Seminar: Governance challenges in the Blue Economy

Short description of what will be presented during the seminar:

This seminar examines how Blue Economy strategies can be governed in ways that support not only growth, but also social cohesion, sustainable development and social acceptance at regional level. Focusing on the Adriatic–Ionian macro-region, it presents findings from two case studies, the Region of Western Greece and the Region of Adriatic Croatia, and introduces the Sustainable Development Impact Assessment with Territorial Approach (SDIATA) as a decision-support tool for policymakers.

The seminar builds on a conceptual framework that connects social cohesion, sustainable development and social acceptance. It explores how citizens and key stakeholders (public authorities, academia, business and civil society) perceive the impacts of main Blue Economy activities, such as coastal tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, ports, shipping and emerging sectors like marine renewables. Perceptions are assessed through a structured questionnaire along three dimensions: economic performance, social equity/justice and environmental protection. These results are then combined with expert judgements in the SDIATA model to produce composite indicators and eligibility rankings for different activities in each region.

Key findings to be discussed include mismatches between economic importance and social preference, varying degrees of social acceptance for activities with strong environmental or spatial footprints, and differences in Blue Economy priorities between Western Greece and Adriatic Croatia. The analysis highlights how territorial specificities and public perceptions shape the governance of the Blue Economy and condition the implementation of EU strategies such as the Sustainable Blue Economy and EUSAIR.

Participants will gain insights into:

• an operational methodology for ex-ante impact assessment that integrates quantitative indicators with citizen and expert views;
• the role of social acceptance as a critical governance parameter; and
• practical implications for designing inclusive, place-based and socially legitimate Blue Economy policies.

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