(26 February 2018) – The EU’s 2013-2020 Atlantic Action Plan has spurred over 1200 new maritime projects and nearly €6 billion of investments so far, according to an independent mid-term evaluation.
In 2013 the EU launched the Atlantic Action Plan to boost the maritime economy of its five Atlantic States, i.e. Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and their outermost regions. Most of the projects target environmental protection and innovation, as well as improved connectivity and social inclusion.
By mid-2017, hundreds of initiatives had cropped up and started contributing to these goals, says the independent study:
– 500 projects are investing €2.1 billion on the environment – from developing marine renewable energy in France to novel biotechnological applications in Portugal.
– 500 projects, worth €750 million, target innovations like broadband connectivity in remote areas of Scotland, or maritime spatial planning in Macaronesia.
– approx. 100 projects invest €2.4 billion to improve accessibility and connectivity, mainly by developing port facilities in Spain and Ireland.
– approx. 100 projects, worth €360 million, promote social inclusion, for example by improving tourism infrastructure in Wales or remote health monitoring in Ireland.