Italian and Tunisian maritime clusters boost collaboration via strategic agreement

Submitted by Lee Gibson on 10 June 2020

A strategic agreement between Italian and Tunisian maritime clusters represents the official gateway to boost the blue economy in the Mediterranean.

Maritime clusters are pivotal in implementing the collective Blue Growth agenda in the Western Mediterranean. In this context, the Italian co-presidency of the WestMED Initiative has favoured cluster cooperation in the maritime sectors and will enhance it further. How? Via a strategic agreement between cluster Blue Italian Growth (BIG) and Cluster Maritime Tunisien (CMT), signed today, 9 June 2020.

The agreement establishes a systemic collaboration framework for common projects, initiatives and funding programmes such as ENI CBC, Interreg, or Horizon 2020.

Both countries are interested in working together in all the concerned areas of the Blue Economy: From blue skills, marinas, shipbuilding to fishing and aquaculture.

The role of the two clusters will be to direct, harmonise and implement such cooperation areas, allowing even the smallest member entities to access content-rich exchanges such as business development or research and innovation topics. A dedicated networking event is planned to take place in Tunisia next year.

The process towards closer cluster cooperation has benefited from both the WestMED Initiative and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

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