCH | Black Sea Blue Economy - Youth and Women Watch
Tuesday 20 October 2026
On Tuesday 20 October 2026, the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) in cooperation with the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport of the University of the Aegean under the coordination of Dr. Maria B. Lekakou, organised successfully a Webinar with title, “BLACK SEA BEYWATCH – Black Sea Blue Economy Youth and Women”.
Organised within the framework of the Hellenic BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office (1.7 - 31.12.2026), and in the context of the European Maritime Day (EMD) in My Country, the webinar built on the results of the SEA (CI)-TIES (Strengthening Economic Alliances in the wider Black Sea region Through International Engagement & Shipping) event that took place in Chios, Greece, in 2025, focusing on women, youth, city diplomacy, skills, and new technologies in the scope of the port cities ecosystems.
More than 60 participants joined the online event that provided a platform for stakeholders from academia, business, and policy to explore the connection between women, youth, blue skills, technological advancement, and city diplomacy, and their influence, both individual and combined, on the Blue Economy of the EU and the wider Black Sea Region.
Key takeaways:
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- Maritime associations can play a significant role in empowering women’s representation in multilevel governance.
- Women’s participation in the Blue Economy should be promoted both quantitatively and qualitatively. This means not only recruiting more women, but also adopting and implementing gender-sensitive measures.
- The development of the Blue Economy has the potential to generate significant benefits, not only for the local economies of coastal areas, but also for those of inland areas across the wider Black Sea region.
- Port cities should serve as platforms for bottom-up, co-designing decision-making processes within the context of promoting their sustainable transition.
- To achieve effective women's representation in the Blue Economy sectors, it is necessary to identify gaps and challenges, provide reskilling and upskilling opportunities, develop interregional knowledge transfer networks and translate all the gender-sensitive ideas into policy action.
- The Blue Economy represents a transformative approach to managing ocean resources, and fostering sustainable economic growth while ensuring environmental integrity.
- Universities and research centres in the EU should prioritise skills that are aligned with the BlueComp competence framework, the European Union’s flagship competence framework for the Blue Economy (marine and maritime sectors).
- Certification is key for new qualifications in maritime and future green jobs.
- The real gaps sit at the interfaces: between port and city, land and sea, economy and nature. The most valuable people are hybrid profiles, combining digital, sustainability and people skills.
- By advancing ocean literacy, skills, and public engagement, through participation in European networks and coalitions, stakeholders can contribute to the implementation of the European Ocean Pact.
- Need to embrace a holistic, inclusive approach to port city development, based on ecosystems values, embedded in various layers of capital: natural, cultural, social, human, industrial, and creative.
- Stimulating career development in the Blue Economy sectors and institutional dialogue are key for sustainable blue economy.
- A smart port combines connectivity, resilience and inclusion. Technology succeeds when businesses, citizens and the environment can measure the benefit.
Read the Press-release HERE
About the conference
EMD in My Country events are grassroots initiatives, organised by local actors all around the EU and its neighbourhood countries promoting ocean literacy, ocean activism and awareness about sustainable blue economy, with a focus on engaging with the public, including younger audiences, through interactive projects, demonstrating the significance of the ocean and of the economic activities around it in the lives of citizens and coastal communities. These initiatives aim to raise awareness on the importance of the ocean and its impact on our lives and well-being, promote a deeper understanding of the Blue Economy and all the social and economic aspects related to it, and highlight the central role of seas and ocean for the EU’s coastal communities and economies.
The BLACK SEA BEYWATCH “Black Sea Blue Economy - Youth and Women Watch” virtual event is organised within the framework of the Hellenic BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office (1.7 - 31.12.2026).
Scope and Objectives
The online conference will open with an introduction of the latest developments in the blue economy at EU and wider Black Sea regional levels, and will comprise three sessions:
- The first session will focus on the importance of city diplomacy in blue economy and the added value of women in different levels of diplomacy, while highlighting the priorities of the new EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, in particular Roadmap Principle 7.
- The second session will analyse emerging skills and new trends that will enable students and young professionals to understand the impact of Blue Economy so as to become more competitive in the job market.
- The third session will explore how to embrace technological advancement in energy transition while connecting new technologies to the service of the port cities’ ecosystems.
Throughout the event, the organisers will acknowledge relevant EU-funded projects, as well as the research and policy work of the attending organisations, and the outcomes of the workshops organised by the University of the Aegean in the framework of the EMD 2026, in Limassol.
The working language of the event will be English.
