WORKING GROUPS

The “Maritime Industries for Blue Growth” Initiative, led by Pays de la Loire Region under the umbrella of the CPMR, aims to give impetus to an ambitious European strategy for the future of maritime industries and particularly shipyards, whose exceptional knowhow and skills provide the industrial foundation for the maritime economy in our Regions.

Regions involved in the initiative are emphasising the need for:

• Diversification of shipyards towards new booming markets;
• Support from a coherent industrial policy focusing on innovation, sustainable development, collective organisation, regional action and investment in skills;
• Decompartmentalisation of industries (cross-fertilisation with sectors specialised in materials, digital technology, design and service innovations for instance) to foster innovation and knowledge transfer and to take full advantage of the synergies possible between industrial sectors and the different actors of the value chain and, at European level, through cooperation between maritime clusters;
• Better access to funding and risk sharing instruments.

These principles are the focus of a memorandum and can be found in the CPMR’s policy positions. These points are also being highlighted by the Regions in the context of the current review of the European strategy for the shipbuilding and maritime industry “LeaderShip 2020”, in which they taking part directly.

Looking beyond the review of the LeaderShip strategy, the future of the maritime industries and especially the shipyards is related to a wide range of challenges concerning blue growth and the European maritime agenda (e.g. industrial policy, research and innovation policy, regional policy). CPMR is actively lobbying in all these areas with the support of the “Maritime Industries for Blue Growth” initiative and other working groups involved in the CPMR’s maritime agenda or working on these issues.