As part of the EU’s annual European Maritime Day (EMD), the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster (UMC) hosted the Ukrainian edition of the event. Pre-war it was always hosted in the city of Mykolaiv and took place in a hybrid format in 2023. The theme of this year’s event was: “Strategic Priorities of Economic Recovery” and included discussion of the needs of the maritime industry, its current activities and the launch of new projects to restart the economy and integrate the sector into the European maritime community.

EBI was invited to speak at the event and its Secretary-General Philip Easthill presented EBI’s approach, as well as the boating industry’s activities and priority areas. Regarding the issue of the restoration of maritime industries of Ukraine, he highlighted the main directions for the next years: reconstruction and restoration, recovery of pre-war skills, European integration using recovery funds and regulatory harmonisation, utilisation of Ukraine’s high potential for recreation and tourism in inland and coastal areas, as well as the importance of access to water for all citizens.

Other speakers included, Artem Vashchylenko, UMC Chairman and Olena Zhukova, UMC Executive Director, who both highlighted the importance of international ties for the reconstruction and sustainable development of Ukraine’s maritime economy. It also included Oleksandr Sienkevych, Mykolaiv city mayor, Gregory Tsouris (Green Deal Counsellor, EU Delegation to Ukraine), and René Berkvens, Chairman of the Shipyards and Marine Equipment Association of Europe (SEA Europe).

Further meetings and cooperation between EBI and UMC are planned to support the industry in Ukraine, both in the current war period and after during reconstruction and recovery. The full recording of the event can be found here.