Blue economy refers to any economic activity relating to oceans and seas. It covers a broad range of established and emerging sectors.

BlueInvest is an EU platform and technical assistance facility that aims to accelerate ocean-based technologies and solutions to unlock innovation and related investment opportunities in 10 identified blue sectors: Aquaculture; Blue Biotechnology; Blue Renewable Energy; Blue Tech & Ocean Observation; Coastal & Maritime Tourism; Environmental Protection & Regeneration; Fisheries; Shipbuilding & Refit; Shipping & Ports; Water Management.

The EU Blue Economy Observatory monitors and analyses economic activities related to oceans, seas, and coasts. Blue Economy plays a crucial role in harnessing the potential of our oceans while ensuring long term health and sustainability of the marine environment.

With a 2030 target, the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters" aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments. The Mission’s new approach will address the ocean and waters as one and play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature.

In 2008, the EU adopted the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) to maintain clean, healthy, productive and resilient marine ecosystems while securing a more sustainable use of marine resources. This Directive directly contributes to the ambition of the European Green Deal, namely the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Zero Pollution action plan.

The integrated maritime policy (IMP) of the EU is a holistic approach to all sea-related EU policies. It is based on the idea that the Union can draw higher returns from its maritime space with less impact on the environment by coordinating its wide range of interlinked activities related to oceans, seas and coasts. Hence, the IMP aims at strengthening the so-called blue economy, encompassing all sea-based economic activities.

International ocean governance is about managing the world's oceans and their resources together so that they are healthy and productive, for the benefit of current and future generations.

The 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG14) aims at cutting marine pollution, restoring and conserving marine and coastal areas and ecosystems, ending unsustainable fishing practices, and improving the management of marine resources, to ensure both economic benefits for all and the protection of seas and oceans.

Europe and the world depend on the ocean and seas for food, as a buffer to the impacts of global warming and to provide opportunities for new human activities.
Marine littering, pollution, climate change and overexploitation are threatening our ability to sustainably use the ocean, seas and coasts.
Research and innovation are critical so we can better monitor, understand, protect, preserve and harness our ocean and seas. We can also create sustainable value from traditional and new marine and aquatic value chains and sectors.

The European continent is surrounded by different seas and diverse coastal zones that are essential to society, economy and nature in general. Climate change, pollution and over-exploitation are among the top threats these areas face. Europe has put in place measures to protect its seas, resulting in some local improvements.