At Internautica 2026 in Marina Portorož, the Slovenian Marine Industry Associaton (SMIA) organised the round table “The Power of Association: Stronger Together in European Boating”, focused on the value of structured representation, cooperation and a shared industry voice at national and European level. The event took place on Friday 22 May and brought together speakers from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Norway and the European level.

The format was built around a series of presentations and exchanges on why association work matters for the sector, particularly on internationalisation, policy dialogue with EU institutions, the green transition and regulation, and workforce development. From EBI, Ana Čalić, EBI Council Member, and Álvaro Urdiales, EBI Project & Policy Officer, presented the European perspective and the role of coordinated industry action in shaping the policy framework for boating and nautical tourism. The programme also included contributions from Roberto Perocchio for Assomarinas, Renata B. Marević for the Croatian Chamber of Commerce’s Nautical Tourism Association, Reidar Gjolstad for Norboat, and Jurij Korenc for IFBSO and Internautica.

The event reflected SMIA’s efforts to strengthen its role and visibility, with Matjaž Murko and Fiorenzo Lupieri leading the host introduction on SMIA’s achievements and strategic direction. It provided a useful opportunity to underline the importance of national associations working together through EBI to increase influence, improve coordination and ensure that the sector speaks with a stronger voice in Europe. EBI thanks SMIA, Matjaž Murko and Fiorenzo Lupieri for the organisation and warm welcome, and Internautica for providing an excellent setting for the discussion.