The European Maritime Day (EMD) 2025, held in Cork (Ireland) from 21 to 23 May, brought together Europe’s maritime community to network, exchange ideas, and define joint action on maritime affairs and the sustainable blue economy.
What I love most about this annual event is how the host cities come alive, showing how big ideas can be made visible and relevant at the local level. We often hear about the “need to upscale”, but when it comes to marine ecosystems, perhaps what we really need is to downscale. That is, to bring action closer to people’s everyday realities.
This year, that message resonated more than ever. At SUBMON, even while we work within European frameworks and build international networks, we always ensure that our work is grounded in the reality of each territory. Connecting with local communities — fishermen, schools, teachers, administrations, and citizens — allows us to understand what matters to them and to evaluate the real impact of our actions over time. Working at this scale makes challenges more concrete, helps align goals and values, and enables small steps that feel relevant and achievable. It’s these steps that matter, and they are critical for real engagement.
And that engagement needs to begin from the start. One clear takeaway from the EMD is that coastal communities want to be heard and involved, not just as stakeholders but as co-creators. Engagement is not only about identifying problems together; it’s about designing the solutions together too. This is essential for long-term commitment and genuine transformation.
Connecting local action with broader challenges
While the need to downscale and strengthen local engagement was a central theme, the EMD also shed light on other key areas where this local perspective can, and must, be connected with broader European efforts.
For example, blue mobility and vessel modernization were at the core of the energy transition workshop. Modernizing vessels, especially for small-scale fishers, has become a pressing need. Yet questions remain: Can I afford it? How far can it take me? What do I do in an emergency? Where can I recharge and find repair services? These are the same questions anyone would ask before switching to electric vehicles, and until they’re answered, large-scale implementation will remain difficult. These concerns need coordinated efforts, connecting pilot projects across Europe into a coherent path forward, with both public and private commitment.
Nature-based solutions were also a crucial topic in the debates. One of the biggest issues discussed was funding: private investment is crucial, but returns are not immediate. To shift this dynamic, we need to better integrate nature-based solutions into infrastructure strategies and communicate their long-term value more effectively.
Finally, blue skills and ocean literacy have emerged as key themes across many of the projects collected in the EU Blue Economy Data Hub. However, development still varies widely between regions, and one recurring challenge is that projects often don’t build on previous work. We need to strengthen the connection between the green and blue agendas and ensure continuity across initiatives.
The discussions at EMD 2025 once again highlighted the complexity of transitioning toward a truly sustainable blue economy. At SUBMON, we will continue to work across scales but always with our feet firmly on the ground. Listening carefully, adapting meaningfully, and grounding our work in real places with real people is what makes transformation possible. And that, ultimately, is the power of scaling down. That’s where the real transformation begins.
